Why did political leaders differ sharply over the question of separate electorates?
When the Civil Disobedience Movement started there was an atmosphere of suspicion and distrust between communities.
(i)Many dalits leaders were keen on a different political solutions to the problems of the community. They began organising themselves, demanding reserved seats in educational institutions, and a seperate electorate that would choose dalit members for legislative councils. Political empowerment, they believed, would resolve the problems of their social disabilities.
(ii)Gandhi believed that seperate electorate for dalits would slow down the process of their integration into society.
(iii)Many Muslim leaders and intellectuals expressed their concern about the status of Muslims as a minority within India. MA Jinnah was willing to give up the demand for seperate electorates, if Muslims were assured reserved seats in the Central Assembly and representation in proportion to population in the Muslim-dominated provinces.