Correct Option
The correct option is 1, 2 and 3.
[as per provisional answerkey]
Explanation
The Government of India Act 1919, also known as the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms, institutionalized communalism within the Indian constitutional framework by expanding the system of representation based on religious and social identities.
- Statement 1 is Correct: The 1919 Reforms not only retained the separate electorates introduced for Muslims in 1909 but also extended them to include Sikhs, Indian Christians, Anglo-Indians, and Europeans. This expansion solidified the practice of treating different communities as distinct political entities.
- Statement 2 is Correct: The British colonial administration utilized separate electorates as a deliberate political tool to fragment the Indian electorate. By encouraging communal identities, the colonial government aimed to create internal divisions that would act as a counterweight to the unified demand for Swaraj (self-rule) led by the nationalist movement.
- Statement 3 is Correct: The provision of separate electorates and reserved seats created a political incentive for various social groups, including the depressed classes and non-Brahmins, to organize along communal or caste lines. These groups sought to secure political representation and administrative favors, leading to the formation of alliances based on community identity rather than a common national identity.
Key Takeaway: The Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms institutionalized communal politics by extending separate electorates to new groups, thereby incentivizing political mobilization based on religious and social identity to weaken the nationalist struggle.