ICSE Class 10 Answered

The following were respectively the reactions of the Depressed Classes and the Sikhs to the August Declaration:

1. The leaders of the Depressed Classes wanted a fair representation in the Councils either through separate electorates or by means of reservation of seats.
2. The Sikhs wished to have one-third of the seats in the Punjab Legislative Council because they felt that they constituted the main strength of the British army in India. They had ruled Punjab till as late as 1848-49, owned a lot of land in the Punjab province and almost 40% of the land revenue was paid by them. These arguments were also presented in favour of their claim.