THE CABINET MISSION PLAN

The Cabinet Mission Plan was not considered satisfactory by any section of the Indian people, but all sought to utilize it for their own interests. The Muslim League accepted it on June 6, 1946, ‘in as much as the basis and the foundation of Pakistan’ were inherent in the Mission’s plan by virtue of the compulsory grouping of the six Muslim majority provinces in Groups B and C.

The Congress decided on June 25 to join the proposed Constituent Assembly with a view to framing the constitution but did not agree to the proposal for interim Government. The Cabinet Mission left India on June 29 and the Viceroy formed a caretaker Government of nine officials.

        The elections to the Constituent Assembly held in the month of July 1946, resulted in the return of an overwhelming majority of the Congress members which Jinnah described as ‘brute majority’. The Muslim League withdrew its assent to the Cabinet Mission’s plan and expressed determination ‘to resort to direct action to achieve Pakistan’ as and when necessary. This was not long delayed.

On August 16, which was fixed as the day of ‘Direct Action’ by the Muslim League, Calcutta became the scene of an appalling carnage marked by the massacre of a large number of Hindus by a rowdy section of the Muslims and looting and burning of their houses and shops.

The Statesman described it as the ‘Great Calcutta Killing’. Neither the League Ministry in Bengal, nor the Governor and the Viceroy of India, took adequate steps to prevent the ‘bloody shambles to which the country’s largest city’ was reduced. Meanwhile the Viceroy was busy in trying to form the interim Government. On the Muslim League’s refusal to co-operate, the interim Government of 12 members, with Jawaharlal Nehru as Vice-President, took office on September 2, 1946.

At this time, communal frenzy rose to fever pitch at many places, causing most dreadful outrages. The Hindus of a number of villages in the district of Noakhali and the adjoining district of Comilla (both in Bangladesh now) were subjected to atrocious tortures by the followers of the Muslim League. As a reaction against these, there were soon communal disturbances in different parts of Bihar in which the Muslims of this province suffered terribly through loss of lives and property.

Jawaharlal Nehru at once flew to Bihar and Dr. Rajendra Prasad also rushed there. Their efforts and influence and some vigorous steps on the part of the Congress Ministry served to put a stop to the tragic events.

        By a subtle move, the Viceroy made a change in the interim Government. After his discussions with Jinnah, he told Jawaharlal Nehru that the Muslim League had agreed to join the Constituent Assembly, and five Muslim League nominees entered the interim Government on October 26, 1946.

The new Government lacked team-spirit and the attitude of the Muslim league made it ‘bipartisan rather than a real coalition’.  The political situation in India was becoming more and more complicated. The London talks of the Viceroy early in December 1946, failed to affect any improvement and Jinan’s declaration that the Muslim League would not join the Constituent Assembly and that it had never agreed to do so, made matters worse.

The British Government issued a statement on December 6 declaring that “should be Constitution come to be framed by a Constituent Assembly in which a large section of the Indian population has not been represented. His Majesty’s Government could not, of course, contemplate – as the Congress have stated they would not contemplate – forcing such a Constitution upon any unwilling parts of the country.”