Post war Response of India

Two Strands
Tortures Negotiation
Mass movment accompanied by violence
Change in Britain stance
 1.Britain lost army and
 2. Rise of Labour party in Britain
 Socialist wave in Europe
 Global power dominated by US and Russia
 Growth of anti imperialism in South east Asia
 Fear of 1942 like mass struggle
 Election was inevitable in India

Congress Fight Election

Nationalist Issue

 Anti imperialist nature (Not just opposite vote)

 Sentiment about 1942 mass struggle
 Affecting british moral
 Pressure against INA trial
 Pressure against fight of Indian soldier in Indonesia etc.

INA Issue

 Bombay resolution- congress support INA cause

 Court case – fight by Nehru & asaf Ali
 INA relief and enquiry committee

Significance of Congress INA Agitation:

1. High pitch and intense

2. Coverage
a. Geographic
b. Participation
3. Political party participation – congress, left, RSS etc
4. Sympathy from British Employees
5. Issue Assume India vs Britain colour

National INA Uprising

Three Stage uprising

1. First Stage: Group of people defy authority

a. 21 nov 1945, agitation of INA trial
b. 11 feb 1945, agitation over Rashid Ali verdict, League, Calcutta
 c. 18 Feb, 1945, Agitation against discrimination, food, RIN, Bombay
2. Second Stage:
a. City people join in
3. Third Stage
a. Sympathy from other part of india

Evaluation of INA Upsurge:

Positive

1. Militant expression of people

2. Liberated peoples mind
3. Mark end of British Raj
4. Prompted further concession
a. Nov 1946 partlimentary deligation was setup
b. Dec 1946 Only brutal INA soldier will trial
c. Jan 1947 Remittance of imprisonment
d. Feb 1947 Withdrawal from Indonesia

Negative

1. Militant in nature
2. Short period of time
3. Organizational unity rather than communal
4. British were able to repress even with eroded moral

Congress stand on INA

1. Congress Stay Neutral

a. Congress want disciplined force
b. Issue may get out of hand
2. Policy of internal negogation
3. Gandhi view: INA is doubly wrong

Election Result
Feature of Election:

1. Limited Franchise
2. Separate electorate (Communal voting)

Election Result:

1. Congress:
a. 57 seat
b. 91 % Non muslim vote
c. Win in Bengal, Bombay, Punjab etc
2. Muslim League
a. 30 seat
b. 86.6 % muslim vote
 c. Dominant party

*Punjab was rule by Unionist- congress- Akali

Cabinet Mission
Announcement: Feb 1946 (Atlee)

Participant: Lawrance Patrick, A.V. Alexander, Stafford Cripps

British Withdrawal seem imminent:

1. Nationalism reach to ground

2. Beaurocracy also become nationalise
a. Indianization policy
b. ICS service
3. Example of Congress rule
4. Fear of Army rebellion
5. Lack of number and efficient officer
6. Long term future relation

On the eve of cabinet mission

1. Congress Demand: United india and Self determination

2. Britain Bid: United and friendly india

Arrival of Cabinet mission: 24 March 1946

1. Interim government
2. Policy and procedure of constitutent assembly

*League don’t participate hence forwarded plan to may 1946

Cabinet Mission Plan

1. Rejection of Pakistan
a. Seperation of Bengal and punjab
b. Administrative and communication issue
c. Division of army
d. Communal disturbance
2. Grouping of Province
a. Group A: Bombay, Madras, UP, CP
b. Group B: NWFP, Punjab
c. Group C: Bengal, Assam
3. Three tier government
4. Constituent Assembly
5. Centralised communication, defence and External affair
 6. Communal question by vote
7. Provincial autonomy and residual power
8. Princely state – removal of paramountcy
9. Provinces free to come out of Group
10. Interim gov -Constituent assembly

Different interpretation:

1. Congress view: Groping of state is optional

2. Muslim League view: Grouping is compulsory

Objection:

1. League objection:
a. Groping should be compulsory
2. Congress objection
a. Provinces should have right to cede
b. Compulsory grouping
c. No elected individual from Princely state

Accept or Rejection

1. League accept: 6 june 1946

2. Congress accept 24 june 1946
3. July 1946 : election of CA
4. 10 July 1946: soverign body, no grouping
5. 29 July 1946: Direct Action

Communal Holocaust & Interim Government

Interim gov Foration

1. Nehru swarn in 2nd sept 1946

2. League sworn in 26 Sept 1946
a. Direct Action
b. Amendability to plan
c. Compulsary grouping

Interim Gov composition

 Nehru- Vice chanceller, coman wealth

 Patel- home and I&B
 Baldev- Defence
 Mathai- industry
 C rajgopalachari- education
 C Bhabha- work, mine, power
 Rajendra prasad: agriculture
 Jagjivan ram = labour
 Asaf ali= rail
 Liaquat khan – Finance
 Abdul Nishtar – communication
  Ghazanfat khan – health
 Jogendra mandal- law

Obstruction by league:

1. Absent in First meeting (9 Dec 1946)

2. Absent in informal meet
3. Objection to congress appointment and decision
4. Financial restrain by Liaquat khan
5. War by other mean
6. Demand to dissolve assembly

Birth Growth of Communalism in India

Types of Communalism

1. Nationalist communalism: Same religious and secular interst

2. Liberal communalist: Different religious and secular interest
3. Exttreme communalism: Different and incompatible religious and secular interst

Feature of Indian Communalism

1. Modern phenomena
2. Bourgeois question
3. By pass economic interest
4. Support by colonial master
5. Support by conservative society
6. Religion is vehicle of communalism

Reason for Growth in communalism:

1. Socio economic reason

a. Education
b. Hindu muslim nationalism
2. British policy of divide and rule
a. Initialy muslim exluded
b. Later policy of muslim concession, reservation etc.
3. Communal history writing
a. Ancient hindu phase
b. Medieval Muslim phase
c. Modern Christian phase
4. Religious reforms
a. Wahabi movement
b. Shuddhi movement
5. Militant nationalism
a. Tilak Ganapati, Shivaji festival
b. Aurbindo concept of aryanised world
c. Oath taking
 d. Khilafat
6. Communal reaction from majority community
a. Hindi -Urdu
b. Punjab Mahasabha, Hindu Mahasabha
c. 1925 RSS

Evolution of Two nation Theory:

 1887: sir Syed Ahmad Khan propted anti congress agenda

 1906: Agha Khan deligation demanded separate electorate
 1909: Separate electorate granded, Punjab Mahasabha established
 1912-22: dominance by young muslim communal nationalism
 1915: formation of Hindu Mahasabha
 1916: Congress accepted Separate electorate
 1920-24: Khalifat issue
 1928: Nehru Report
o Legitamacy to league
o Undermine secularist
o Demand for such concession
o Difficult to go all out on communalism
 1930-34: lack of Participation of Muslim in CDM
 1932: Communal award
 1937: After losing provincial election League become extremist
 1937-39: Jinha made impossible demands
 24 march 1940: Pakistan resolution
 During WWII: league used veto