Indian National Movement

Top Careers & You

Towards Freedom

TOWARDS FREEDOM
Rajagopalachari Formula (1945)
In 1944, C Rajagopalachari proposed that after the termination of the war, a Commission could be appointed
for demarcating contiguous districts in the north-west and east where Muslims were in absolute majority. In
the areas thus demarcated, a plebiscite would be held on the basis of adult suffrage that would ultimately
decide the issue of separation from Hindustan. If the majority decided in favour of forming a separate
Sovereign State, such decision could be accepted.
In case of acceptance of partition, agreement to be made jointly for safeguarding defence, commerce,
communications etc. The above terms would to be operative only if England transferred full powers to India.
Muslim League was expected to endorse the Congress demand for independence and co-operate with it in
the formation of provisional government for the interim period. Jinnah objected, as he wanted congress to
accept two-nation theory & wanted only Muslims of the northwest and east of India to vote in the plebiscite.
Hindu leaders led by V.D Savarkar condemned the plan.

Shimla Conference (June-July 1945)

Proposed by Wavell.

Talks suggested setting up of a new Executive council with only Indian members. The Viceroy and the
Commander in chief would be the only non-Indian members of the council.

Caste Hindus and Muslims would have equal representation. The executive would work within the
existing constitution (i.e. not responsible to the central Assembly) but the door was kept open for
discussions on a new constitution. The Congress, headed by Maulana Azad, resented being
characterized as a caste Hindu organization. Talks broke down due to Jinnahs demand for the Muslim
League to have absolute choice in choosing all Muslim members and a demand for communal veto,
though it had ministries only in Assam and Sind. The dissolution of the conference gave Jinnah the
Communal Veto in effect. Thereafter, the satisfaction of the League became a pre-requisite for any major
settlement.

Cabinet Mission (March-June 1946)

Members: Patrick Lawrence (Secretary of State), Stafford Cripps and Alexander. The Mission rejected the
demand for a full-fledged Pakistan (Comprising the whole of all the Muslim majority areas). The Mission
reasoned that the right of communal self-determination, if conceded to Muslims, also had to be granted to
non-Muslims who formed majorities in West Bengal and Eastern Punjab, as well as in Assam proper. The
truncated or smaller Pakistan was unacceptable to the League.
The Plan proposed:

Rejection of the demand for a full-fledged Pakistan

For a very loose union of all the Indian territories under a centre that would control merely the defence,
the Foreign Affairs and the Communications, leaving all other subjects to the existing provincial
legislatures.

_________________________________________________________________________________

 any exam easily with TCY Analytics at TCYonline.com

Indian National Movement

Top Careers & You

Towards Freedom

Provincial legislatures would elect a Constituent Assembly. The members would divide up into three
sections A, B & C while electing the Constituent Assembly. All these sections would have the authority
to draw up provincial constitutions and even group constitutions.

Section A - Non-Muslim Majority provinces (Bombay, United Provinces, Bihar, Central Provinces, Orissa,
Madras)
Section B - Muslim majority provinces in the north-west (Sind, NWFP & Punjab)
Section C - Muslim majority provinces in North east (Bengal, Assam)

Communal questions in Central legislature were to be decided by a simple majority in both communities

Provinces were to have full autonomy & residual powers

Princely stales were no longer to be under paramountcy of British Government.

After the first general elections, a province could come out of a group and after 10 years a province could
call for reconsideration of the group or union constitution

Each group had powers to set up intermediate level legislature and executive on their own.

The plan failed on the issue of the nature of grouping Jinnah was for compulsory while Nehru was for
grouping only till the formation of a constituent assembly. On 29th July 1946 Jinnah withdrew his earlier
acceptance of the plan and fixed 16 August 1946 as Direct Action Day. Calcutta, Noakhali, Garmukteshwar
were the storm centres. Communal massacre weakened the Congress position of NWFP.
Interim government

nd

Came into existence on 2

September 1946, in accordance with Cabinet Missions proposal and was

headed by J L Nehru. Muslim League refused to join it initially.

Wavell persuaded the League leaders to join on 26 October 1946

8th December 1946 Constituent Assembly begins its session with Liyaqat Ali Khan of Muslim League
as the Finance Minister

The Interim government, obstructed by its League members and bureaucracy was reduced to a
figurehead and was unable to control the communal carnage.

Attlees Announcement
Prime Minister Atlee on 20 February 1947 announced that the British would withdraw from India by 30 June,
1948 and that Lord Mountbatten would replace Wavell. British powers & obligations vis-a-vis the princely
states would lapse with transfer of power but these would not be transferred to any successor Government in
British India. Partition of the country was implicit in the provision that if the Constituent Assembly was not fully
representative then power would be transferred to more than one central government.
Mountbatten Plan (3rd June Plan)
His earlier Plan Balkan was abandoned for the 3rd June Plan.

The Plan declared that power would be handed over by 15 August 1947 on the basis of dominion status
to India and Pakistan.

_________________________________________________________________________________

 any exam easily with TCY Analytics at TCYonline.com

Top Careers & You

Indian National Movement

Towards Freedom

Mountbatten supported the Congress stand that the princely states must not be given the option of
independence. They would either join India or Pakistan

Boundary commission was to be headed by Radcliffe and the award was to be announced after Republic
day (which was a major cause of massacres)

Punjab & Bengal Legislative Assemblies would meet in two groups, Hindus & Muslims, to vote for
partition. If a simple majority of either group voted for partition, then these provinces would be partitioned.
In case of partition, two dominions & two assemblies to be created.

Indian Independence Act, 1947

Implemented on 15th August 1947 and Sovereignty of British Parliament was abolished. Dominions of
India and Pakistan were created. Each dominion to have a Governor-General. Pakistan was to comprise
Sind, British Baluchistan, NWFP, West Punjab and East Bengal.

The Act's most important provisions were:

the division of British India into the two new and fully sovereign dominions of India and Pakistan, with
effect from 15 August 1947;

the partition of the provinces of Bengal and Punjab between the two new countries;

the establishment of the office of Governor-General in each of the two new countries, as representative of
the Crown;

the conferral of complete legislative authority upon the respective Constituent Assemblies of the two new
countries;

the termination of British suzerainty over the princely states, with effect from 15 August 1947, and
recognized the right of states to accede to either dominion;

the dropping of the use of the title "Emperor of India" by the British monarch (this was subsequently done
by King George VI by royal proclamation on 22 June 1948).

The Act also made provision for the division of joint property, etc. between the two new countries, including in
particular the division of the armed forces.

Integration of States
According to the Indian Independence Act in 1947, it was decided that all Indian states will be free to accede
to either of the new Dominion of India or Pakistan. There was decision of completely abolishing the practice of
monarchy and all princely states were to be annexed.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel headed the State Department in the National Provisional Government built at the
time of independence. Sardar Patel along with his chief assistant VP Menon convinced Indian princes to join
the Indian union.

_________________________________________________________________________________

 any exam easily with TCY Analytics at TCYonline.com

Top Careers & You

Indian National Movement

Towards Freedom

Lord Mountbatten also aided Sardar Patel and his team in the mission for integration of states. The
annexations were made on the basis of mainly three factors of Defense, Foreign Affairs and Communication.
This resulted into 136 jurisdictional states acceded to Indian union by August 15 while many states signed the
Instrument of Accession a bit later like Kashmir in October, 1947 and Hyderabad in 1948.

V P Menon successfully negotiated instruments of accession with a number of small states beginning with
integration of different tiny provinces of Orissa into a single state of Orissa along with this formed the Union of
Kathiawar by including minor states in Kathiawar in February 1947. This all was followed by the subsequent
accession and merger of many tiny remaining states over the next five months.
Many other annexed states were namely Baroda, Kolhapur, Gujarat were annexed to the then Bomaby
Province. . A second form of integration of 61 states was the formation of the seven centrally administered
areas which resulted into the formation of Himachal Pradesh, Vindhya Pradesh (present day Madhya
Pradesh), Tripura, Manipur, Bhopal, Kutch and Bilaspur.
Apart from these the states of United States of Matsya, Union of Vindhya Pradesh, Madhya Bharat, Patiala
and East Punjab States Union, Rajasthan and United states of Cochin-Travancore were also integrated to the
India.
th

By 15 August all except Kashmir, Hyderabad and Junagadh had signed the Instrument of Accession with
India, and Bhawalpur with Pakistan. Goa was with the Portugese and Pondicherry with the French.

Despite of so many integrations still unification was incomplete but was completed with the surrender of
Pondicherry (Puducherry) and Chandannagore to India on 1st November, 1954 by the French authorities.
Later in December, 1961 Indian army successfully liberated Goa, Daman and Diu from the control of
Portuguese government.

Thus, the hard work of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel and his team of assistants fruitfully integrated the Indian
states to form a unified nation of India.

_________________________________________________________________________________

 any exam easily with TCY Analytics at TCYonline.com