UPSC Prelims 2022 Q54: Cripps Mission Proposals — Explained

With reference to the proposals of Cripps Mission, consider the following statements:

1. The Constituent Assembly would have members nominated by the Provincial Assemblies as well as the Princely States.

2. Any Province, which is not prepared to accept the new Constitution would have the right to sign a separate agreement with Britain regarding its future status.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. Both 1 and 2
  4. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (b) 2 only

Statement-wise explanation

  • 1: incorrect — Nobody in the provinces was to be nominated. Under the 1942 Draft Declaration, after the post-war provincial elections, all members of the Lower Houses of the Provincial Legislatures would sit as a single electoral college. They would elect the constitution-making body by proportional representation, and the body would be about one-tenth the size of that electoral college. Only the Indian (princely) States were to 'appoint' their representatives, in proportion to their population. The statement treats the provincial side as nominated, so it is wrong.
  • 2: correct — Clause (c)(i) of the Draft Declaration let any Province of British India that was not prepared to accept the new Constitution keep its existing constitutional position, with the option to join later. If such provinces wished, Britain would also agree with them on a separate new constitution giving them 'the same full status as the Indian Union'. This non-accession clause amounts to a province reaching its own settlement with Britain about its future.

How to eliminate

Statement 1 says the provinces would send nominated members. The idea of a constitution-making body was to give Indians an elected body to frame their own constitution, and provincial legislatures choosing members by vote was the standard proposal in both 1942 and 1946. Nomination fits only the princes, who were not elected rulers. A line that puts 'Provincial Assemblies' and 'Princely States' under one verb ('nominated') should make you suspicious. Statement 2 can be reached from a well-known fact: Congress rejected the Cripps offer partly because the provincial opt-out opened the door to India's break-up, which the Muslim League read as an opening for Pakistan. If you remember that the opt-out existed, you can drop the options that reject statement 2. You still need one fact to tell '2 only' from 'Both': provinces elect, states appoint.

Know more

Cripps Mission (March–April 1942)

Sir Stafford Cripps, a member of the British War Cabinet, arrived in India in March 1942. Japan was advancing in South-East Asia, and Britain wanted Indian support for the war. He brought a Draft Declaration with these terms:

  • Dominion status for an Indian Union after the war, including the freedom to leave the Commonwealth.
  • A constitution-making body set up right after the war. The lower houses of all provincial legislatures, voting as one electoral college by proportional representation, would elect it. It would be about one-tenth the size of that college. The princely states would appoint members in proportion to their population.
  • Non-acceding provinces could keep their existing position or get a separate constitution with the same status as the Union.
  • A treaty between Britain and the constitution-making body to protect racial and religious minorities.
  • Britain would keep control of defence until the new constitution came in.

Congress rejected the offer because it promised nothing now, gave the states appointed rather than elected members, and allowed provinces to opt out. The Muslim League rejected it because Pakistan was not openly accepted. Gandhi called it a 'post-dated cheque'. Its failure led directly to the Quit India resolution of 8 August 1942.

Feature August Offer 1940 Cripps 1942 Cabinet Mission 1946
Goal stated Dominion status Dominion status, right to leave the Commonwealth Independence; Union of India
Constitution body Mainly Indians, after the war Elected by provincial lower houses; states appoint 389 members; provincial assemblies elect by community; 93 seats for states
Break-up question Minorities given an assurance (veto) Provinces could opt out Groups A/B/C; no Pakistan

NCERT Concepts to Revise

  • Cripps Mission 1942: The core entry: what Cripps brought in 1942 and what the Draft Declaration offered.
  • Constituent Assembly of India: Both statements are about a constitution-making body; compare the 1942 plan with the Assembly actually formed in 1946.
  • Princely states: Statement 1 turns on how princely states, ruled by princes rather than elected governments, would be represented.
  • August Offer 1940: The 1940 offer that came before Cripps; UPSC often swaps features between the two.
  • Cabinet Mission 1946: Cripps also sat on the 1946 Mission; its rules for choosing Assembly members are easily confused with the 1942 rules.
  • Quit India movement: The failure of the Cripps offer led directly to the Quit India resolution of August 1942.