Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian National Movement (1919–1947) — Part 7: 7. The Road to Independence

7. The Road to Independence

7.1 Cabinet Mission Plan (1946)

Gandhi was released from prison in June 1944. In 1945, the Labour Party won the British general election and committed itself to granting India independence. Early in 1946, fresh provincial elections returned a divided verdict: the Congress swept the general-category seats, but the Muslim League won an overwhelming majority of the seats reserved for Muslims. Political polarisation was now complete.

In the summer of 1946, a Cabinet Mission comprising three senior British ministers (Lord Pethick-Lawrence, Sir Stafford Cripps, and A.V. Alexander) proposed a constitutional framework for a united India:

• A three-tier structure: an Indian Union at the top, groups of provinces at the middle level, and provinces at the base
• Provinces grouped into three sections: Group A (Hindu-majority provinces), Group B (Muslim-majority north-western provinces — Punjab, Sind, NWFP, Baluchistan), and Group C (Bengal and Assam)
• The centre to handle only defence, foreign affairs, and communications
• A Constituent Assembly to frame the constitution

Both the Congress and the League initially accepted the plan in principle, but disagreements over interpretation — particularly whether the Congress could opt out of grouping arrangements — led to its collapse. After talks broke down, Jinnah called for a "Direct Action Day" on 16 August 1946. Bloody riots broke out in Calcutta — the "Great Calcutta Killings" — and violence spread across northern and eastern India through the rest of 1946, entering Bengal, Bihar, and ultimately Punjab. The communal carnage — in which Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs all suffered — made partition seem increasingly inevitable.

7.2 Mountbatten Plan and the Partition (1947)

In February 1947, Lord Wavell was replaced as Viceroy by Lord Mountbatten. Mountbatten conducted one last round of talks, and when these proved inconclusive, he announced in June 1947 that British India would be freed and also divided. The Indian Independence Act (1947), passed by the British Parliament, provided for two independent dominions — India and Pakistan — to come into being on 14-15 August 1947. The princely states were given the choice to accede to either dominion. The boundary between the two new states was demarcated by the Radcliffe Commission (headed by Sir Cyril Radcliffe, who had never previously visited India); his Award was announced on 17 August — two days after independence — adding to the chaos and human suffering.

7.3 Independence and Partition: August 1947

At midnight between 14 and 15 August 1947, India became independent. In the Constituent Assembly, Jawaharlal Nehru delivered his iconic "Tryst with Destiny" speech: "Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom."

The Partition triggered one of the largest forced migrations in human history. Millions of Muslims moved into East and West Pakistan; millions of Hindus and Sikhs moved into India. An estimated 200,000 to over a million people were killed in the accompanying communal violence; approximately 10-15 million people were displaced.

Gandhi was conspicuously absent from the celebrations in Delhi. He was in Calcutta, observing a 24-hour fast. The freedom he had fought for for three decades had come at an unacceptable price: a divided nation and Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs at each other's throats. Through September and October 1947, he toured hospitals and refugee camps in Bengal, appealing to Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs to "forget the past" and extend the hand of fellowship to each other. He then moved to Delhi to continue his peace-making work. On 30 January 1948, while walking to his evening prayer meeting at Birla House, Gandhi was shot three times at point-blank range by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu nationalist. He died with the words "He Ram" on his lips. The "Father of the Nation" was gone.

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