Correct Option (Question Dropped by UPSC)
The Gandhi-Irwin Pact, signed on March 5, 1931, was a political agreement between Mahatma Gandhi and Lord Irwin, the then Viceroy of India. This pact aimed to resolve the impasse created by the Civil Disobedience Movement and facilitate Congress's participation in the Round Table Conferences.
- Statement 1 is correct: The pact included an invitation to the Indian National Congress to participate in the Second Round Table Conference in London. This was a primary objective of the British government to secure Congress's involvement in constitutional discussions.
- Statement 2 is correct: The British government agreed to withdraw all ordinances promulgated in connection with the Civil Disobedience Movement and cease all prosecutions related to it.
- Statement 4 is correct: The agreement stipulated the release of all political prisoners not charged with violence. Prisoners involved in violent acts were explicitly excluded from this provision.
Therefore, statements 1, 2, and 4 correctly represent provisions of the Gandhi-Irwin Pact.
Incorrect Options
- Statement 3 is incorrect: While Mahatma Gandhi pressed for an inquiry into police excesses during the Civil Disobedience Movement, the British government did not accept this suggestion as part of the Gandhi-Irwin Pact. This demand was rejected by the Viceroy.
- Option (A) "1 only" is incorrect because statements 2 and 4 were also significant provisions of the pact.
- Option (C) "3 only" is incorrect because statement 3 was not a provision accepted by the British government in the pact.
- Option (D) "2, 3 and 4 only" is incorrect because statement 3 is factually incorrect regarding the pact's provisions, even though statements 2 and 4 are correct.