When the Second World War broke out in 1939, the then Viceroy of India Lord Linlithgow declared India a party to the war as part of the British Empire without ever consulting the Indians. This angered the nationalist Congress leaders including Gandhiji and led to massive protests.
Needing help with its war effort, the British government sent a delegation to India under Sir Richard Stafford Cripps in March 1942. Cripps was a labour minister in Winston Churchill’s coalition government in Britain. Its mission was to secure full cooperation of the Congress and the Indian leaders for the Allied war effort. Britain was already facing pressure from the U.S. and other Allied leaders over its imperial policies in India.
So, what was promised in the event of India extending support to British? In return, Indians would be given more power in elected legislatures. They could make their own constitution. The proposals of the Cripps’ mission included setting up of an Indian dominion, freedom to remain with the British Commonwealth or to secede from it, safeguarding the rights of minorities, and provinces unwilling to join the dominion could form a separate union and have a separate constitution. However, Cripps Mission failed.
The proposals were seen as extremely radical by the British and as extremely conservative by the Congress who wanted complete independence. The Mission was rejected by the INC the Muslim League and other groups. Why only dominion-status under British rule, the leaders asked. Where is the timeframe for self-government? Gandhiji made the famous call: Let’s “Do or Die”.
The Congress moved towards the Quit India movement, which demanded immediate withdrawal of British from India, and refused to cooperate in the war effort in response, the British imprisoned the entire Congress leadership for the duration of the war.
Did you know?
Gandhiji commented on Cripps offer of Dominion Status after the war as a “post-dated cheque drawn on a failing bank”.
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