Explanation:

Communal Award:
Key Proposals Major proposals were as follows:
The existing seats of the provincial legislatures were to be doubled. The system of separate electorates for the minorities was to be retained. The Muslims, wherever they were in minority, were to be granted a weightage. Except NWFP, 3 % seats for women were to be reserved in all provinces. The depressed , dalits or the untouchables were to be declared as minorities. Allocation was to be made to labor, landlords, traders and industrialists. Thus, this award accorded separate electorates for Muslims, Europeans, Sikhs, Indian Christians, Anglo Indians, Depressed Classes, and even Marathas. (Some seats in Bombay were given to Marathas) The depressed classes were given seats which had to be filled by election from the special constituencies in which only they could vote. However, they were eligible to vote in the general constituencies as well. The labor, Commerce and Industry, Mining and Planting, Landholders were also given special electorates. Sikhs were 13.2% of the population in Punjab. Here they were given 32 seats out of the total 175 seats.
Reaction of Gandhi on Communal Award
It was declared by Gandhi for more than once that the separate electorates for the depressed class was an attempt to divide and detach the depressed classes from the main body of Hindus. It seemed to him the these Firangies are going to break the country on the basis of the communities and so, he wrote a letter to the Prime Minister that if the award, so far it was related to the Depressed class, is not changed, he would sit on a fast unto death. On 20 September 1932, Gandhiji sat on the fast unto death in the Yarawada Jail, in which he was lodged at that time. The Hindu leaders woke up and went directly to Dr. Ambedkar, to negotiate on this matter. The outcome of these negotiations was Poona Pact of 1932.