Previous Year Question
Consider the following statements with reference to the Justice Party:
The Justice Party opposed Congress by calling it a Brahmin dominated organisation.
It claimed the same communal representation for non-Brahmins as the Morley-Minto reforms had given to Muslims.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
Both 1 and 2
Neither 1 nor 2
Only 1
Only 2
Correct Answer: A
Detailed Solution
Statement 1 is correct. The Justice Party was associated with the non-Brahmin political movement that developed in the Madras Presidency. It opposed the Congress by describing it as a Brahmin-dominated organisation and argued that non-Brahmin communities were inadequately represented in political and administrative institutions.
The formal name of the Justice Party was the South Indian Liberal Federation. A major element of its political programme was securing greater opportunities and representation for non-Brahmins in government services and representative institutions.
Statement 2 is also correct. The Justice Party demanded communal representation for non-Brahmins and compared this demand with the representation granted to Muslims under the Morley-Minto Reforms of 1909.
An important electoral change under the Morley-Minto Reforms was the provision of separate electorates for Muslims. The Justice Party similarly sought institutional safeguards for the political representation of non-Brahmins.
Later, in the 1920 Madras Legislative Council election, the Congress boycotted the election in connection with the Non-Cooperation Movement, while the Justice Party participated and came into a position to form the government. This increased the political influence of the Justice Party in the Madras Presidency.