Why did political leaders differ sharply over the question of separate electorates?

Political leaders differed sharply over the question of

separate electorates because of differences in opinion. While

those supporting the cause of minorities and the dalits believed

that only political empowerment would resolve their social

backwardness, others like Gandhiji thought that separate

electorates would further slow down the process of their

integration into society. Also, it was feared that the system of

separate electorates would gradually divide the country into

numerous fragments because every community or class would

then ask for separate representations