The Rajah-Moonje Pact Documents on a Forgotten Chapter of Indian History

In 1932, in the wake of the second Round Table Conference, two pacts were concluded in quick succession between leaders of caste Hindus and the Depressed Classes. Both were intended to counter colonial ploys to wrench the Depressed Classes from Hindu society and thereby stymie the nationalist upsurge. While the Poona Pact, associated with Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, acquired a landmark status in modern Indian history, the earlier Rajah-Moonje Pact, espousing identical principles, has been all but eclipsed in popular memory.
This is somewhat perplexing, given that the British themselves had then grasped the import of the accord between M.C. Rajah, President of the All India Depressed Classes Association, and B.S. Moonje of the Hindu Mahasabha. Though maintaining official silence, they closely monitored the fallout of the Pact. One indicator of their concern was the file maintained on the Pact in the Government of India Reforms Office (N.A.I.: File No. 111/32-R). Its very title. “Representation of Depressed Classes in the future Legislature -Issue of joint vs. separate electorates-Raja-Moonje Pact.” bears witness to British awareness of the significance of the accord.
Curiously, in a departure from routine practice, no duplicate was made of this file which opens with the Secretary of State, Sir Samuel Hoare’s, telegram of 1 March 1932 to the Viceroy asking for details of the Pact and the level of support it enjoyed. Immediately following are several pages of typed and handwritten correspondence of senior British officials on the matter. Why British officialdom chose not to follow the norm of preparing printed copies of this file remains inexplicable. Suffice it to note that the file contains the original copies of several important documents. Were it to disintegrate or be damaged in any way the documents would be lost forever