August Offer Cripps Mission Plan

Why? Made by Linlithgow Why? B/c of reversal suffered by British in SE Asia & threat of Japanese invasion to India
Congress softened due to fall of France and threat of occupation of Britain Pressure of allied forces to seek Indian cooperation
by Nazi and pledged Indian support if immediate power transfer to an Indian nationalist have agreed to support if substantial power transfer is done
interim government

Proposal Expansion of Viceroy Executive Council immediately Indian union with dominion status
s
Representative body would be set-up after war to frame Constitution Constituent Assembly to be set-up after the war
Assurance to minority that no power transfer to majority group Any province can wish to stay away from Union and frame its own Constitution

Defence of India will remain in British hands, meanwhile

Failure? Congress - demanded complete freedom Congress - demanded nothing short of freedom
ML - Partition Didn’t supported the idea of secession
ML - Partition; Other groups also opposed this
British - also torpedoed Cripps effort and he was not allowed flexibility in negotiating

Simla Conference/Wavell Plan Cabinet Mission Plan Mountbatten Plan/June Plan

Proposal All members of Viceroy’s Executive Council to be
s Indian except Commander in Chief and Viceroy
Equal representation of Hindus and Muslim with
representation to other groups
Setting up of Constituent Assembly to frame
Constitution
Right of secession to states
A united dominion of India would be given
freedom[later changed to partition]
Muslim majority & Hindu majority provinces to be
grouped together
Centre to have equal representation of Hindu &
Muslims
India to be divided in a way that maximum unity could be retained
Since Congress was making the bigger concession ie giving up on its
ideal of united India, all its other demand have to be upheld
Princely states were not given option for independence

Defence of India would be in British hands till the time
actual power transfer takes place
Respons ML rejected the plan b/c it wanted to be the sole body
es? to nominate Muslim representatives in the body.
Congress said it is an nat’l organisation, so it can
appoint leaders from all communities
Coming of Labour Government in UK, which wanted
to transfer powers to India asap, so it sent Cabinet
Mission Plan
Central govt. will handle diplomacy, defence and
currency; rest to states
Direct Action Day of ML which engulfed India into
a communal frenzy led Congress to accept the
demand of partition.
The interim govt. was led to an impasse by
responses of ML representatives
ML only won election in Bengal and Sind [and
they called themselves leaders of Muslims]
Power transfer on 15/8 on basis of dominion status
ML - more than happy
Congress accepted it b/c they wanted to take the power in their hand
to control the communal situation and avoid civil war
British - wanted to give power asap to avoid responsibility for the
explosive situation [Mountbatten deliberately delayed the disclosure of
Radcliffe Award to disown responsibility]