Jinnah's '14 Points'

On December 1928, during all parties meeting Jinnah proposed some amendments on the Nehru Reports. He proposed ‘Fourteen Points’ for safeguarding the rights and interests of the Muslims in any future constitution of the country.]

Jinnah’s Fourteen Demands

• Federal Constitution with residual powers to provinces.

• Provincial autonomy.

• No constitutional amendment by the centre without the concurrence of the states constituting the Indian federation.

• All legislatures and elected bodies to have adequate representation of Muslims in every province without reducing a majority of Muslims in a province to a minority or equality.

• Adequate representation to Muslims in the services and in self-governing bodies.

• One-third Muslim representation in the Central Legislature.

• In any cabinet at the centre or in the provinces, one- third to be Muslims.

• Separate electorates for Muslims.

• No bill or resolution in any legislature to be passed if three-fourths of a minority community considers such a bill or resolution to be against their interests.

• Any territorial redistribution not to affect the Muslim majority in Punjab, Bengal and NWFP.

• Separation of Sind from Bombay.

• Constitutional reforms in the NWFP and Baluchistan.

• Full religious freedom to all communities.

• Protection of Muslim rights in religion, culture, education and language.

Conclusion

A comparison of the Nehru Report (1928 AD) with Jinnah’s fourteen points had a political gap between the Muslims and the Hindus in India. Jinnah's aim was to get more rights for Muslims. It was a constitutional reform plan to safeguard the political rights of Muslims in a self-governing India.