separate electorates for minorities. As a result, the second conference ended without any result. (d) Renewal of Civil Disobedience Movement. On returning to India, Gandhi revived the Civil Disobedience Movement.
This time the government was prepared to meet the resistance. Martial law was enforced and Gandhi was arrested on January . Soon all the Congress leaders were arrested too. Protests and picketing by the people were suppressed with force.
In the meantime, the Third Round Table Conference was held from November to December . The Congress did not participate in the conference as it had revived the Civil Disobedience Movement. Call for Civil Disobedience (e) Communal Award and Poona Pact On August , Ramsay MacDonald, announced the Communal Award. It provided separate electorates to the minorities, viz.
Muslims, Sikhs, Indian Christians, Anglo- Indians and women and the “depressed classes”. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the leader of the depressed classes, strongly argued for the separate electorate, as it, according to him, would give them political representation and power.
On September , Gandhi went on a fast unto death against the separate electorates for the depressed classes. Madan Mohan Malaviya, Rajendra Prasad and others held talks with Ambedkar and M.C. Rajah the leaders of the depressed classes. After intense negotiations Second Round Table Conference - London Nationalism: Gandhian Phase an agreement was arrived between Gandhi and Ambedkar.
Known as the Poona Pact, its main terms were: The principle of separate electorates was abandoned. Instead, the principle of joint electorate was accepted with reservation of seats for the depressed classes. Reserved seats for the depressed classes were increased from to . In the Central Legislature percent of the seats were reserved.
(f) Campaign Against Untouchability Gandhi devoted the next few years towards abolition of untouchability. His engagement with Dr. B.R. Ambedkar made a big impact on his ideas about the caste system.
He shifted his base to the Satyagraha Ashram at Wardha. He undertook an all-India tour called the Harijan Tour. He started the Harijan Sevak