Previous Year Question

Negotiations between Mahatma Gandhi and Viceroy Lord Irwin took place in February 1931, and the Gandhi-Irwin Pact, also called the Delhi Pact, was concluded on 5 March 1931.

Under the settlement, the Congress agreed to suspend the Civil Disobedience Movement and participate in the Second Round Table Conference. The Government accepted concessions including the release of non-violent political prisoners, restoration of confiscated property that had not been sold, and limited manufacture of salt in coastal areas.

However, Gandhi's demand for a public inquiry into police excesses was not accepted. Similarly, commutation of the death sentences of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev did not become part of the settlement.

Alan Campbell-Johnson, who later wrote a biography of Lord Irwin, by then Viscount Halifax, described Gandhi's gains from the settlement as “Consolation Prizes.” In his assessment, the concessions secured by Gandhi were limited, while an important concession by Irwin was his agreement to enter into formal negotiations with Gandhi.

He should not be confused with Sarojini Naidu. In the context of the Gandhi-Irwin negotiations, she used an expression referring to Gandhi and Irwin as the “Two Mahatmas”; the expression “Consolation Prizes” is associated with Alan Campbell-Johnson.