With reference to the Government of India Act, 1935, consider the following statements :
- 1.It provided for the establishment of an All India Federation based on the union of the British Indian Provinces and Princely States.
- 2.Defence and Foreign Affairs were kept under the control of the federal legislature.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Show answer
Answer: A. Statement 1 is correct: the Government of India Act, 1935 provided for an All India Federation of British Indian provinces and princely states, though it never came into being because the princely states did not join. Statement 2 is wrong: defence and foreign affairs were 'reserved subjects' under the Governor-General, not under the federal legislature. So 1 only.
Watch for: Students reject Statement 1 because the Federation never came into being, but the Act did provide for it.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Wrong because defence and foreign affairs were reserved for the Governor-General.
- C. Wrong because Statement 2 is false.
- D. Wrong because the Act did provide for an All India Federation.
Source to check: Government of India Act, 1935, Part II (The Federation); NCERT Class 11 Indian Constitution at Work, Chapter 1 'Constitution: Why and How?'
Answer from the official UPSC key. Written and fact-checked by AI against the official key. Spotted a mistake? Report it.