Cabinet Mission 1946: Background, Plan, Reactions, Failure

The Cabinet Mission of 1946 was an important event in the history of India’s independence struggle. The mission aimed to fulfil the competing demands of the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League. Alongside this, it aimed to create a plan for the peaceful transfer of power to India. Led by Lord Pethick-Lawrence, Stafford Cripps, and A.V. Alexander, this commission tried to maintain India’s unity while providing a constitutional framework for self-governance.

The mission proposed the formation of a constituent assembly and the establishment of a federal union with autonomy for the provinces. Despite all efforts, the Cabinet Mission failed to reconcile the conflicting perspectives of Congress and the Muslim League, which set the stage for the partition and independence of India in 1947.

Background of Cabinet Mission

• By 1946, political pressure for India’s independence had reached its peak. It was clear that the days of British rule in India were ending. After the failure of the Quit India Movement of 1942 and the Cripps Mission, nothing remained for the British government in terms of compromise for Indians except full independence. Additionally, the Royal Indian Navy Mutiny (RIN) of 1946 somewhat forced the British government to consider granting full independence to India.
• The British government felt an urgent need for a political settlement to avoid another mass uprising and to ensure favourable relations with an independent India in the future. The Cabinet Mission had been sent to India with the primary goal of maintaining an independent India in response to these issues.

You can also read about Surat Split of 1907: Causes, Moderates and Extremists, Impact.

Objectives of Cabinet Mission

The Cabinet Mission came to India to identify a generally accepted solution to India’s constitutional problem and to establish a constitution that would provide everyone equal respect and opportunity. Even at that time, the tide of mass movement had taken such a terrible form that it had to come to India to somewhat alleviate it.

Cabinet Mission Plan

On March 24, 1946, members of the Cabinet Mission arrived in India. After holding 182 meetings with various political parties and individuals over seven long weeks and discussing with 472 leading figures, the Cabinet Mission announced its plan on May 16. This plan stated that:

• A ‘federation’ would be formed comprising British-ruled India and the princely states.
• The provinces would have full autonomy, and the central government would only be responsible for foreign affairs, defence, and communications. The central would have the right to collect all funds for these related matters.
• Hindu-majority provinces (Bihar, Bombay, Madras, UP, Orissa, and Central Provinces) would be included in Group A, Muslim-majority provinces (Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan, NWFP) in Group B, and Bengal and Assam in Group C.
• Each province would have the power to draft a separate constitution, and if necessary, provinces in Group A, Group B, and Group C could form alliances.
• A constituent assembly or people’s council would be formed with elected representatives from each class and the princely states. This constituent assembly would draft the constitution for the Indian Federation.
• Until the constitution was drafted, an interim government formed with representatives of the major political parties of India would govern.

Reactions to the Cabinet Mission

Except for the Sikh community, all other political parties in India, namely Congress (represented by Maulana Azad) and Muslim League (represented by Ali Jinnah), accepted this plan. This was because the Cabinet Mission tried to please both parties through its plans. According to historian Bishambhar Nath Pande, “The Cabinet Mission plan was the best that could be devised to maintain the unity of India at the critical period of Indian History.”

Reason for Muslim League’s Agreement

Although there was no mention of a separate Pakistan state, the Muslim League readily accepted this proposal because the provinces were classified on religious grounds. According to Congress President Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, “The acceptance of the Cabinet Mission plan by both Congress and Muslim League was a glorious event in the history of the freedom movement in India.”

Reason for Congress’s Agreement

Although the Congress did not agree with all the proposals of the Cabinet Mission, it generally accepted the plan of the Cabinet Mission. Congress accepted this proposal because it contained a clear indication of the transfer of power and did not directly mention the partition of India.

You can also read about Simon Commission 1927: Objectives, Recommendations, Impact

Flaws in the Cabinet Mission

Some flaws can be observed in the Cabinet Mission’s proposal, which are described below.

• Although this proposal did not directly recognize the demand for India’s partition or a separate Pakistan, by dividing the provinces into Hindu-majority and Muslim-majority regions and giving them the right to form alliances, it indirectly opened the door for India’s partition. For this reason, Jinnah commented that the Cabinet Mission was the first step towards creating Pakistan.
• By weakening the central government compared to the provincial governments, the proposed federal structure became very weak. There was no proposal to give comprehensive powers to the proposed interim central government.
• The constituent assembly or people’s council was not given sovereign power to draft a new constitution. However, later the Cabinet Mission issued a manifesto stating that the interim government and constituent assembly would be given as much freedom as possible to work independently.

Importance of the Cabinet Mission

Despite some flaws in the Cabinet Mission plan and proposal, its importance is undeniable.

• The Cabinet Mission realized that India’s communal problems could not be solved by partitioning India. Therefore, they tried to grant independence to India while keeping it undivided.
• For the first time, it played an important role by giving the people of the princely states the right to elect their representatives.
• The constituent assembly was given sovereign power in drafting India’s new constitution.
• The constituent assembly was Indianized, meaning that only Indian members were included in the constituent assembly.
• Until then, representation of various groups such as Europeans, Anglo-Indians, Christians, Scheduled Castes, etc., created unnecessary complexity in constitutional discussions. However, the Cabinet Mission did not recognize any community other than Hindus, Muslims, and in the case of Punjab, Sikhs. As a result, complexity was greatly reduced.

You can also read about August Offer 1940: Background, Features, Rejection and More.

Reasons for the Failure of the Cabinet Mission

The Cabinet Mission was unable to resolve the differences between Congress and the Muslim League, so ultimately this mission failed. The main concerns were that provinces were forced to be grouped together, and there wasn’t a clear answer on whether they could leave these groups later on. This caused uncertainty and disagreement.

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