With reference to the given picture answer the following:

(a) Identify the person in the picture. State any two features of the Plan devised by him.

(b) How did he plan to solve the communal problem existing in India?

(c) Why did the Congress accept the Plan? State three reasons to justify its acceptance.

(a) Lord Mountbatten is the person shown in the picture.

Two features of the Plan devised by Lord Mountbatten were:

1. Partition — The country would be divided into two Dominions, i.e., India and Pakistan.
2. A Boundary Commission — A Boundary Commission would be created to settle the boundaries of the two Dominions in case partition was decided upon.

(b) Lord Mountbatten found that it was difficult to solve the deadlock between the Congress and the Muslim League.

1. He realised that the Cabinet Mission Plan was unworkable and a partition of India was inevitable.
2. He, therefore, sought to effect the transfer of power without any delay.
3. Mountbatten put his plan for the partition of India before the 'big seven' leaders — Nehru, Patel, Kripalani, Jinnah, Liaquat, Nishtar and Baldev Singh.
4. The Congress accepted the Plan and Jinnah undertook to do his utmost to make the Plan work.
5. The Plan was announced on June 3, 1947.
6. The country would be divided into two Dominions, i.e. India and Pakistan.

(c) The Congress accepted the Mountbatten Plan because of the following reasons-

1. The large-scale communal riots that engulfed the whole country convinced all that the only solution to the communal problem lay in the Partition of India.
2. The League had joined the Interim Government to obstruct and not to cooperate. Experience of working with the League had convinced the Congress that it could not have a joint administration with the League.
3. The only alternative to Partition was a Federation with a weak Centre. A smaller India with a strong central authority was better than a bigger State with weak Centre.