Cripps Mission to Partition and Integration of Princely States

The last phase of the freedom struggle, from 1939 to 1947, was a time of great events: the Second World War, the Quit India Movement, the INA, the naval mutiny, the Cabinet Mission, the Partition and the Independence of India. After Independence, the integration of over 560 princely states into the Indian Union was another big challenge. This chapter is very important for the UPSC Prelims, which asks about plans, missions, dates and people, and for the Mains, which asks for an analysis of why the Partition took place and how the states were integrated. This note covers the topic in simple language, with a timeline, a table of the plans and the story of the princely states.

Background: The War and the Early Proposals

When the Second World War began in 1939, the Viceroy Linlithgow declared India at war without asking the Indian leaders. The Congress ministries resigned in protest. The August Offer (1940) promised dominion status after the war and an expansion of the Viceroy's Executive Council, but the Congress rejected it, and the Muslim League was given a veto over the constitutional progress. The Congress then launched the Individual Satyagraha (1940-41), in which selected persons made anti-war speeches; Vinoba Bhave was the first and Jawaharlal Nehru the second.

Cripps Mission (1942)

As Japan advanced in Asia and the war situation became serious, the British sent Sir Stafford Cripps in March 1942 with a draft declaration. It offered Dominion status after the war, a Constituent Assembly elected by the provincial assemblies, and the right of any province to stay out of the Union. The Congress objected to the right of the provinces to stay out, since it could lead to the division of the country, and to the lack of immediate power. Gandhi is said to have called it "a post-dated cheque on a crashing bank". The Mission failed.

Quit India Movement (1942)

After the failure of Cripps, the Congress passed the Quit India Resolution on 8 August 1942 at the Gowalia Tank Maidan, Bombay, and Gandhi gave the call of "Do or Die". The government arrested the top leaders on 9 August, and the movement became leaderless and spread through spontaneous mass action: strikes, attacks on government buildings and communication lines. Aruna Asaf Ali hoisted the flag at Gowalia Tank, Usha Mehta ran the secret Congress Radio, and Jayaprakash Narayan escaped from the Hazaribagh jail and led the underground resistance. Parallel governments were set up at Ballia (Uttar Pradesh), Tamluk (Bengal, called the Jatiya Sarkar) and Satara (Maharashtra). The government repressed it brutally, but the movement showed that the British could not rule India for long.

Role of the INA

Subhas Chandra Bose formed the Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj) in 1943 at Singapore with the help of Japan, and gave the slogans "Delhi Chalo" and "Jai Hind". After its defeat in Burma, the officers were put on trial at the Red Fort in 1945-46 (Shah Nawaz Khan, Prem Sahgal and Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon). The trials caused a huge nationwide protest, and the demand to release them united all communities. The Royal Indian Navy Mutiny in February 1946 at Bombay (starting on HMIS Talwar) showed that even the armed forces were no longer loyal to the British.

Plans and Missions Before Independence

Cabinet Mission (1946) and the Road to Partition

The Cabinet Mission, consisting of Pethick-Lawrence, Stafford Cripps and A. V. Alexander, came in March 1946. It rejected the demand of a separate Pakistan but proposed a federation with three groups of provinces: Group A (Hindu-majority provinces), Group B (north-western Muslim-majority provinces) and Group C (north-eastern provinces with Bengal and Assam), with a weak Centre for defence, foreign affairs and communications. The Congress and the League accepted the plan at first, but they differed on the grouping, and the League withdrew its acceptance in July 1946. The League called the Direct Action Day on 16 August 1946, which led to terrible riots in Calcutta and later in other places. An interim government headed by Nehru was formed on 2 September 1946, and the Muslim League joined it later. The Constituent Assembly first met on 9 December 1946, and Rajendra Prasad became its president.

Mountbatten Plan and Independence

In February 1947, Prime Minister Attlee announced that the British would leave India by June 1948 and appointed Lord Mountbatten as the new Viceroy. Seeing the growing violence, Mountbatten advanced the date. Under the plan of 3 June 1947, India would be divided; the legislatures of Punjab and Bengal would vote on the partition of their provinces; a referendum would be held in the North-West Frontier Province and in Sylhet; and the princely states were free to join either dominion. The Indian Independence Act was passed by the British Parliament in July 1947 and created the two dominions of India and Pakistan from 15 August 1947. A Boundary Commission under Cyril Radcliffe drew the line of division, announced on 17 August. The Partition caused one of the largest migrations in history, with millions of people displaced and a huge loss of life.

Integration of the Princely States

There were about 565 princely states, covering around two-fifths of the area of British India. After the lapse of British paramountcy, the states were legally free. The Indian Government led by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the Minister of the States Department, and his secretary V. P. Menon persuaded most of the rulers to sign the Instrument of Accession, giving the Centre control over defence, foreign affairs and communications. They used a mix of diplomacy, an appeal to patriotism, the offer of privy purses and, where needed, force. Most of the states had joined by 15 August 1947. Three states created problems:

The French possessions like Pondicherry were transferred in 1954-62, and Goa, Daman and Diu were freed from the Portuguese by the military action Operation Vijay in December 1961. Sikkim joined India in 1975. The reorganisation of the states on the linguistic basis was done by the States Reorganisation Act, 1956.

Mains Angle: Why Did the Partition Take Place?

Give a layered answer. The long-term causes: the British policy of divide and rule, the separate electorates since 1909, and communal ideologies on both sides. The medium-term causes: the Congress-League differences after the 1937 elections, the Lahore Resolution of 1940, and the failure of the Cabinet Mission plan. The immediate causes: the Direct Action Day violence, the weak interim government and the British desire to leave quickly. Conclude that no single factor was the cause, and add the human cost of the Partition.

Practice Questions

• Q1. Who led the Cabinet Mission? Answer: Pethick-Lawrence, with Cripps and Alexander.
• Q2. Who was the first Satyagrahi in the Individual Satyagraha? Answer: Vinoba Bhave.
• Q3. Which operation merged Hyderabad with India? Answer: Operation Polo (1948).
• Q4. When did the Maharaja of Kashmir sign the Instrument of Accession? Answer: 26 October 1947.

Read it together with our notes on the Gandhian movements and revolutionary nationalism and the INA.

Quick Revision

• August Offer 1940; Cripps 1942; Quit India 8 August 1942; INA trials 1945-46; Naval Mutiny 1946.
• Cabinet Mission 1946; Direct Action Day 16 August 1946; Mountbatten Plan 3 June 1947; Independence Act July 1947.
• 565 states; Patel and V. P. Menon; Junagadh, Hyderabad and Kashmir.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What was the August Offer of 1940?

It was the British offer of dominion status after the war and an expanded Executive Council, which the Congress rejected.

What was the Cripps Mission?

It was the 1942 mission of Sir Stafford Cripps with a draft proposal of dominion status after the war, which failed.

When was the Quit India resolution passed?

The Quit India resolution was passed on 8 August 1942 at Gowalia Tank, Bombay.

Where were the parallel governments set up in 1942?

Parallel governments were set up at Ballia, Tamluk and Satara.

What was the Cabinet Mission?

It was the 1946 British mission that proposed a federation with three groups of provinces, a Constituent Assembly and an interim government.

What was the Direct Action Day?

It was the day of 16 August 1946 called by the Muslim League, which led to riots in Calcutta.

What was the Mountbatten Plan?

It was the plan of 3 June 1947 for the partition of India into India and Pakistan.

When did India become independent?

India became independent on 15 August 1947 under the Indian Independence Act.

Who integrated the princely states?

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, with his secretary V. P. Menon, integrated the princely states.

What is the Instrument of Accession?

It is the document by which a princely state joined India, giving control of defence, foreign affairs and communications to the Centre.

What happened in Hyderabad in 1948?

The Indian Army's Police Action, called Operation Polo, ended the Nizam's rule and merged Hyderabad with India.

When did Goa become part of India?

Goa was freed from Portuguese rule by Operation Vijay in December 1961.