1946 Cabinet Mission
The Cabinet Mission reached Delhi on March 24, 1946 and put forward a plan for the solution of the constitutional problem in May 1946.
The main provisions were:
The main provisions were:
- Rejection of the demand for a full-fledged Pakistan
- Grouping of existing provincial assemblies into three sections:
o Section-A: Madras, Bombay, Central Provinces, United Provinces, Bihar and Orissa (Hindu-majority provinces)
o Section-B: Punjab, North-West Frontier Province and Sindh (Muslim-majority provinces)
o Section-C: Bengal and Assam (Muslim majority provinces).
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Three-tier executive and legislature at provincial, section and union levels.
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A constituent assembly was to be elected by provincial assemblies by proportional representation (voting in three groups— General, Muslims, Sikhs). This constituent assembly would be a 389-member body with provincial assemblies sending 292, chief commissioner’s provinces sending 4, and princely states sending 93 members.
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A common centre would control defense, communication and external affairs. A federal structure was envisaged for India.
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Communal questions in the central legislature were to be decided by a simple majority of both communities present and voting.
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Provinces were to have full autonomy and residual powers.
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Princely states were no longer to be under paramountcy of the British government. They would be free to enter into an arrangement with successor governments or the British government.
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After the first general elections, a province was to be free to come out of a group and after 10 years, a province was to be free to call for a reconsideration of the group or the union constitution. Meanwhile, an interim government was to be formed from the constituent assembly.
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Congress claimed that the grouping was optional while the League thought that the grouping was compulsory. Mission decided the matter in the League’s favour. League, followed by Congress, accepted Cabinet Mission proposals in June 1946.