Question

Explain the following statement with a reason.

The Indians boycotted the Simon Commission.

Answer 1

The Simon Commission was a group of seven Britishers who were sent to India in 1928 to study constitutional reform and make recommendations to the government. This was known as the Simon Commission after its Chairman, Sir John Simon. This was an all-white commission with no representation of any Indian. This non-representation of Indians was an insult for the dominant nationalists. The real power was not passed onto the Indians but was held with the British itself. This led to the boycott of the Simon Commission. When this commission came to India, they were greeted with black flags. The British challenged the Indians to come up with a blueprint for their own government, which resulted in the Nehru report. Although it was rejected by the British, the Congress leaders got some experience writing a constitution.