Britain didn’t offer India a path to self-rule out of goodwill. The offer came only after Singapore fell to Japan, and Japanese troops reached India’s eastern border. This article covers the Cripps Mission of 1942, its proposals, and why both major Indian parties rejected it.

MCQquestion.com

ModHist0082 · Modern Indian History

The Cripps Mission

Gandhi called it “a post-dated cheque on a crashing bank”

22 Mar 1942

Cripps arrives in India

Sent after Japan occupies Burma, right on India’s eastern border, to secure support for the war effort.

30 Mar 1942

Proposals are announced

Offers Dominion status after the war, with any province free to opt out of the new Union.

12 Apr 1942

Talks collapse

Both Congress and the Muslim League reject the plan, and Cripps leaves India.

Aug 1942

Congress launches Quit India

Just three months after the Mission’s failure.

One Plan, Two Opposite Rejections

Congress rejected it for falling short of full freedom, and for risking India’s unity. The League rejected the very same plan for the opposite reason: it wanted a guaranteed Pakistan, not a vague opt-out clause.

Download as image Modern Indian History

Must Know

• Sir Stafford Cripps arrived in India on 22 March 1942. He announced Britain’s proposals on 30 March, and left after failed talks on 12 April.
• The British War Cabinet sent Cripps to secure Indian support for World War II. Japan had just occupied Burma, right on India’s eastern border.
• The Cripps proposals offered India Dominion status after the war. A new constituent assembly would then frame India’s constitution.
• Any province could opt out of the new Union. It could draft its own separate constitution instead.

Good to Know

• The constituent assembly would have members elected by provincial assemblies. India’s princely states could nominate their own representatives too.
• Britain would keep control of defence during the war itself. Full self-government would only begin once fighting ended.
• Mahatma Gandhi rejected the proposals bluntly. He called them “a post-dated cheque on a crashing bank.”
• Jawaharlal Nehru also criticised the offer. He said it would leave Congress leaders acting like “the Viceroy’s liveried camp followers.”

Test Yourself

Please wait…

1. When did Sir Stafford Cripps arrive in India, and when did the talks fail?

3 June 1947, and talks succeeded

22 March 1942, and talks failed on 12 April 1942

23 March 1946, and talks failed in June 1946

7 February 1928, and talks failed the same year

 Loading…

 

Great to Know

• The Congress rejected the Cripps proposals for two reasons. Dominion status fell short of full independence, and the opt-out clause risked breaking up India’s unity.
• The Muslim League rejected the same proposals too, for the opposite reason. It wanted a clear, guaranteed path to a separate Pakistan, not just a vague opt-out clause.
• Cripps failed because it tried to satisfy two opposing demands with one plan. Congress wanted unity and full freedom; the League wanted explicit partition.
• The Mission’s failure had a direct, fast consequence. Congress launched the Quit India Movement just three months later, in August 1942.