Nehru report demanded “Dominion Status” for India. Separate electorates were refused and the reservation of seats for the Muslims of Bengal and Punjab was rejected.

It was criticized by Muslim leaders Aga Khan and Muhammad Shafi. They considered it as a death warrant because it recommended joint electoral rolls for Hindus and Muslims.

In March 1929, the Muslim League session was held at Delhi under the presidency of Jinnah. In his address to his delegates, he consolidated Muslim viewpoints under fourteen items and these fourteen points became Jinnah’s 14 points.

But these amendments were not accepted by Congress. So Jinnah refused to participate further in the conference.

His aim was to get rights for Muslims. These points covered all of the interests of the Muslims at a heated time and in this Jinnah stated that it was the “parting of ways” and that he did not want and would not have anything to do with the Indian National Congress in the future.

The League leaders motivated Jinnah to revive the Muslim League and give it direction. As a result, these points became the demands of the Muslims and greatly influenced the Muslims’ thinking for the next two decades till the establishment of Pakistan in 1947.

Here are these 14 points:

  1. The form of the future constitution should be Federal, with the residuary power vested in the provinces.
  2. A Uniform measure of the autonomy shall be granted to all provinces.
  3. All legislatures in the country and other elected bodies shall be constituted on the definite principle of adequate and effective representation of minorities in every province without reducing the majority in any province to minority or even equality.
  4. In the Central legislature Muslim representation shall not be less than one third.
  5. Representation of the communal groups shall continue to be by separate electorates provided that it shall be open to any community at any time to abandon its separate electorate in favor of the joint electorates.
  6. Any terrestrial redistribution that might at any time be necessary shall not in any way affect the Muslim majority in Punjab, Bengal and NWF Province.
  7. Full religious liberty that is liberty of belief, worship and observance, propaganda, association and education shall be guaranteed to all communities.
  8. No bill or resolution or any part thereof shall be passed in any legislature or any other elected body if three fourth of the members of any community in that particular body oppose it being injurious to that of the community.
  9. Sind should be separated from the Bombay Presidency.
  10. Reforms should be made in the NWF Province and Baluchistan.
  11. Provision should be made in the Constitution giving Muslims an adequate share along with the other Indians in all the services of the State and Local self Governing bodies having due regard to the requirements of efficiency.
  12. The Constitution should embody adequate safeguards to the protection of the Muslim Culture, education, language, religion, personal laws, and Muslim charitable institutions. They should get their due share in grant-in-aid.
  13. No cabinet, either central or provincial, should be formed without there being at least one third of the Muslim Ministers.
  14. No change shall be made in the constitution by the Central legislature except with the concurrence of the states constituting the Indian Federation.


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