To settle the political tangle in India, the Cabinet Mission was sent to India in 1946. In this context, answer the following :

(a) Reasons for sending the Cabinet Mission to India.

(b) Main provisions of the Cabinet Mission Plan.

(c) Reaction of the Congress and the Muslim League.

(a) The Cabinet Mission was sent to India in 1946 with the primary goal of discussing and facilitating the transfer of power from British rule to Indian leadership. It aimed to achieve this while preserving India's unity and independence. The mission also sought to establish a framework for a constitution-making body and an interim government.

(b) The main provisions of the Cabinet Mission Plan are given below:

1. There was to be a federation of all the provinces and states of India.
2. The Federal Centre would control only defense, foreign affairs and communication. The provinces would look after other subjects and also control residuary powers.
3. The Union would have a Legislature and its own Executive. The Legislature would pass laws on subjects contained in the Union List. These laws would be enforced by the Union Executive.
4. The provinces would be free to form regional unions to which they would surrender some powers by mutual consent. There were to be three groups of provinces: Group A — United Provinces, Central Provinces, Madras, Bombay, Orissa and Bihar; Group B — Punjab, NWFP (North West Frontier Province) and Sind; Group C — Bengal and Assam.
5. Each group would have a separate Constitution and if a Province opted to walk out of the group after the first general elections, it would have the option to do so.
6. The states would not be under the direct control of the Union and they would themselves decide as to what powers they were to surrender.
7. A Constituent Assembly would be elected to draw up the future Constitution of India. It would consist of 389 members — 292 from the Provinces, 4 from Chief Commissioner's Provinces and 93 from the Indian states.
8. Till the Constitution was ready an Interim Government of all parties would be formed. It would have 14 members.
9. The Union of India would be free to remain in or walk out of the British Commonwealth. The plan was to be totally accepted or rejected.

(c) Reaction of the Congress — The Congress accepted the Cabinet Mission Plan with reservations.

1. It only accepted that part of the scheme which dealt with the Constitution-making.
2. It considered the Constituent Assembly as a sovereign body for drafting the Constitution. It regarded the grouping of the Provinces as optional and not compulsory.
3. The Congress rejected the scheme of Interim Government because of its limited status and powers and also because the Congress was given parity with the Muslim League in the formation of the Provisional Government.

Reaction of the Muslim League — The Muslim League accepted the Cabinet Plan in its entirety on June 6, 1946 because it felt that the grouping of Muslim-majority Provinces in a way meant the formation of Pakistan.

However, when the elections for the Constituent Assembly were held in July 1946, the Congress won 201 seats out of 292 seats which were reserved for the British India. It gained comfortable majority in the Assembly. The Muslim League could secure only 73 seats and felt disappointed. It demanded the establishment of two different Constituent Assemblies. The Muslim League under Jinnah's leadership passed a resolution on July 29, 1946 and rejected the Cabinet Mission Plan.