Wavell Plan, RIN Mutiny and the Cabinet Mission (1945 to 1946)

After the war, the British Labour government made one more attempt to settle the Indian question through the Wavell Plan and the Cabinet Mission, but the League and Congress could not agree.

The Wavell Plan and Simla Conference (1945)

• Wavell (Viceroy, 1943 to 1947) proposed a new Executive Council with Indians (except the Viceroy and Commander-in-Chief) and parity between caste Hindus and Muslims. The Simla Conference (25 June to 14 July 1945) failed because Jinnah claimed the right to name all Muslim members.
• 1945 to 1946 elections: Congress won most general seats; the League won all Muslim seats in the Centre and most in the provinces. This showed the League as the main voice of Muslims.

Post-war unrest

• INA trials (see above), strikes, Tebhaga and Telangana, and the Royal Indian Navy Mutiny.
• RIN Mutiny (18 February 1946): ratings of HMIS Talwar (Bombay) struck against racial discrimination and bad food; it spread to many ships and shore stations. The Congress and League condemned it, and Vallabhbhai Patel helped persuade the ratings to surrender (23 February).

The Cabinet Mission (March to June 1946)

• Members: Pethick-Lawrence (Secretary of State), Stafford Cripps and A.V. Alexander. They reached Delhi on 24 March 1946.
• Plan (16 May 1946):
  1. Rejected the demand for a separate Pakistan.
  2. A Union of India (British India and the princely states) with the Centre in charge of defence, foreign affairs and communications.
  3. Provinces in three groups: A (Hindu-majority: Madras, Bombay, UP, Bihar, CP, Orissa), B (Punjab, NWFP, Sind, Baluchistan) and C (Bengal and Assam).
  4. A Constituent Assembly of 389 members (296 from British India elected by provincial assemblies and 93 from princely states).
  5. An Interim Government of the major parties. Paramountcy would lapse at independence.
• The League accepted the plan (6 June), and the Congress accepted it with its own interpretation (24 June). After Nehru's statement (10 July) that the Congress was free to change the plan, Jinnah withdrew the League's acceptance (29 July) and called for Direct Action Day (16 August 1946).
• Great Calcutta Killings (16 to 19 August 1946), then Noakhali (October) and Bihar riots.
• Interim Government (2 September 1946): led by Nehru (Vice-President of the Viceroy's Executive Council). The League joined on 26 October, but the two parties could not work together. The Constituent Assembly met on 9 December 1946 without the League.