Correct Option (c):
Statement 1 is correct. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar participated in the First Round Table Conference (November 1930 – January 1931) and strongly advocated for separate electorates for the depressed classes. This demand was subsequently accepted by the British Government in the Communal Award of 1932.
Statement 3 is correct. The Indian National Congress (INC) did not participate in the First and Third Round Table Conferences. The INC boycotted the First Round Table Conference due to the non-acceptance of its demands for self-government. While Mahatma Gandhi represented the INC in the Second Round Table Conference (1931), the INC chose to abstain from the Third Round Table Conference (1932).
Incorrect Options:
Statement 2 is incorrect. The Poona Pact (September 1932) was an agreement between Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. It replaced the system of separate electorates for the depressed classes with a system of reserved seats in the provincial and central legislatures. However, the Poona Pact did not make specific provisions for their representation in local bodies or civil services. Instead, it significantly increased the number of reserved seats for the depressed classes in the legislative assemblies.
Options (a), (b), and (d) are incorrect because they include statement 2, which is factually inaccurate.