The Politics of Business

This essay examines the tenure of the Congress ministry (1937-39) in Bombay and argues that it allowed the Muslim League to define its contours of opposition in terms of economic policies, and position itself as a pro-business, urban grouping. The two factors that shaped this were the Congress’s decision to introduce Prohibition and levy urban property tax, sales tax on cloth and petrol; and the emergence of a loose Muslim League-led, anti-Congress coalition in Bombay politics that transcended religious and social barriers. The Bombay Assembly and Municipal Corporation witnessed the coming together of Parsi, Hindu and Muslim merchants and landlords. These factors played within the spectrum of the perceived rural turn taken by the Congress to the detriment of urban, business interests.