12.4 Transfer of Power
Embedded from 9.14 Election of 1937 and formation of Ministries › August Offer
Embedded from 9.15 Cripps Mission › Cripps Mission 1942
Tripuri Crisis
- Subhash Bose decided to stand for the Presidency in 1939 putting as a spokesperson of militant politics and radical groups.
- His views were countered by Patel, Prasad and Kriplani who with the blessings of Gandhiji put Pattabhi Sitaramayya as the rival.
- Bose emerged victorious.
The Reason for the Crisis Was
- Bose's criticism of the Congress leadership as being rightists, working with the gov on a compromise of a federation, not wanting a leftist as president and having already drawn a list of prospective central ministers.
- Bose thought that India was ready for a mass movement Gandhi did not.
- Bose wanted Gandhiji to lead the struggle and follow strategy and tactics laid by him
- Issue of federation rift in INC Haripura and Tripuri.
- Bose - anti federation stand. BR Tomlinson - fought out in ideological terms right vs left, proFed vs anti Fed, pro Ministry vs anti
- Bose formed a new party called the Forward Bloc within the Congress.
- later Bose resigned later he was also removed from all Cong position, banned to hold any exec office for 3 yrs.
- Cong began to lose popularity after 1938 coz popular frustration, militant mood.
- WWII broke out Gandhiji was sympathetic to the cause of Britain, Bose and other socialist did not want to support either party.
- Nehru did not wanted to take any advantage of Britain's difficulty nor did he wanted to support its war efforts. Gandhiji supported Nehru.
- Linlithgow pitched the Princess and the Muslim League against the Congress. Britain had no intention of leaving India.
- Congress ministries resigned. They wanted to start an immediate struggle. But Gandhiji did not.
Reasons for not Launching a Struggle Immediately after WWII
- Cause of the Allies was just.
- Lack of Hindu Muslim unity.
- Conducive atmosphere was missing.
- Indiscipline and lack of cohesion within the congress.
- Gandhiji started the Delhi Chalo movement for the freedom of speech to preach against the participation in the war individual Satyagrah.
- The CWC in 1941 overrode Gandhijji and Nehru's objection and offered full support towards defence of India.
- President Roosevelt, Chiang Kai Shek of China, Labour party of Britain appealed for the cooperation of the Indians to the British.
Cripps Mission 1942
- was sent in Mar 1942 because of Reverses suffered by Britain in SE Asia and Japanese threat to invade India.
- Pressure from USA, China and USSR to seek Indian cooperation.
- Indian nationalists agreed to cooperate if substantial power was transferred.
Main Proposals Were
- Indian Union with a dominion status would be set up to decide its relations with the Commonwealth.
- Constituent Assembly would be convened to frame a new constitution.
- To accept the new consitution 2 condition needed to be fulfilled any province not willing to join could form a separate constitution and union and rights of racial and religous minorities were safeguarded -> this was the acceptance to the demand of Pakistan. important
- Defence of India would remain in British hands and Gov Gen powers would remain intact.
Objections/Problems
- Dominion status rather than full independence.
- Representation to the princely states not by the people but by nomination.
- Provision for partition of India.
- No acceptance to the demand of immediate transfer of power
- Cripps was asked not to go beyond the Draft declaration, it gave him no power to bargain and negotiate.
PYQs
The Cripps Mission
- "The Cripps Mission gave India‚ a post-dated cheque." Comment. [1982, 20m]
Embedded from 9.16 The Quit India Movement › The Quit India Movement
Embedded from 9.17 Wavell Plan › C Rajgopalachari Formula 1944
Embedded from 9.17 Wavell Plan › Desai Liaquat pact 1945
Election of 1945-46
- todo Covered in NCERT
Embedded from 9.18 Cabinet Mission › Cabinet Mission
Constituent Assembly and Formation of National Govt
Embedded from 10.1 Constitutional Development between 1858-1935 › Indian Independence Act of 1947
Clement Atlee declared that the British rule would end by June 30,1948 it made clear that Constitution framed by the Constituent Assembly(1946) of India would not be applicable to those parts not willing to accept it. Lord Mountbatten put forward the Partition plan on June 3, 1947 .
- todo important
Timeline of the Partition since Mountbatten's appointment
- March 1947: Mountbatten is appointed as the last Viceroy of India, with the task of overseeing the transfer of power from British rule to Indian independence.
- June 3, 1947: Mountbatten presents his plan for the partition of India, known as the "Mountbatten Plan," to the British Cabinet. The plan proposed a partition of India into two independent countries, India and Pakistan.
- June 2, 1947: Mountbatten meets with leaders of the Indian National Congress and Muslim League to discuss the partition plan.
- July 18, 1947: The British government formally announces the partition of India and Pakistan.
- August 14-15, 1947: India and Pakistan gain independence from British rule.
- August 16, 1947: Mountbatten leaves India, ending his tenure as Viceroy.
During his tenure, Lord Mountbatten visited different region of subcontinent to meet leaders and people to persuade them to accept the plan of partition.
PYQs
- "Lord Mountbatten came with an order to organise retreat, in military parlance an operation." Comment. [1990, 20m]
The statement "Lord Mountbatten came with an order to organise retreat, in military parlance an operation" refers to the role of Lord Mountbatten, the last British Viceroy of India, in the withdrawal of British colonial rule from India.
In March 1947, the British government announced that it would grant independence to India, but only if a plan for partition was accepted. The Congress party, led by Jawaharlal Nehru, ultimately agreed to partition in order to prevent further violence and preserve India's unity. Lord Mountbatten was appointed as the last British Viceroy of India and was tasked with overseeing the withdrawal of British colonial rule and the transition to independence.
In this context, "organize retreat" refers to the process of preparing for and carrying out the withdrawal of British colonial rule from India. The phrase "in military parlance an operation" suggests that the withdrawal of British colonial rule was considered a military operation, similar to how an army would retreat from enemy territory. Lord Mountbatten was responsible for overseeing this process and ensuring that it was carried out smoothly and efficiently.
It's worth noting that Lord Mountbatten had a short tenure as the Viceroy of India and he was to oversee the withdrawal of British colonial rule in a short period of time, hence the plan for withdrawal was to be implemented in a hurry and was called "Operation Madhouse". The term "operation" also reflects the urgency and complexity of the task at hand, which was to transfer the power and administration of the British Indian government to the newly independent nations of India and Pakistan.
- "Mountbatten's task was, therefore, merely to work out details and effect the partition, demanded by the League and accepted by both British Government and the Congress; and this the new Viceroy moved commandingly to perform." Comment. [1993, 20m]
- ! Bring out the demands for separation made by ML and How it was accepted by INC. Mention the challenges to avoid the partition impasse. And then mention the role of Mountbatten and how he undertook partition.
- "We are therefore unable to advise the British Government that the power which at present resides in British hands should be handed over to two entirely separate sovereign States." Comment. [2004, 60m]
The statement “We are therefore unable to advise the British Government that the power which at present resides in British hands should be handed over to two entirely separate sovereign States” was said in the context of India’s independence. This statement was made by the Cabinet Mission Plan of 1946 of the which was sent by the British Government to India to propose a plan for India’s independence. The Plan was proposed in order to avoid the partition of India into two separate countries, India and Pakistan.
The Plan proposed the establishment of a Union of India which would be responsible for the defense, foreign affairs and communications. It also proposed the establishment of three groups of provinces – Group A, Group B and Group C – which would have autonomy over their respective regions. The Plan also stated that the Union of India would be empowered to make laws related to all-India subjects, while the provinces would have the authority to make laws related to their own regions.
The Plan also proposed that the Union of India and the provinces would be autonomous and sovereign entities. This meant that the Union of India would have the power to make laws for the entire country, while the provinces would have the power to make laws for their respective regions. The Plan also proposed that the Union of India and the provinces would have their own Constitutions and would be independent of each other.
However, the Plan was rejected by the Indian National Congress, the major political party in India at the time, as they wanted a unified India. The Congress argued that the Plan would lead to the division of India into two separate countries. They also argued that the Plan would not guarantee the unity of India and would lead to the fragmentation of the country.
In response to the Congress’s rejection of the Plan, the Cabinet Mission Plan stated that “We are therefore unable to advise the British Government that the power which at present resides in British hands should be handed over to two entirely separate sovereign States.” This statement was made to emphasize the fact that the Plan would not lead to the division of India into two separate countries. The Cabinet Mission Plan wanted to ensure that India remained unified and that the power which was currently in British hands should remain in Indian hands.
The Cabinet Mission Plan’s statement that the power should not be handed over to two separate sovereign states was an attempt to ensure that India remained unified and that the power which was currently in British hands should remain in Indian hands. This statement was made in the context of India’s independence and was an attempt to prevent the division of India into two separate countries. The Plan was ultimately rejected by the Indian National Congress and India was eventually partitioned into two separate countries, India and Pakistan.
Additionally, Lord Mountbatten, the last British Viceroy of India, was the one who suggested the partition of British India into two independent countries in 1947 as a means to solve the political impasse between the Congress and the Muslim League. Furthermore, the British government passed the Indian Independence Act 1947, which provided for the independence of India and Pakistan on August 15, 1947 and it transferred the power from British hands to two separate sovereign states.