Describe the Delhi Proposals of 1927.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2023). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [1] the Proposals were the work of Jinnah
2. [2] Sindh should be separated from Bombay and should be an independent province
3. [1] reforms introduced in the North-West Frontier Province and Balochistan should be the same as in any other province of India
4. [1] willing to accept joint electorates at the expense of separate electorates
5. [1] reservation of seats according to the population for different communities in the Punjab and Bengal
6. [1] Muslims should be given one-third representation in the Central Legislature
7. [1] Allama Iqbal was the first Muslim leader to advocate for the creation of a separate Muslim state
8. [1] as a result of his Allahabad address in 1930 when he put forward this view, many Muslims seriously considered separatism during the 1930s
9. [1] he was also opposed to the British control of India
10. [1] he believed the Muslim League had to build an effective political party to challenge the domination of the Congress Party
11. [1] his poetry awakened a sense of nationhood among Muslims
12. [1] he recognised the talent in Jinnah as the natural leader of the Muslim community in their demands for a separate homeland
13. [1] (May agree) it was the first major election fought which helped to unify the Muslim League
14. [1] (May agree) it demonstrated to the Muslim League that improvements in its organisation and planning were needed
15. [1] (May agree) the Muslim League discovered that their support lay in areas where Muslims were a minority rather than a majority
16. [1] (May agree) the Muslim League recognised that their image needed to be improved in order to attract more Muslims
17. [1] (May agree) the Muslim League learned the lessons of the 1937 election by the time of the 1945 election where they were more successful
18. [1] (Counter-argument) the Congress Party gained an overall victory by winning majorities in five provinces
19. [1] (Counter-argument) the Congress Party was the largest single party in four other provinces
20. [1] (Counter-argument) this victory confirmed their view as being the sole party representing Indian people
21. [1] (Counter-argument) led to formation of cabinets in eight provinces which confirmed this victory
22. [1] (Counter-argument) Congress could now freely impose their own schemes (Wardha etc) in the provinces