Question

Identify the ‘mission’ of the colonial period with the help of the following information :
It presented a scheme for the formation of an interim government at the centre for India.
It announced its Constitutional Scheme in 1946.

• A. Cripps Mission
• B. Cabinet Mission
• C. Fraser Mission
• D. Simon Commission

Hint:

The Cripps Mission arrived earlier in 1942 and was rejected by major Indian parties. The Cabinet Mission’s plan for 'grouping' provinces led to serious disagreements between the Congress and the Muslim League.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Concept:

• The transition of power from the British to the Indian leadership involved several diplomatic missions.
• The Cabinet Mission was the final major attempt by the British to find a political solution for a united India.

Step 1: Evaluating the mission's objectives
In 1946, the British government sent a high-level mission consisting of three cabinet ministers (Pethick-Lawrence, Stafford Cripps, and A.V. Alexander).
This mission proposed a structure for an interim government and outlined a constitutional framework that would allow India to become an independent nation while maintaining unity.

Step 2: Identifying the correct mission
Since it arrived in 1946 with a clear constitutional plan and a proposal for an interim government, it is historically identified as the Cabinet Mission.