Consider the following statements: Some of the main features of the Government of India Act, 1935 were the: 1. Abolition of diarchy in the Governors’ provinces 2. Power of the Governors to veto legislative action and to legislate on their own 3. Abolition of the principle of communal representation Which of the statements given above is are correct?

The Government of India Act, 1935 abolished provincial diarchy and introduced provincial autonomy, replacing dyarchy with responsible ministries at the provincial level [1]. However, it retained strong constitutional safeguards for Governors: the Act explicitly provided governors with legislative powers including the power to promulgate ordinances and to legislate in certain circumstances, and preserved a set of overriding/reserve powers exercisable by governors [3]. The Act did not abolish communal representation; communal/communal electorates and separate representation continued to be a feature in the Act’s scheme of representation. Therefore statements 1 and 2 are correct while 3 is incorrect.

Sources

1. [1] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 20: Debates on the Future Strategy after Civil Disobedience Movement > Government of India Act, 1935 > p. 410
2. [3] https://magadhmahilacollege.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Government-of-India-Act-1935-converted-1.pdf