First Day of Independent India and the First Government
Modern History › Independence and the New-Born Nation · Topic 30.1
India became independent at midnight on 14-15 August 1947, when Jawaharlal Nehru delivered the "tryst with destiny" speech in the Constituent Assembly. Nehru took charge as the first Prime Minister with a ministry of 15 other members, Sardar Patel was Deputy Prime Minister, and Lord Mountbatten and then C. Rajagopalachari served as Governor-General until India became a republic on 26 January 1950.
7 min read · UPSC Prelims · History · Independence and the New-Born Nation
At a Glance
- Midnight session Constituent Assembly, 14-15 August 1947; Rajendra Prasad presided
- First Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru
- Deputy Prime Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, until December 1950
- Governors-General Lord Mountbatten, then C. Rajagopalachari, until 26 January 1950
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Modern History: Independence and the New-Born Nation
Where Does It Fit?
This is the first topic of the category on independence and the new-born nation. The previous topic covered the working-class movement and ended the category on the press, education, peasants and workers. This topic describes the first day of independence, the first government and the challenges it faced. The next topic covers the Radcliffe Award and the communal riots. Previous topic: Working Class Movement: AITUC, Trade Union Act 1926 and Meerut Conspiracy Case.
What Happened on the First Day of Independence?
The Constituent Assembly of India met at 11 p.m. on 14 August 1947, with Rajendra Prasad presiding. In a ceremony held at midnight of 14-15 August in the Parliament House, Jawaharlal Nehru, speaking as the first Prime Minister of independent India, gave his historic speech. He said that long years ago the country had made a tryst with destiny and that the time had come to redeem the pledge, “not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially”, and that at the stroke of the midnight hour, while the world slept, India would wake to life and freedom. On 15 August 1947 Nehru hoisted the national flag above the Lahori Gate of the Red Fort in Delhi, according to the standard text.
A note on a date conflict: other accounts place Nehru’s flag-hoisting at the Red Fort on 16 August, with the flag first raised near India Gate on 15 August. The topic follows the main text and flags the difference so that a student who meets the other date does not take it as an error. The midnight session was the last act of the transfer of power described in Mountbatten Plan of 3 June 1947, and the Assembly took over as the legislature of free India, as described in Objectives Resolution Moved by Nehru, 13 December…">Making of the Constitution: Constituent Assembly and Its Work.
How Was the First Government Formed?
The Governor-General and the ministers were sworn in. Nehru took charge as the first Prime Minister on 15 August 1947 and was assisted by 15 other members. Sardar Patel was Deputy Prime Minister until his death in December 1950. Lord Mountbatten, and later C. Rajagopalachari, served as Governor-General until 26 January 1950, when India became a republic and elected Rajendra Prasad as its first President. The ministry was drawn from the Congress and from other groups, and it carried over many members of the Interim Government described in Interim Government and the Communal Violence of 1946. The first Council of Ministers of independent India is listed below.
| Minister | Portfolio |
|---|---|
| Jawaharlal Nehru | Prime Minister; External Affairs and Commonwealth Relations; Scientific Research |
| Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel | Deputy Prime Minister; Home Affairs and States; Information and Broadcasting |
| Maulana Abul Kalam Azad | Education |
| John Mathai | Railways and Transport |
| Sardar Baldev Singh | Defence |
| Jairamdas Daulatram | Food and Agriculture |
| Jagjivan Ram | Labour |
| C.H. Bhabha | Commerce |
| Rajkumari Amrit Kaur | Health |
| Rafi Ahmad Kidwai | Communications |
| Narhar Vishnu Gadgil | Works, Mines and Power |
| R.K. Shanmukham Chetty | Finance |
| K.C. Neogy | Relief and Rehabilitation |
| B.R. Ambedkar | Law; belonged to the Scheduled Castes Federation and resigned in 1951 |
| Shyama Prasad Mookherjee | Industries and Supplies; a Hindu Mahasabha member and the first to resign from the cabinet, in April 1950 |
| Narasimha Gopalaswami Ayyangar | Minister without portfolio; link between the union government and the East Punjab cabinet |
| Mohanlal Saxena | Minister without portfolio |
What Challenges Did Independent India Face?
The new state faced difficulties that can be grouped by how soon they had to be solved.
| Type | Challenge |
|---|---|
| Immediate challenges | Territorial and administrative integration of the princely states, communal riots, rehabilitation of nearly 60 lakh refugees who migrated from Pakistan, protection of Muslims living in India and those going to Pakistan from communal gangs, the need to avoid war with Pakistan, and Communist insurgency |
| Medium term challenges | Framing the Constitution, building a representative, democratic and civil libertarian political order, holding elections, and abolishing the feudal set-up in agriculture |
| Long term challenges | National integration, economic development and poverty alleviation |
India and Pakistan both faced the consequences of partition. The Indian Independence Act had laid down the procedure for three major problems: the settlement of boundaries between the two nations, the division of the apparatus and personnel of the Indian Civil Service and some other services, and the division of military assets and formations. The first is in Radcliffe Boundary Award and the Communal Riots and the other two are in Division of Resources: Civil Government, Finances and Defence. The princely states are in Integration of the Indian States, 1947-49, and the refugee question is in Rehabilitation of Refugees and the Delhi Pact on Minorities.
How Should the First Government Be Judged?
As an analytical point, the structure of the first ministry shows a deliberate choice of continuity. A Congress-led ministry that included Ambedkar, Mookherjee, Shanmukham Chetty and Mathai, who came from outside the Congress, was meant to show that the government of the new state was a national and not a party government, and it kept the administrative machinery of the Interim Government instead of building a new one in a moment of crisis. The same ministry also held several very different views of the economy and of the communal question, and the resignations of Mookherjee in 1950 and Ambedkar in 1951 mark the points where those differences became public. Nehru held the External Affairs portfolio along with the premiership, which gave him direct control of foreign policy, as described in Evolution of Nationalist Foreign Policy: Panchsheel and Non-Alignment.
The first day was also a day of contrasts. While the capital celebrated, Gandhi was in Calcutta, away from the official function, working for peace between the communities, and the violence described in the next topic was spreading in the Punjab. The independence of 15 August was therefore both the end of colonial subjugation and the beginning of a hard period of state-building.
Why Is This Topic Important?
- Cabinet list Ministers and portfolios are a frequent Prelims question
- Governors-General and the republic Mountbatten, Rajagopalachari and the shift on 26 January 1950
- Challenges The immediate, medium term and long term division is a standard GS Paper 1 frame
What Came Next?
The next topic covers the Radcliffe Boundary Award and the communal riots that followed it in the Punjab and Bengal. Next topic: Radcliffe Boundary Award and the Communal Riots.
Key People and Terms
- Tryst with destiny Nehru’s midnight speech of 14-15 August 1947
- Lord Mountbatten First Governor-General of independent India
- C. Rajagopalachari The last Governor-General, until 26 January 1950
- Sardar Patel Deputy Prime Minister; Home and States
- Rajendra Prasad Presided over the midnight session; first President
- Relief and Rehabilitation The ministry headed by K.C. Neogy
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- Midnight session: 11 p.m., 14 August 1947; Rajendra Prasad presided.
- Nehru held External Affairs; Patel held Home and States.
- Patel remained Deputy PM until December 1950.
- Mookherjee resigned in April 1950; Ambedkar in 1951.
- Governor-General until 26 January 1950; Rajendra Prasad became first President.
Do Not Confuse With
- Governor-General and President The Governor-General was the Crown’s representative until 1950; the President is the head of the republic
- Constituent Assembly and Parliament The Assembly acted as the legislature until the first Lok Sabha
- Immediate and long term challenges Integration and riots versus development and national integration
Memory Hook
Midnight tryst, Nehru in front, Patel beside him, a republic in 1950.
Mains Angle
Questions ask about the setting of independence and the first tasks. These points add depth.
- Setting Partition, riots, refugees and princely states together
- Government A broad ministry with a Congress core
- Agenda Immediate, medium term and long term tasks
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“Describe the challenges that independent India faced at the time of independence and how the first government approached them.”
How to Answer
- Context Midnight of 14-15 August.
- Government Ministry and portfolios.
- Challenges Three tiers.
- Conclude Continuity and state-building.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
Who presided over the midnight session of the Constituent Assembly?
Rajendra Prasad presided over the session that began at 11 p.m. on 14 August 1947. At midnight Jawaharlal Nehru, as first Prime Minister, delivered the tryst with destiny speech, and the Assembly assumed power as the legislature of free India.
Who were the first Governors-General of independent India?
Lord Mountbatten was the first Governor-General, followed by C. Rajagopalachari. The office lasted until 26 January 1950, when India became a republic and Rajendra Prasad was elected the first President of India, a post that replaced the Crown's representative.
Who were the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister in 1947?
Jawaharlal Nehru was the first Prime Minister, holding External Affairs, and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was Deputy Prime Minister with Home Affairs, States, and Information and Broadcasting until his death in December 1950, and he oversaw the integration of the princely states.
Which ministers resigned early from the first cabinet?
Shyama Prasad Mookherjee, the Industries and Supplies minister from the Hindu Mahasabha, resigned in April 1950 over the Delhi Pact, and B.R. Ambedkar, the Law minister from the Scheduled Castes Federation, resigned in 1951; Mookherjee was the first to leave.
What were the immediate challenges before the new nation?
They were integrating the princely states, controlling communal riots, rehabilitating nearly 60 lakh refugees from Pakistan, protecting minorities, avoiding war with Pakistan and handling Communist insurgency, before the longer tasks of a Constitution, elections and development.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 Rajendra Prasad presided over the midnight session of the Constituent Assembly on 14-15 August 1947.
He later became the first President.
2 Sardar Patel was the first Governor-General of independent India.
Patel was Deputy Prime Minister; Mountbatten was the Governor-General.
3 Jawaharlal Nehru held External Affairs in the first ministry.
He also held Commonwealth Relations and Scientific Research.
4 Shyama Prasad Mookherjee was the first minister to resign from the first cabinet, in April 1950.
He opposed the Delhi Pact.
5 The post of Governor-General continued after 26 January 1950.
India became a republic on that date.
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