Independence with Partition

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Clement Attlee, the British prime minister Statement

  • Deadline of June 30, 1948, fixed for transfer of power.
  • British would relinquish power either to some form of central government or in some areas to the existing provincial governments.
  • British powers and obligations vis-a-vis the princely states would lapse with transfer of power, but not be transferred to any successor government in British India.
  • Mountbatten would replace Wavell
Reason for date fix
  • Fixed date would shock the parties into an agreement on the main question.
  • government was keen to avert the developing constitutional crisis.
  • government hoped to convince the Indians of British sincerity.
  • irreversible decline of the government’s authority had taken place.
Congress Stand
  • Provision of transfer of power to more than one centre was acceptable to Congress.
  • Way out of the existing deadlock.
  • League launched a civil disobedience movement to overthrow the coalition government in Punjab.
Independence and Partition
  • Accepting the so far unthinkable idea of partition.
  • March 10, 1947, Nehru stated that the Cabinet Mission’s. only real alternative was the partition of Punjab and Bengal.
  • April 1947 - rather than have a battle, we shall let them have their Pakistan provided you allow Bengal and Punjab to be partitioned in a fair manner.
  • Mountbatten as the Viceroy, informally given more powers to decide things on the spot
Mountbatten Plan, June 3, 1947
  • Punjab and Bengal Legislative Assemblies would meet in two groups, Hindus and Muslims, to vote for partition. If a simple majority of either group voted for partition, then these provinces would be partitioned.
  • Case of partition, two dominions and two constituent assemblies would be created.
  • Sindh would take its own decision.
  • Referendums in NWFP and Sylhet district of Bengal.
  • Since the Congress had conceded a unified India, all their other points would be met, namely,
    1. Independence for princely states ruled out - they would join either India or Pakistan;
    2. Independence for Bengal ruled out;
    3. Accession of Hyderabad to Pakistan ruled out (Mountbatten supported the Congress on this);
    4. Freedom to come on August 15, 1947; and
    5. A boundary commission to be set up if partition was to be effected.
  • Congress Accepted Dominion Status - for paceful and quick transfer of power & continuity in the bureaucracy and the army.
For Britain, the dominion status offered a chance to keep India in the Commonwealth, even if temporarily, considering the economic strength, defence potential and greater value of trade and investment in India.
Rationale for an Early Date (August 15, 1947)
  • Britain wanted to secure Congress’ agreement to the dominion status.
  • British could escape the responsibility for the communal situation.
  • East Bengal and West Punjab joined Pakistan.
  • West Bengal and East Punjab remained with the Indian Union
Indian Independence Act
  • July 5, 1947 the British Parliament passed the Indian Independence Act
  • July 18, 1947, Royal assent
  • August 15, 1947, Implemented.
  • Act provided for the creation of two independent dominions of India and Pakistan with effect from August 15, 1947.
  • Each dominion was to have a governor-general to be responsible for the effective operation of the Act. i.e. till a new constitution was adopted by each dominion, the governments of the two dominions were to be carried on in accordance with the Government of India Act, 1935.
  • M.A. Jinnah became the first Governor-General of Pakistan.
  • India, however, decided to request Lord Mountbatten to continue as the Governor-General of India.
Problems of Early Withdrawal
  • Failed to prevent the Punjab massacre
  • No transitional institutional structures which partition problems could be tackled.
  • Mountbatten had hoped to be the common Governor-General of India and Pakistan, thus providing the necessary link, but Jinnah wanted the position for himself in Pakistan;
  • Delay in announcing the Boundary Commission Award (under Radcliffe); though the award was ready by August 12, 1947 Mountbatten decided to make it public after August 15 so that the British could escape all responsibility of disturbances.
Integration of States
  • During 946-47, new upsurge of the State People’s Movement demanding.
  • Nehru presided over the All India State People’s Conference sessions in Udaipur (1945) and Gwalior (April 1947).
  • Declared that the states refusing to join the Constituent Assembly would be treated as hostile
  • July 1947, Vallabhbhai Patel took charge of the new States Department.
  • Under Patel, the incorporation of Indian states took place in two phases with a skilful combination of baits and threats of mass pressure in both.
Phase I
  • By August 15, 1947, all states except Kashmir, Hyderabad and Junagarh had signed an instrument of accession with the Indian government, acknowledging central authority over defence, external affairs and communication.
    • Princes agreed "surrendering only what they never had"
    • No change in the internal political structure
Phase II
  • Process of ‘integration’ of states with neighbouring provinces or into new units, accomplished within a year.
  • Principal bait offered was a generous privy purse while some princes were made governors and rajpramukhs in free India
Inevitability of Partition
Reason for congress accept partition
  • Inevitable due to the long-term failure to draw the Muslim masses into the national movement.
    • Structuring diverse classes, communities, groups and regions into a nation.
    • Securing independence for this nation.
  • Only an immediate transfer of power could forestall the spread of ‘direct action’ and communal violence.
  • virtual collapse of the Interim Government also made the notion of Pakistan appear unavoidable.
  • Partition plan ruled out independence for the princely states which could have been a greater danger to Indian unity.
  • Acceptance of partition was only a final act of the process of step-by-step concessions
- During Cripps Mission (1942), autonomy of Muslim majority provinces was accepted.
- During Gandhi-Jinnah talks (1944), Gandhi accepted the right of self-determination of Muslim-majority provinces.
- After the Cabinet Mission Plan (1946) Congress conceded the possibility of Muslim majority provinces setting up a separate constituent assembly.
- Official reference to Pakistan came in March 1947, CWC resolution stated that Punjab must be partitioned if the country was divided.
- 3rd June Plan, Congress accepted partition
  • Congress quietly accepted compulsory grouping and accepted the partition most of all because it could not stop the communal riots.
Gandhi’s Helplessness
  • Gandhi felt helpless because there had been a communalisation of the people.
  • No option but to accept partition because the people wanted it

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