With reference to the Government of India Act, 1935, consider the following statements:

1. It provided for the establishment of an All India Federation based on the union of the British Indian Provinces and Princely States.

2. Defence and Foreign Affairs were kept under the control of the federal legislature.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

The correct option is 1 only.

Let us analyze the statements with reference to the Government of India Act, 1935:

Statement 1 is correct: The Government of India Act, 1935, prescribed the establishment of an All India Federation. This proposed federation was to consist of the British Indian Provinces and the Princely States as constituent units. However, this federation never came into existence because the Princely States decided not to join it.

Statement 2 is incorrect: The Act introduced dyarchy at the federal level. Under this system, federal subjects were categorized into Reserved and Transferred subjects. Key departments such as Defence, External Affairs (Foreign Affairs), Ecclesiastical Affairs, and Tribal Areas were classified as Reserved subjects. These Reserved subjects were kept under the direct control and administration of the Governor-General at his discretion, assisted by counselors, and were not under the control of the popular federal legislature. Therefore, Defence and Foreign Affairs were not under the control of the federal legislature.

Thus, only Statement 1 is correct.