Building the League in the South: Correspondence of Abdul Hameed Khan with M.A. Jinnah

Sub title : Madras Presidency Muslim League Affairs

Subject: Abdul Hameed Khan | Hindu-Muslim Relations | Congress-League Negotiations

Date of publication: 1937

Language: English

Page: 55 p.

Source: National Archives of Pakistan

Serial no: 27625

Keyword: M.A. Jinnah -- Abdul Hameed Khan -- Madras Muslim League | Congress-Muslim League Relations -- Hindu-Muslim Problem | Provincial Grievances -- Bidi Industry Tax | Jinnah-Nehru Talks -- All-India Muslim League Session --| South India Politics

Abstract: This collection features the correspondence of Abdul Hameed Khan, a key leader of the Muslim League in the Madras Presidency, with M.A. Jinnah. The letters span a crucial early period (1937-1940) and reveal the challenges and perspectives of building the League in a province where Muslims were a minority. Key themes include seeking clarity on the failed Jinnah-Nehru/Rajendra Prasad negotiations, strategizing for future Congress-League talks, and detailing the specific economic grievances of Muslims under the Congress Ministry in Madras, such as taxes targeting the predominantly Muslim tobacco and bidi industries. The correspondence also shows efforts to strengthen the provincial League and repeatedly invites Jinnah to visit Southern India to galvanize support, culminating in a formal invitation to hold the All-India Muslim League session in Madras.

Description: This papers provides a valuable ground-level view of the Muslim League's expansion into South India during the late 1930s. Abdul Hameed Khan, as Secretary and Leader of the Madras Presidency Muslim League, acts as a vital link between the provincial unit and the central leadership of M.A. Jinnah. His letters are characterized by a tone of deep respect ("My dear Leader") and a persistent search for guidance on both high-level strategy and local issues. The documents capture the early ideological struggle against the Congress's "mass contact" program and the practical difficulties of organizing in a region far from the League's northern heartlands. A significant portion of the correspondence is dedicated to documenting the economic persecution felt by Muslims under the Congress government, providing Jinnah with concrete examples to present to the Viceroy. This collection is essential for understanding the nationwide reach of the Pakistan movement and the specific challenges faced by Muslim minorities in the provinces of British India that would not become part of Pakistan. SCANNED BY: NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF PAKISTAN.

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