“25” “Wavell Plan/Simla Conference 1945”

Wavell Plan:-

• On June 14, 1945, Lord Wavell in Delhi and LS. Amery, the Secretary India in the House of
Commons announced that the Government will make some interim arrangements about
the reorganisation of the Gar-General's Executive Council.
• The following arrangements put forward by Lord Wavell are known as the Wavell Plan
1. The Executive Council of the Governor-General would be reconstituted. All the members
of the Council, except the Governor-General and the Commander-in-Chief would be
Indians
2. The Governor-General would convene a meeting of the party leaders, the provincial chief
ministers and the ex-chief ministers, the deputy leader of the League and the Congress in
the Legislative Assembly, the leaders of the Congress and the League in the Council of
State so that they may propose the names of the members of the new Council.
Simla Conference:-

• To discuss these proposals with the leadership of major Indian parties, Wavell called for
a conference at Simla on June 25, 1945.
• Leaders of both the Congress and the Muslim League attended the conference, which is
known as the Simla Conference.
• The Conference started at the Viceregal Lodge, Simla, on June 25 1945, at 11.00 am.
• All the invitees except M.K. Gandhi attended the Conference(because he considered he
isn’t representative of INC).
• The Viceroy addressed the first session expressing Government's viewpoint regarding
new plan of action.
• Abdul Kalam Azad, the Congress President and after him Quaid-i-Azam, President off the
League, addressed the second (afternoon) session explaining the positions and
viewpoints of their respective parties. Then followed general discussions.
• Controversy arose on the question of parity between the Caste Hindus, the Muslims, and
the nomination of the representative of various minorities to compose Viceroy's
Executive Council. The Muslim seats particularly became a bone of contention.
• Quaid demanded that all Muslims appointed to the Council should be from among the
All-India Muslim League; while the Congress insisted on nominating two Muslims of its
own.
• The Quaid wrote to Lord Wavell asking him to choose Muslim members only from the
Muslim League. Wavell in reply refused to give a guarantee to meet Quaid’s demand and
again appealed to him to furnish his list of nominees.
• The Quaid, after consulting his Working Committee, wrote to Wavell, reminding him that
in the absence of the required assurances, he could not do what the Viceroy wanted.
• There upon, Lord Wavell, after consulting Amery, drew up his own list of 14 names
including four Muslim Leaguers. And on the instructions of Amery, he arranged an
interview with the Quaid to seek his consent.
• Quaid refused even to discuss the names unless he could be given the absolute right to
select the Muslim members for the Council, otherwise, he clearly told the Viceroy, the
League would not cooperate.
• The Viceroy remained unreconciled on this issue and was finally compelled to abandon
his plan. The Conference thus ended in fiasco on July 14.
• Though the Viceroy took the responsibility for the failure upon himself. the Quaid was
widely criticised for his so-called "intransigence".
• The failure of the Conference, however, had weakened the position of the Muslim
Unionists and Nationalists while it had enhanced and strengthened the position of both
the Quaid-i-Azam and the League.
• The Simla Conference failed mainly because of the refusal of the British Government and
the Congress to recognise the All-India Muslim League as the only representative body of
Muslim India.
• Now the only way left for the League to justify its claim was to go to the electorate. Hence
the All-India Muslim League under the Quaid's guidance now emphatically demanded
fresh general elections which were overdue since long.
• The Congress was also in favour of fresh general elections. Other organizations, too,
joined in the demand.
• The Government, under the mounting political pressure compelled to hold elections in
the winter of 1945-46.
• The All-India Muslim League, on the issue of Pakistan and the Congress on the basis of its
Quit India resolution participated in the elections.
• The League had not done well during the general elections of 1937, but it had performed
remarkably well in the by-elections held during 1995-45.
• Now in the general elections of 1945-46. it astonished everybody by achieving
overwhelming victories. It swept all the Muslim seats in the Central Assembly and
captured as many as 428 out of 472 Muslim seats in the provincial legislatures.
• Now the League’s claim to speak on behalf of the Muslim India was fully vindicated.