How did the Indian National Congress connect the princely states to the independence movement?

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Mahatma Gandhi, holding a walking stick, walks beside Sarojini Naidu during the Salt March protest in 1930, with several men following behind them. — Indian National Congress Indian National Congress leaders Mahatma Gandhi (left) and Sarojini Naidu (right) on the Salt March in western India, March 1930.

The Indian National Congress initially maintained a policy of non-interference regarding the internal affairs of the princely states, but this stance evolved significantly over time as the Independence Movement grew.1

The connection was primarily forged through the rise of praja mandals (people’s councils), which emerged to demand civil liberties and political reforms within the states. While these groups were initially discouraged from linking their local activities to the Congress-led national struggle, the formation of the All India States Peoples’ Conference (AISPC) in 1927 provided a platform for these organizations to coalesce.1

By 1938, the Congress declared that the princely states were integral parts of India, entitled to the same political and economic freedom as the rest of the country. In 1939, the party formally removed its prohibitions against political activity in the states, and Jawaharlal Nehru became president of the AISPC. This alignment culminated in 1942, when residents of the princely states formally joined the broader freedom struggle during the Quit India Movement.1