Cripps Mission 1942

Introduction:
The Cripps mission was introduced by the British government to gain cooperation from India
against the ongoing war between Britain and Japan. The British government has been negatively
impacted by the divergence between the two major representative parties of the country. Without
the cooperation of both the Hindus and the Muslims, it was a challenge to make the war a
success.

In order to secure the support of all Indian political parties, the British government dispatched a
mission to the subcontinent led by Sir Stafford Cripps.

Background:
The Cripps mission was initiated for multiple reasons in the past. To comprehend what led to this
mission, take a deeper look and understand the detailed background:

Japan had taken over almost all of the British colonies on the eastern borders and was pursuing
India as a possible next target. Japan was slowly gaining control of all the colonies and the threat
to invade India was increasing at an alarming rate.

In the ongoing world war, Britain was under immense pressure from China, the U.S., and the
USSR to gain support from India.

India agreed to support Britain in the war in exchange for complete independence from Britain
soon after the war.

The Main Proposals Of Cripps Mission:

The main proposals of the mission were as follows:

1. To give India Dominion Status after the war is over.

2. Establishing the Constituent Assembly, which would consist of members chosen by the
Lower House of the Indian Legislature and the representatives of the Princely States
nominated by the rulers.
3. The Union of British India and the Indian states.
 4. The Provinces had the option to either join or not join the Indian Union. If
they chose not to join the Indian Union, they could create their own Constitution
and be granted the same status as the Indian Union.
5. To create laws that guarantee the protection and security of racial and religious
minorities.
6. The Viceroy was tasked with maintaining the country's defenses during the First World
War. In the aftermath of the War, the Indian government would reorganize its own
defenses.

Significance of Cripps Mission:

1.India's right to become a self-governing territory was recognized for the
first time by the British government.

2.The constituent assembly was provided with a specific plan.

3. A separate constitution could be created for any province, and it

would serve as a blueprint for India's partition.

4. A free India could leave the Commonwealth.

5. During the interim period, a sizable portion of administration was given to

Indians.

Failure of Cripps Mission:

• The proposal raised the objection that India should be split
up into several independent States, which was against its
unity.
• British did not specify a date for granting dominion status.
The statement was ambiguous
• The right to choose a representative of their own was denied
to the citizens of the Princely States.

Gandhi called the Cripps proposal a "post-dated check on a failing bank" and
criticized it. The Cripps Proposal was rejected by the Muslim League because it
lacked a clear statement of the partition decision and establishment of a Muslim
State.