The Communal Award was announced by the British Prime Minister Ramsay Macdonald in August 1932 to grant separate electorates to minority communities, including Muslims, Sikhs, and Dalit (then known as the Depressed Classes) in India.
The Award was highly controversial and opposed by Mahatma Gandhi, who fasted in protest against it. It was supported by many among the minority communities, most notably the dalit leader, B. R. Ambedkar.
