On 20th August, 1917, Lord Montague, the Secretary of State for India, made the following declaration in British Parliament about the policy of increasing association of Indians in every branch of administration, and the gradual development of self-governing institutions, with a view to the progressive realization of responsible government in India as an integral part of the British empire. From this point onwards, the demand by nationalists for self-government or Home Rule could not be termed as seditious since attainment of self-government for Indians became a government policy.