Question

What were the main proposals of the Cabinet Mission Plan?

List the main proposals of the Cabinet Mission Plan.

Answer 1

Main Provisions of the Cabinet Mission Plan: The Cabinet Mission Proposal two-tiered federal plan which was expected to maintain national unity while conceding the largest measure of regional  autonomy :
(i) There was to be a federation of the provinces and the States, with the federal central controlling only defense, foreign affairs, and communications.

(ii) At the same time, individual provinces could form regional unions to which they could surrender by mutual agreement some of their powers. ,

(iii) There would be three groups of provinces :

1. Group ‘A’ was to include Madras, Bombay, U.P., Bihar, Central Province, and Orissa,
2. Group ‘B’ was to comprise Punjab, Sindh, N.W.F.P. and British Baluchistan (Muslim majority in most of the areas),
3. Group ‘C’ was to include Bengal and Assam.

These groups would draft their own constitutions in consultation with their respective provinces included in each group.

(iv) A Constituent Assembly consisting of 389 members-292 from provinces, 4 from territories governed by Chief Commissioners and 93 from Indian
Princely States would draft the Constitution of India.

(v) An interim government at the Central consisting of representatives of all the communities, provinces would be installed on the basis of parity between the representatives of the Hindus and Muslims

Answer 2

Following were the main proposals of the Cabinet Mission Plan.

1. There was to be a Union of India, embracing British India and the Indian states.
2. The Union, that is, the federal centre, should have exclusive control of foreign affairs, defence and communications.
3. Provinces were to have complete autonomy and were to exercise all powers except those vested in the centre.
4. The provinces of British India were to form three groups, Group A comprising the Hindu majority provinces of Madras, Bombay, C. P, U. P., Bihar and Orissa, Group B comprising the Muslim majority provinces of Punjab, the North-West Frontier Province, Baluchistan and Sind and Group C consisting of Bengal and Assam.
5. Each group was to settle its own constitution, the representatives of all of them together with the representatives of the Indian states who would join the Union were to meet in a Constituent Assembly to draft a constitution for the Union.
6. The entire set-up may if thought necessary will be revived after ten years or periodically every ten years.