DAWN OF INDEPENDENCE

        Already or February 19, 1946, the British Prime Minister had announced that a mission of three Cabinet members – Lord Pethick – Lawrence. Secretary of State for India, Sir Stafford Cripps, President of the Board of Trade and A.V. Alexander.

First Lord of the Admiralty – would soon visit India. The Cabinet Mission reached India in March 1946. They had a series of discussions and conferences with the leaders of the Congress and the Muslim League but there was no agreement about the formation of an interim government and the machinery for constitution-making.

Thereupon, the Cabinet Mission issued a statement, on May 16, 1946, formulating in it a plan for the future government of India. According to it, there was to be a Union of India embracing both British India and the Indian States, with control over Foreign Affairs, Defence and Communications and power to raise the money required for such purposes. All other subjects were to be vested in the provinces and the states, but the provinces were to be free to form Groups for common action.

India was to be divided into three Groups of provinces – Group ‘A’ consisting of Madras, Bombay, central Provinces, United Provinces, Bihar and Orissa: Group ‘B’ of the North-West Frontier Province, the Punjab, Sind and Baluchistan and Group ‘C’ comprising Bengal and Assam.

        The Cabinet Mission also recommended a scheme for constitution making which provided that the Union Constitution was to be framed by a Constituent Assembly the members of which were to be elected on a communal basis by the Provincial Legislative Assemblies and the representatives of the states joining the Union.

The constitution of the provinces in each Group was to be drawn up by the representatives of the three Groups of provinces meeting separately. The Cabinet Mission further suggested the establishment of an interim Government having the support of the major political parties by re-constitution of the Viceroy’s Executive Council ‘in which all the portfolios including that of ‘War Member’ were to be held by Indian leaders enjoying full confidence of the people.