Mountbatten Plan of 3 June 1947

At a Glance

• Plan 3 June 1947
• Procedure Punjab and Bengal assemblies vote; referendums in NWFP and Sylhet
• Act Indian Independence Act; royal assent 18 July 1947
• Dates Pakistan 14 August; India 15 August 1947
• Exam link UPSC Prelims, Modern History: Independence With Partition

Where Does It Fit?

This is the second topic of the category on independence with partition. The previous topic covered Attlee’s statement. This topic covers Mountbatten’s plan and the Act that implemented it. The next topic covers why the Congress accepted partition. Previous topic: Attlee’s Statement of 20 February 1947.

How Did Mountbatten Approach His Task?

Mountbatten proved firmer and quicker in decision-making than his predecessors because he was informally given more powers to decide on the spot, and had the advantage of the British government’s firm decision to quit at the earliest. His task was to explore the options of unity and division until October 1947 and then advise the government on the form of transfer. He soon found that the broad outline of what was to emerge was clear even before he arrived: the Cabinet Mission Plan was a dead horse and Jinnah was obstinate about accepting nothing less than a sovereign state. A serious attempt at unity would have meant backing forces for a united India and countering those against it, but Mountbatten preferred to woo both sides. The Cabinet Mission Plan is in Cabinet Mission Plan, 1946.

What Did the Plan Provide?

The freedom-with-partition formula was widely accepted even before Mountbatten came. One major innovation, in fact suggested by V.P. Menon, was the immediate transfer of power on the basis of dominion status with a right of secession, avoiding any wait for the constituent assembly to agree on a new structure.

How Were the Congress and League Demands Met?

Since the Congress had conceded a unified India’s division, its other points were met: independence for the princely states was ruled out, as they would join India or Pakistan; independence for Bengal was ruled out; accession of Hyderabad to Pakistan was ruled out, with Mountbatten supporting the Congress; and freedom was to come on 15 August 1947. The League’s demand was thus conceded to the extent that Pakistan would be created, and the Congress position on unity was used to make Pakistan as small as possible. Mountbatten’s formula was to divide India but retain the maximum unity.

The Congress was willing to accept dominion status despite its being against the spirit of the Lahore Congress of 1929, because it would ensure a peaceful and quick transfer of power, because it was more important to assume authority to check the explosive situation, and because it allowed continuity in the bureaucracy and the army. For Britain, dominion status offered a chance to keep India in the Commonwealth, even if temporarily, given India’s economic strength, defence potential and the value of trade and investment. The Simla Deputation; Muslim League founded After 1937 League turned to extreme…">Lahore resolution is in Lahore Congress and Purna Swaraj.

Britain wanted the Congress’s agreement to dominion status and wanted to escape responsibility for the communal situation, which explains the early date of 15 August 1947.

How Was the Plan Carried Out?

The plan was put into effect without the slightest delay. The legislative assemblies of Bengal and Punjab decided in favour of partition, so East Bengal and West Punjab joined Pakistan, and West Bengal and East Punjab stayed with the Indian Union. The referendum in Sylhet put that district in East Bengal. Two boundary commissions, one for each province, were set up to fix the new boundaries. The referendum in the North-West Frontier Province favoured Pakistan, the Provincial Congress refraining from it. Baluchistan and Sindh threw in their lot with Pakistan.

What Did the Indian Independence Act Provide?

The British Parliament passed the Indian Independence Act, based on the Mountbatten Plan, in July 1947, and it received royal assent on 18 July 1947. It was implemented on 15 August 1947.

Under the Act Pakistan became independent on 14 August and India on 15 August 1947. M.A. Jinnah became the first Governor-General of Pakistan, and India requested Lord Mountbatten to continue as Governor-General. The 1935 Act is in Nationalist Response to the Government of India Act, 1935.

What Were the Problems of Early Withdrawal?

The speed of events under Mountbatten caused anomalies in the detailed arrangements for partition and totally failed to prevent the Punjab massacre. There were no transitional institutions in which partition problems could be handled. Mountbatten had hoped to be the common Governor-General of India and Pakistan to provide a link, but Jinnah wanted the post for himself. And there was a delay in announcing the Boundary Commission Award under Radcliffe: although it was ready by 12 August 1947, Mountbatten decided to make it public after 15 August so that the British would escape responsibility for disturbances.

R.C. Majumdar is quoted as saying that there is no basis for the claim that the Civil Disobedience Movement directly led to independence, and that the cumulative effect of Gandhi’s campaigns, Bose’s INA and the pressure of Hitler’s and Japan’s war on Britain brought freedom, with the Red Fort, Delhi,…">INA trials showing the British that they could no longer depend on the loyalty of the sepoys. This is one historian’s view. As an analytical point, the Plan achieved a quick transfer by deferring the hard problems, the boundary and the princely states, to bodies that did not yet exist, which is why the rapid timetable is blamed for the violence that followed. The princely states are in Plan Balkan and the Integration Problem at Withdrawal.

Why Is This Topic Important?

• Provisions The procedure for Punjab, Bengal, Sindh, NWFP and Sylhet is a stock Prelims item
• Indian Independence Act Dates and provisions are frequently asked
• Early date A common Mains point on responsibility for the violence

What Came Next?

The next topic explains why the Congress accepted partition. Next topic: Interim Government…">Why Congress Accepted Partition.

Key People and Terms

• Mountbatten Plan The partition plan announced on 3 June 1947
• V.P. Menon Suggested the dominion status route to quick transfer
• Radcliffe Award The Boundary Commission award on the new borders
• Indian Independence Act The Act creating India and Pakistan
• Dominion status The status used for the transfer, with a right of secession
• Referendum A direct vote in the Frontier and Sylhet

Exam Corner

Mains Angle

Questions ask about the Plan and the consequences of speed. These points add depth.

• Procedure Votes and referendums
• Rationale Quick, peaceful transfer and Commonwealth link
• Costs Violence and delayed boundary award