 Events which separated the communities included the failed attempt to form a coalition government including the Congress and the League in the United Provinces following the 1937 election . According to historian Ian Talbot , " The provincial Congress governments made no effort to understand and respect their Muslim populations ' cultural and religious sensibilities . The Muslim League 's claims that it alone could safeguard Muslim interests thus received a major boost . Significantly it was only after this period of Congress rule that it [ the League ] took up the demand for a Pakistan state ... " 
