Satavahana Administration

The Satavahana administration was very simple and was according to the principle laid down in Dharmashastras. The king laid no claim of divine right. They had only the most modest title of rajan. They had no absolute power. Their power was checked in practice by customs and shastras. The king was the commander of war and of threw himself into the thickest of the frays.

A peculiar feature of the Satavahana administration was the presence of feudatories of different grade. The highest class was that of petty princes bearing the kingly title raja and striking coins in their own names. Next in rank was the maharathi and mahabhoja. Both titles from the beginning were hereditary and restricted to a few families in a few localities. Probably mahabhoja ranked higher than that of maharathi.

The mahabhojas were the feudatories of Satavahanas. They were primarily located in western Deccan. They were related by blood to the feudatory maharathi. It is definitely known that the maharathis were the feudatories of Satavahanas. They also granted in their own name villages with physical immunities attached to them. The maharathis of the chitaldrug enjoyed the additional privilege of issuing coins in their own name.

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Quit India Movement

In August 1942, Gandhiji gave the slogan 'Quit India'. The Congress passed a resolution on 8 August 1942 which stated that the immediate ending of British rule in India was an urgent necessity both for the sake of India and the success of the United Nations. The Congress resolved to launch a mass civil disobedience struggle on the widest scale for the vindication of India' right to freedom and independence if the British rule did not end immediately. The day after the resolution was passed, the Congress was banned and all the important leaders were arrested. The arrest of the nationalist leaders provoked a wave of indignation among the people. Quit India resounded throughout the country. There were spontaneous demonstrations at many places and people resorted to the use of violence to dislodge the foreign rule. The government used army and police to suppress the movement.Hunderds of persons were killed and over 70,000 arrested in less than 5 months. The struggles continued through out the period of the Second World War.

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Elections for Constituent Assembly

The elections were held in 1937 and about 15.5 million people cast their votes. Many parties including Congress and Muslim League participated in the elections. The Congress swept the polls in most part of the country. In 6 provinces it won an absolute majority and in 3 other provinces, it emerged as the single largest party. There were 482 seats reserved for Muslims. Of these Muslim League won only 108.In 4 provinces, including the North –West it failed to secure even one seat.

The nationalist movement under the leadership of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan secured significant victories. In July 1937 on the assurance of the Viceroy that the governors would not interfere in the administration; the Congress formed its ministries in 6 provinces –United Provinces, Central Provinces, Bihar, Orissa, Madras and Bombay. In the North-West Frontier Province and Assam, the Congress formed its ministries later and in Sind a ministry was formed with the support of the Congress. These ministries took some important steps immediately after coming to power. Political prisoners were released and bans on newspapers were lifted. Important steps were also taken in the field of education.

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