Partition of India [Draft][WIP]
1. Invitation by Viceroy to Pt. Nehru to Form a New Body to Govern India
On 6th Aug 1946, the then Viceroy Lord Viscount Archibald Percival Wavell, had sent a letter to Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru. Pt. Nehru received this letter in Wardha. In this letter the Viceroy had offered to replace the Executive Council by a new body selected and led by Pt. Nehru. Given the untrustworthy acts of the Britishers, Pt. Nehru was skeptical towards this offer. [1]
2. Viceroy's View on Future of British India
2.1 Lord Wavell
Lord Wavell in his official reports mentioned that the British Raj is close to collapse. The rationale given by him can be summarized as below-[1]
- The World War - II had halted the British recruits into Indian Civil Service
- The young British who had flooded into the country to fight Japanese now wanted to go home
- British itself was broke. The debt on India was more than $ 6 Billion ($80 Billion in today's)
- To support war, British government begged for $3.75 Billion loan from US. And the US did not intend its dollars to be used to enslave India.
Lord Wavell after dispatching the letter to Pt. Nehru start working on "Breakdown Plan". The plan advise Clement Attlee Government to initiate a peaceful agreement with the Indian leaders about how and when to transfer power. Lord Wavell also suggested that the British control government would not last for more than eighteen months. He also mentioned, during transfer of power; if Britain is able to establish a healthy relation with India, then India could play a very vital role in controlling advancement of USSR-Army. On the contrary, if India chooses to become an ally of USSR, then it could pose serious problem for Britain. [1]
3 Strategic Importance of Control Over India
The red army (USSR-army) was marching towards Turkey and northern Persia. In order to control the aggression of the Red-Army, it was imperative for Britain to have control over India. A draft report by British chiefs of staff highlighting the strategic importance of India noted-
- India could provide inexhaustible supply of men and materials to be used to for war.
- India's geographical position could help Britain and USA in dominating the Indian Ocean region
4 Congress And Muslim Leagues View on Partition of India
4.1 Md. Ali Jinnah's View on Partition of India [Muslim Leagues Views]
MA Jinnah believed, though Muslims are outnumbered in India but still they form a nation. There is no similarity between Hindus and Muslims, they challenged each other on a daily basis. MA Jinnah insisted on getting a separate nation which would be carved out of the northern and eastern region of India, where Muslims formed slight majority.
4.2 Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru View on Partition of India
Pt Nehru not just resisted the ideology of partition on the basis of religion but also scorned its premise. For Pt. Nehru, the fact that Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs etc. have lived and mixed in India for centuries was fundamental to India's identity. He also made a remark, that the Muslim League leaders are looking to exploit the Muslim masses to get a land where they could preserve their feudal privileges.
5 Meeting Between Pt. Nehru and MA Jinnah
Lord Wavell wanted to form an Interim Government with 6 nominees from Congress led by Pt. Nehru, 5 from Muslim League and 3 from minority groups. He also suggested Pt. Nehru to invite MA Jinnah to join the new government. Thus, Pt. Nehru wrote to MA Jinnah to meet in Bombay on 15th August 1946.
5.1 The Meeting
The meeting as envisioned was a failure. The meeting lasted for 80-minutes. MA Jinnah main objections were-
- He did not like the fact that he would have to work under Pt. Nehru.
- He don't want to allow Congress to include any Muslims in their own quota of ministers.
Pt Nehru's main objections were-
- He did not want Muslim League to question his authority.
- He did not want Muslim League to slow the march of full independence from the British.
References
[1] Midnight's Furies - The deadly legacy of India's Partition - Chapter 1- Fury
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