Second Round Table Conference

In 1929, on the eve of the Lahore Congress, Jinnah had joined Sapru in parleys to prevent a conflict between the Indian National Congress and the government. He believed that a Round Table Conference in London was a wonderful opportunity to present India’s case for self-government, and that the participation of the Congress would help to make it really representative of Indian political opinion. The Congress went ahead and launched civil disobedience under Gandhi’s leadership. After Gandhi agreed to attend the Second Round Table Conference, Fazl-i-Husain insisted that no Congress Muslim should be included in the Muslim delegation. Jinnah’s stand on constitutional reforms at the Second Round Table Conference remained the same as at the First Conference. Unlike the Aga Khan and his group, Jinnah did not exclusively harp on the communal issue; he wanted provincial autonomy, but no less important for him was the relaxation of imperial control over the central government.