Protest against Simon Commission

On 8 November, 1927, an all-white Statutory Commission was formed with the objective of reviewing the operation of the constitutional system in India. It was popularly called the Simon Commission, named after its Chairman, Sir John Simon. The non-inclusion of Indians in the commission provoked severe protests throughout the country. When Simon and his associates landed in Bombay now Mumbai district in the state of Maharashtra on 3 February 1928, they were greeted by hartals (shutting down shops and offices), mass rallies, processions and black-flag demonstrations in almost all the major towns and cities. Protests and demonstrations against the Commission were observed throughout the country with thousands of participants. The slogan of “Go back Simon” became very popular during this time. The Simon Commission was unitedly boycotted by almost every major political party and group. Following this, the All-Parties Conference was held in Delhi (February 1928), Bombay (May) and finally in Lucknow (August) where the “Nehru Report” drafted by Motilal Nehru and Tej Bahadur Sapru, was finalized. The Report put forth their demand for Dominion Status, universal adult franchise and rejected separate communal electorates amongst other recommendations.