Cripps Mission Plan

Outline:

• Background
• Proposals Of The Cripps Mission Plan
• Critical Analysis/Were Proposals Favourable To The Muslims?


Background:

After rejecting the August Offer, the Congress started the Civil Disobedience Movement but it failed to achieve its objectives. The situation took a new turn on 11th March, 1942, when the British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill announced that the British Government intended to send a mission to India with Draft Declaration aimed at resolving the constitutional deadlock. As a result, on 24th March 1942, a mission led by Sir Stafford Cripps, the Lord Privy Seal and the leader of the House of Commons arrived in India with a Draft Declaration which was published on 30th March, 1942.

Proposals Of The Plan:

The Declaration contained the following proposals:

• A new Indian Dominion was to be created which would be associated with the British Commonwealth.
• After the war, a constitution making body was to be set up to frame the constitution of the country.
• Any province was to be free to keep itself out of the proposed union. The non-acceding provinces would have their separate union.
• The Government of India Act 1935 will remain in force until the cessation of war.
• The recommendations would be implemented only if both Muslim League and Congress accepted the Plan.
• Britain and the constitution-making body were to enter into a treaty covering all matters arising out of the transfer of power.
• The recommendations are to be accepted or rejected as a whole and with no amendments.

Critical Analysis Of The Cripps Mission Plan:

Both Congress and Muslim League rejected the Cripps Mission Proposals. Congress, at that time, was not ready to accept anything less than the self-rule. Gandhi rejected it by calling it as “post-dated cheque on a failing bank.”

Muslim League also rejected it because at that time the movement for the establishment of Pakistan had gained momentum and nothing less than Pakistan was acceptable to the Muslims. But in one respect Cripps Plan was very important. It had seeds of Pakistan in its non-accession Clause. According to this clause any province or state could accept the federal constitution or reject it. so there was a wide scope for the autonomy of the Muslim majority areas. But though these proposals did not concede the concept separate Muslim State unequivocally.