Party Politics in the British Punjab: A Study of the Punjab Unionist Party (1923-1937)
Abstract
Abstract Views: 165Since the inception, the Punjab Unionist Party played significant role in the politics of the British Punjab. Its secular character is said to be the major success to block communalism and the Sikhs, Hindus, Christians and Muslims worked together under its flag in the provincial governments from the period of 1923 to 1947. Despite all the efforts made by the party and the British it could not maintain its dominating status in the Punjab because of the interference of the political parties working at national level. As the All-India Muslim League and Indian National Congress asserted their authority in the regional politics, the Unionist Party collapsed. Its leaders had to seek shelter from the national parties and Jinnah-Sikandar Pact and Congress-Akali Pact can be quoted as the evidence which dented the strength of the Unionist Party. Many writers such as Ian Talbot, Raguvendra Tanwar, Qalb-i-Abid, and Kirpal Singh have mainly focused on the overall politics of the Punjab while some take up the period of the partition. This article is an endeavor to explore the politics of the Unionist Party during the period of 1923 to 1937, the era when the Punjab experienced a major shift from a restricted democracy to the flexible trends in the electoral politics.
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