The Delhi StatementSarkar, Sumit, Modern India 1885-1947, Madra, 1990, MacMillan India, . pp. 282-284, 295 was issued by

Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

on 2 November 1929. It was issued when

Simon Commission The Indian Statutory Commission also known as Simon Commission, was a group of seven Members of Parliament under the chairmanship of Sir John Simon. The commission arrived in India in 1928 to study constitutional reform in Britain's largest a ...

was touring India. The Congress was passing through a phase of political inactivity. The Swarajists had joined the Legislative Council but did not achieve much. Gandhi was engaged in village upliftment programme. During the Madras Session in December 1927, young leaders like

Jawahar Lal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...

had proposed the resolution for complete independence which was however defeated and the action of Jawahar Lal was not appreciated by Gandhi. With such a background, Simon Commission was receiving strong protest from nationalist supporters. Irwin persuaded the Congress leadership to come to the

Round Table Conference The three Round Table Conferences of 1930–1932 were a series of peace conferences organized by the British Government and Indian political personalities to discuss constitutional reforms in India. These started in November 1930 and ended in Dec ...

which Simon Commission was expected to propose after going back to London.

Irwin Irwin may refer to: Places ;United States * Irwin, California * Irwin, Idaho * Irwin, Illinois * Irwin, Iowa * Irwin, Nebraska * Irwin, Ohio * Irwin, Pennsylvania * Irwin, South Carolina * Irwin County, Georgia * Irwin Township, Venango County, Pe ...

, the Viceroy of India, had watched with great concern the unanimity of Indians in opposing the Simon Commission. There was opposition in London also against giving concessions to the Indians and it was debated in the Parliament. With this background, Gandhi issued the statement. It was, in a way, an attempt to find a middle path. In the statement, it was suggested, that in the coming Round Table Conference, the features of

Dominion Status The term ''Dominion'' is used to refer to one of several self-governing nations of the British Empire. "Dominion status" was first accorded to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, South Africa, and the Irish Free State at the 1926 ...

to India would be discussed, that there would be majority of Congress delegates in the Conference and there would be issues of general amnesty and conciliation. In this way, there were four main demands for the Commission. Gandhi met Irwin on 23 November 1929 where Irwin, the Viceroy, rejected the offer given in Delhi Statement. In the meantime,

Lala Lajpat Rai Lala Lajpat Rai (28 January 1865 - 17 November 1928) was an Indian author, freedom fighter, and politician. He played a vital role in the Indian Independence movement. He was popularly known as Punjab Kesari. He was one of the three members of ...

died because of

Lathi Charge A baton charge is a coordinated tactic for dispersing crowds of people, usually used by police or military in response to public disorder. In South Asia, a long bamboo stick, called ''lathi'' in Hindi, is used for crowd control, and the expressi ...

on 17 November 1928. Later, when Gandhi signed the Gandhi Irwin pact, all the four demands were avoided at that time. Under the pact, Gandhi had accepted to participate in the second Round Table Conference after holding back the

Civil Disobedience Movement The Salt March, also known as the Salt Satyagraha, Dandi March and the Dandi Satyagraha, was an act of nonviolent civil disobedience in colonial India led by Mahatma Gandhi. The twenty-four day march lasted from 12 March to 6 April 1930 as a di ...

. It was read as a compromise by the supporters of Nationalist and especially by the Indian Capitalists who had started showing sign of fatigue during the Civil Disobedience Movement. It is considered as the cause of later withdrawal of Civil Disobedience Movement, which was finally withdrawn in April 1934.

References

Indian independence movement {{India-hist-stub