What was the effect of the Government of India Act of 1935 on the national movement?

The Government of India Act of 1935 had a complex impact on the national movement. While it introduced provincial autonomy and a federal concept [4], it was largely seen as a British attempt to maintain imperial control by creating internal divisions. The Act extended the system of communal electorates to include not only Muslims but also other groups like the depressed classes and various interests, which promoted separatist tendencies and created dissensions within the Indian body politic [1][t4]. This extension of communal representation was a strategic move to check nationalist elements by using the Princely States and minority groups as a counterweight [c5]. Consequently, the Act was condemned by nearly all sections of Indian leadership, including the Congress, which viewed it as a 'charter of slavery' designed to weaken the unified national struggle for complete independence [c1][t5].

Sources

1. [2] 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. [4] Modern India ,Bipin Chandra, History class XII (NCERT 1982 ed.)[Old NCERT] > Chapter 15: Struggle for Swaraj > The Government of India Act, 1935 > p. 291
3. [1] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 26: Constitutional, Administrative and Judicial Developments > Government of India Act, 1935 > p. 513