Introduction

The 1940s and ’50s in India were a turbulent time, during which the structures of democracy and unity in the Indian state were debated among many different stakeholders, including politicians from minority constituencies committed to an inclusive idea of the new Indian nation. This chapter describes strategies used by minority political organizations to try to redefine Indian unity and Indian democracy toward a more open political landscape, with specific focus on the All India Scheduled Castes Federation and the All India Women’s Conference. The introduction defines the crisis of unity in India during the decade before and after independence to show how minority political organizations debated with the Indian National Congress about the kind of democratic representation appropriate for India. Finally, the chapter discusses the ways that minority political groups, including the All India Muslim League, named their commitment to the Indian nation while also marking their constituency interest through their use of the term “All India” at the beginning of their organizations’ names.