INDEPENDENCE WITH PARTITION [1946-1947] Study Materials

Independence with Partition

INDEPENDENCE WITH PARTITION [1946-1947]

We will explore the landmark moment of India Independence, encompassing significant events like Attlee's statement, the Indian Independence Act, Radcliffe Commission, Mountbatten Plan and Congress's rationale for accepting partition, followed by an examination of the Integration of States.

ATTLEE’S STATEMENT OF FEBRUARY 20, 1947

Clement Attlee, the British prime minister, sensing the trouble all around, made an announcement on February 20, 1947. The British House of Commons declared the British intention of leaving the Indian subcontinent.

Main Points of Attlee’s Statement

A deadline of June 30, 1948 was fixed for transfer of power even if the Indian politicians had not agreed by that time on the constitution.

The British would relinquish power either to some form of central government or in some areas to the existing provincial governments if the constituent assembly was not fully representative, i.e., if the Muslim majority provinces did not join.

British powers and 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.

Mountbatten would replace Wavell as the viceroy.

Why a Date Fixed by Government for Withdrawal

The government aimed to set a fixed date to compel the parties to reach an agreement on the core issue.

It sought to prevent an escalating constitutional crisis.

The objective was to demonstrate the British government's genuine intentions to the Indian people.

Congress Stand

The provision of transfer of power to more than one centre was acceptable to Congress because it meant that the existing assembly could go ahead and frame a constitution for the areas represented by it, and it offered a way out of the existing deadlock. 

INDIAN INDEPENDENCE ACT OF 1947

On July 5, 1947, the British Parliament approved the Indian Independence Act, based on the Mountbatten Plan, and it received royal assent on June 18, 1947. The Act came into effect on August 15, 1947.

The Act established two independent dominions, India and Pakistan, starting from August 15, 1947.

Each dominion would have a governor-general to oversee the proper implementation of the Act.

The constituent assemblies of the new dominions were empowered to act as their legislatures, and the existing Central Legislative Assembly and Council of States were dissolved.

During the transitional period, until each dominion adopted its new constitution, governance was to follow the Government of India Act, 1935.

A Boundary Commission was tasked with determining the boundaries of the Punjab and Bengal provinces.

The Radcliff Boundary Commission

It drew the boundary line separating India and Pakistan. As per the provisions of the Indian Independence Act, 1947, Pakistan became independent on August 14 while India got its freedom on August 15, 1947. 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.

MOUNTBATTEN PLAN Mountbatten as the Viceroy

Lord Mountbatten came to India as the last Viceroy and was assigned the task of a speedy transfer of power by the then British Prime Minister Clement Atlee.

In May 1947, Mountbatten came up with a plan under which he proposed that the provinces be declared independent successor states and then be allowed to choose whether to join the constituent assembly or not.

This plan was called the ‘Dickie Bird Plan’. Jawaharlal Nehru, when apprised of the plan, vehemently opposed it saying it would lead to balkanisation of the country. Hence, this plan was also called Plan Balkan.

Mountbatten Plan or the 3rd June Plan or the Partition Award

The important points of the plan were as follows-

British India was to be partitioned into two dominions – India and Pakistan.

The constitution framed by the Constituent Assembly would not be applicable to the Muslim-majority areas (as these would become Pakistan). The question of a separate constituent assembly for the Muslim-majority areas would be decided by these provinces.

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. Accordingly, it was decided to partition these two provinces along religious lines.

The legislative assembly of Sindh would decide whether to join the Indian constituent assembly or not. 

A referendum was to be held on NWFP (North-Western Frontier Province) to decide which dominion to join. 

The date for the transfer of power was to be August 15, 1947.

To fix the international boundaries between the two countries, the Boundary Commission was established chaired by Sir Cyril Radcliffe. The commission was to demarcate Bengal and Punjab into the two new countries.

The princely states were given the choice to either remain independent or accede to India or Pakistan. The British suzerainty over these kingdoms was terminated.

The British monarch would no longer use the title ‘Emperor of India’.

After the dominions were created, the British Parliament could not enact any law in the territories of the new dominions.

Until the time the new constitutions came into existence, the Governor-General would assent any law passed by the constituent assemblies of the dominions in His Majesty’s name. The Governor-General was made a constitutional head. Why Congress Accepted Partition-

The Congress was only accepting the inevitable due to the long-term failure to draw the Muslim masses into the national movement.

Only an immediate transfer of power could forestall the spread of ‘direct action’ and communal violence. The virtual collapse of the Interim Government also made the notion of Pakistan appear unavoidable.

The partition plan ruled out independence for the princely states which could have been a greater danger to Indian unity as it would have meant Balkanisation of the country.

Acceptance of partition was only a final act of the process of step-by-step concessions to the League’s championing of a separate Muslim state.

While loudly asserting the sovereignty of the Constituent Assembly, the Congress quietly accepted compulsory grouping and accepted the partition most of all because it could not stop the communal riots.

INTEGRATION OF STATES

During 1946-47, the State People’s Movement gained momentum, demanding political rights and representation in the Constituent Assembly. Nehru chaired the All-India State People’s Conference meetings in Udaipur (1945) and Gwalior (April 1947), where he warned that states refusing to join the Constituent Assembly would be regarded as adversaries. In July 1947, Vallabhbhai Patel assumed responsibility for the newly established States Department. Patel oversaw the integration of princely states through a strategic mix of incentives and the threat of public agitation, executed in two phases. Phase I: By August 15, 1947, all princely states, except Kashmir, Hyderabad, and Junagadh, signed instruments of accession, granting the Indian government authority over defence, foreign affairs, and communications. Phase II: The second phase involved a more complex process of merging states with adjacent provinces or forming new units such as Kathiawar Union, Vindhya Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Himachal Pradesh. Additionally, constitutional reforms were implemented in states like Hyderabad, Mysore, and Travancore-Cochin, which retained their boundaries temporarily. This integration was completed within a year. Generous privy purses were offered as incentives, and some princes were appointed as governors or Rajpramukhs in independent India. This swift political consolidation achieved unification of the nation in a remarkably short time.