Why Congress Accepted Partition
Modern History › Independence With Partition · Topic 25.3
The Congress accepted partition because it saw it as inevitable: it had failed to draw the Muslim masses into the national movement, communal violence could be stopped only by an immediate transfer of power, and the Interim Government had virtually collapsed. Its acceptance was the final step in a series of concessions to the League's demand, from the Cripps Mission of 1942 to the Mountbatten Plan of 3 June 1947.
7 min read · UPSC Prelims · History · Independence With Partition
At a Glance
- Core reason Partition seen as inevitable; failure to integrate Muslim masses
- Pressure Communal violence and a collapsing Interim Government
- Steps 1942, 1944, 1946, March 1947, 3 June 1947
- Gandhi Accepted it as the people wanted it, but asked Congressmen not to accept it in their hearts
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Modern History: Independence With Partition
Where Does It Fit?
This is the third topic of the category on independence with partition. The previous topic covered the Mountbatten Plan. This topic explains why the Congress accepted partition. The next topic covers Plan Balkan and the integration of the princely states. Previous topic: Mountbatten Plan of 3 June 1947.
Why Was Partition Seen as Inevitable?
The Congress was accepting the inevitable, because of its long-term failure to draw the Muslim masses into the national movement. The partition reflects the success-failure duality of the Congress-led anti-imperialist movement. The Congress had a twofold task: to shape diverse classes, communities, groups and regions into a nation, and to secure independence for that nation. It built enough national consciousness to pressure the British to quit, but failed to complete the welding of the nation, especially the integration of Muslims.
- Only an immediate transfer of power could stop the spread of Direct Action and communal violence.
- The virtual collapse of the Interim Government made Pakistan appear unavoidable.
- The partition plan ruled out independence for the princely states, which could have been a greater danger to Indian unity, since it would have meant Balkanisation.
The collapse of the Interim Government is in Interim Government and the Communal Violence of 1946, and the Direct Action violence in Grouping Clause of the Cabinet Mission Plan and Its Interpretations.
What Was the Series of Concessions to the League?
Acceptance of partition was only the final act in a process of step-by-step concessions to the League’s championing of a separate Muslim state.
| Stage | Concession |
|---|---|
| Cripps Mission, 1942 | The autonomy of Muslim-majority provinces was accepted |
| Gandhi-Jinnah talks, 1944 | Gandhi accepted the right of self-determination of Muslim-majority provinces |
| After the Cabinet Mission Plan, 1946 | The Congress conceded the possibility of Muslim-majority provinces setting up a separate constituent assembly; later it accepted, without demur, that grouping was compulsory (December 1946) |
| March 1947 | The first official reference to Pakistan, in a Working Committee resolution stating that Punjab, and by implication Bengal, must be partitioned if the country was divided |
| 3 June 1947 | The Congress accepted partition under the Mountbatten Plan |
While loudly asserting the sovereignty of the Constituent Assembly, the Congress quietly accepted compulsory grouping and accepted partition mainly because it could not stop the communal riots. The steps are in Cripps Mission, 1942, Simla Deputation; Muslim League founded After 1937 League turned to extreme…">two-nation theory accepted Desai-Liaqat Equal…">Rajagopalachari Formula and the Desai-Liaqat Pact and Cabinet Mission Plan, 1946.
What Happened in Early 1947?
The communal riots and the unworkability of the Congress-League coalition led many, in early 1947, to think of accepting the so far unthinkable idea of partition. The most insistent demand came from Hindu and Sikh communal groups in Bengal and Punjab who feared that compulsory grouping might put them in Pakistan; the Hindu Mahasabha in Bengal was considering a separate Hindu province in West Bengal. On 10 March 1947 Nehru said the Cabinet Mission’s plan was the best solution if carried out and that the only real alternative was the partition of Punjab and Bengal. In April 1947 the Congress president, Kripalani, told the Viceroy that rather than have a battle, the Congress would let them have their Pakistan, provided Bengal and Punjab were partitioned fairly.
What Did Leaders Say?
| Leader | Statement |
|---|---|
| Jawaharlal Nehru | The leaders were tired men getting on in years; few could face prison again; fires were burning in Punjab and killings were reported daily; the partition plan offered a way out and they took it |
| Vallabhbhai Patel | Without partition, India would be split into many bits and ruined; after a year in office he was convinced the course taken would lead to disaster; there would be not one Pakistan but several, with Pakistan cells in every office |
| Maulana Azad | Acceptance was only in a resolution of the AICC and on the League’s register; the people had not accepted partition with free and open minds, and some accepted it out of anger and resentment, others from despair |
| Wali Khan | The British set up Pakistan not as friendship towards Muslims but under the compulsions of their international policies |
| R.J. Moore | It was not so much that Britain pursued divide and rule as that devolving power by stages in a desperate country was inherently divisive |
| M.A. Jinnah | He alone, with his secretary and typewriter, won Pakistan for the Muslims |
These are the leaders’ own statements and scholars’ assessments, and they differ.
What Illusions Did the Congress Have, and What Was Gandhi’s Position?
There was wishful thinking and a poor grasp of communal feeling in the Congress, especially in Nehru, who said at various times that once the British left Hindu-Muslim differences would be patched up and a free, united India built, that partition was only temporary, and that partition would be peaceful, since once Pakistan was conceded there was nothing left to fight for. The communalism of the 1920s and 1930s differed from that of the 1940s, which was an all-out effort for an assertive Muslim nation, and the Congress leadership underestimated it. The earlier forms are in Birth, Spread and Characteristics of Indian Communalism and Evolution of the Two-Nation Theory.
Gandhi felt helpless because the people had been communalised. He saw no option but to accept partition because the people wanted it, since a movement against communalism could not be run with a communalised people, but he asked Congressmen not to accept it in their hearts. As an analytical point, the Congress choice was between a united India with a weak centre, compulsory groups and the risk of further fragmentation, and a divided India with a stronger centre, and its leaders judged the second to be the lesser danger, though they differed on whether it was a necessity or a failure. The measures taken for the states are in Plan Balkan and the Integration Problem at Withdrawal.
Why Is This Topic Important?
- Reasons for acceptance A standard Mains question
- Stages of concession A neat chronological list for answers
- Leaders’ statements Quotations from Nehru, Patel and Azad are often used
What Came Next?
The next topic covers Plan Balkan and the problem of integrating the princely states at the time of withdrawal. Next topic: Plan Balkan and the Integration Problem at Withdrawal.
Key People and Terms
- Partition The division of British India into India and Pakistan
- Compulsory grouping Cabinet Mission’s grouping accepted by the Congress in December 1946
- Direct Action The League’s call that led to riots
- Communalisation The spread of communal feeling among the people
- Self-determination The right of a people to decide its own status
- Pakistan cells Patel’s phrase for League groups inside every office
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- Concessions: 1942, 1944, 1946, March 1947, 3 June 1947.
- Working Committee resolution of March 1947: partition Punjab if the country was divided.
- Kripalani in April 1947: a fair partition of Bengal and Punjab.
- Nehru: a way out; Patel: several Pakistans; Azad: not accepted with free and open minds.
- Gandhi: accept it, but not in your hearts.
Do Not Confuse With
- Acceptance of grouping and acceptance of partition December 1946 versus June 1947
- Nehru’s and Azad’s reasons Nehru: tired and fear of riots; Azad: acceptance only on paper
- Gandhi-Jinnah talks and Cripps 1944 self-determination; 1942 provincial autonomy
Memory Hook
Tired men, burning Punjab, collapsed cabinet: the plan was a way out.
Mains Angle
Questions ask why the Congress accepted partition. These points add depth.
- Failure Muslim masses not integrated
- Pressure Riots and a collapsed cabinet
- Process Step-by-step concessions
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“Why did the Congress accept the partition of India in 1947?”
How to Answer
- Failure Integration of Muslims.
- Pressure Riots and the Interim Government.
- Concessions Stages from 1942 to 1947.
- Conclude Different leaders’ assessments.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did the Congress accept partition?
The Congress saw partition as inevitable because it had failed to draw the Muslim masses into the national movement, communal violence could be stopped only by a quick transfer of power, the Interim Government had virtually collapsed, and independence for princely states would have fragmented the country.
What were the stages of the Congress concessions to the League?
It accepted provincial autonomy in the Cripps Mission of 1942, the right of self-determination of Muslim-majority provinces in the Gandhi-Jinnah talks of 1944, compulsory grouping in December 1946, the partition of Punjab in March 1947, and partition itself with the Mountbatten Plan.
What did Patel say about accepting partition?
Patel said that without partition India would be split into many bits and ruined, and that a year in office had convinced him the course being followed would lead to disaster, with not one Pakistan but several and Pakistan cells in every office.
What was Maulana Azad's view of the acceptance?
Azad said that the acceptance was only in a resolution of the AICC and on the register of the League, and that the people had not accepted partition with free and open minds, but out of anger and resentment or despair.
What was Gandhi's position on partition?
Gandhi felt helpless because the people had been communalised and wanted partition. He saw no option but to accept it, since a movement against communalism could not involve a communalised people, but he asked Congressmen not to accept it in their hearts.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 The Congress Working Committee in March 1947 stated that Punjab must be partitioned if the country was divided.
By implication Bengal too.
2 The Congress accepted compulsory grouping in December 1946.
It was a step towards accepting partition.
3 Gandhi wholeheartedly supported partition.
He asked Congressmen not to accept it in their hearts.
4 Patel feared that without partition there would be several Pakistans.
He cited his year of office.
5 Kripalani was the Congress president who wrote to the Viceroy in April 1947 accepting a fair partition of Bengal and Punjab.
He said they would let the League have Pakistan.
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