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Mountbatten Plan, June 3, 1947
In February, 1947, Lord Mountbatten was sent as the Viceroy to India to ensure early transfer of power. He put up his plan on June 3, 1947 which included partition of India. Following the Mountbatten Plan, June 3, 1947, India was made free, but by partitioning India the new state of Pakistan was created.
Seeing the kind of communal tension created in the name of religion, the Congress leaders thought it beneficial for the larger interest of humanity to accept the decision of partition. On 15 August 1947, India attained freedom.
Lord Mountbatten as Viceroy
- In February 1947, following Attlee’s declaration for “transfer of power”, Wavell was replaced as Viceroy by Lord Mountbatten.
- He was the last Viceroy and charged with the task of winding up the Raj by 30th June 1948
- Mountbatten was given more powers than his predecessors to settle the matters on the spot so he was quick in decision making
- He was directed to explore the options of unity and division till October, 1947 after which he was to advise His Majesty’s Government on the form transfer of power should take.
- He soon discovered that the broad contours of the scenario that was to emerge were discernible even before he came to India.
- Cabinet Mission Plan was a dead horse. Jinnah was obdurate that the Muslims would settle for nothing less than a sovereign state.
- A serious attempt at retaining unity would have involved identifying with the forces that wanted a unified India and countering those who opposed it.
- Rather than doing that, Mountbatten preferred to woo both sides.
Main Points of Mountbatten Plan, June 3, 1947
Dominion Status
- The 3rd June, 1947 Plan, famously came to be known as the Mountbatten Plan.
- t sought to effect an early transfer of power.
- This transfer of power was to be done on the basis of Dominion Status to two successor states, India and Pakistan.
Partition
- The members of the Legislative Assemblies of Bengal and the Punjab should meet separately in two groups i.e. representatives of the predominantly Hindu areas, and representatives of the predominantly Muslim areas.
- If both sections of each of these Assemblies voted for partition, then that province would be partitioned.
- Partition will be followed by creation of two dominions and two constituent assemblies
- If Bengal decided in favor of partition, a referendum was to be held in the Sylhet District of Assam to decide its fate.
- Similarly, a referendum was proposed to decide the future of the North West Frontier Province.
- Sindh Legislative Assembly of was to decide either to join the existing Constituent Assembly or the New Constituent Assembly.
Boundary Commission
- In case of partition, the viceroy would set up a Boundary Commission to demarcate the boundaries of the province on the basis of ascertaining the contiguous majority areas of Muslims and non-Muslims.
- Thus a boundary commission was set up under the chairmanship of Sir Cyril Redcliff for demarcating the boundaries of new parts of the Punjab and Bengal
- Princely States
- The British suzerainty over these Princely states was terminated.
- They were given the choice to remain independent or accede to dominions of India or Pakistan.
Transfer of Power
- Mountbatten announced at a press conference that the British would soon leave India for good on 15 August 1947.
- Thus an early date was decided by the British to leave India as compared to 30th June 1948 as decided earlier
- Thus, the League’s demand for creation of Pakistan was conceded to the extent that it would be created, but taking Congress’ position on unity into account Pakistan would be made as small as possible. Mountbatten’s formula was to divide India but retain maximum unity.
