Introduction to the Congress Ministries
Congress ministries were formed in July 1937. They had adopted a bitter policy against the Muslims of India. The atrocities of Congress Ministries are given below.
Mosques and Cow Slaughter Banned
New mosque construction had been banned, and Muslims were harassed during their prayer time. Intolerance towards religion ruled the day during the Congress Ministries. When Muslims were praying, Hindus would stand in front of mosques and beat drums to disturb their prayers. In addition, a strict prohibition was laid on cow slaughter.
National Anthem Bande Matram
Bande Matram contains words that are prohibited in Islam. However, the singing of Bande Mataram, taken from the novel by Chandra Chatterji, was started in schools. Bande Mataram became the national anthem of India during the Congress Ministries.
Hindi As National Language, INC Flag National Flag
Muslims demanded Urdu with Persian script as the national language of India. However, as Congress Ministries were formed, INC declared Hindi as the national language, and the Congress flag, the tiranga, became the national flag of India.
Wardha Scheme
During the Congress Rule educational reforms were introduced in India, which were anti-Muslim in spirit. The purpose of the Warda Taleemi Scheme by Dr. Zakir Hussain was to displace the idea of the two-nation theory from the minds of Muslim children. Through this scheme, they told them that all the people living in India were Indian and thus belonged to one nation.
Vidya Mandar
In Bihar and C. P. the Vidya Mandar was introduced in India, which made the Mandar education compulsory at the elementary level. The purpose of the scheme was to wipe out the cultural traditions of the Muslims and to inculcate into the minds of Muslim children the superiority of the Hindu culture.
Economic Isolation of Muslims
The Congress Ministries weakened the economic conditions of Muslims. Government jobs were the main source of income for Muslims, but Congress did not offer any job opportunities to them. They also harmed Muslim trade and agriculture. Resultantly, the economic condition of Muslims deteriorated during the Congress Rule.
Day of Deliverance 1939
At the outbreak of World War II, the Viceroy (Lord Linlithgow) declared India’s involvement without prior consultations with the main political parties. The British government refused to agree with Congress’ demand for a quick transfer of power in exchange for their assistance in the world war. Consequently, Congress resigned from power. Quaid-i-Azam asked the Muslims to celebrate December 22, 1939, as a day of deliverance and thanksgiving as a token of relief from the tyranny and oppression of the Congress Ministries.