Which of the following statement/s is/are correct about the proposals offered by the Cripps Mission in 1942?
(A) The Constitution of India was to be framed by an elected Constitutent Assembly.
(B) The Constitution should give complete independence to India.
(C) There should be one Indian Union comprising all the provinces and princely States.

Question

Which of the following statement/s is/are correct about the proposals offered by the Cripps Mission in 1942? 
(A) The Constitution of India was to be framed by an elected Constitutent Assembly. 
(B) The Constitution should give complete independence to India. 
(C) There should be one Indian Union comprising all the provinces and princely States.

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 3:

The correct option is 3, "Only A and C are correct," because both proposals were core features of the Cripps Mission plan presented in March 1942. The mission, led by Sir Stafford Cripps, was sent by the British government during World War II to secure Indian cooperation against the Axis powers by offering constitutional reforms. Statement (A) is correct: one of the most significant proposals was the promise that the Constitution of India would be framed entirely by an elected Constituent Assembly after the war concluded. This body was to be composed of members elected by the Provincial Assemblies and representatives nominated by the Princely States. This acknowledged the long-standing Indian demand for self-determination and was a fundamental step away from British-imposed governance. Statement (C) is also correct: the mission proposed the creation of a single Indian Union incorporating both British Indian Provinces and the Princely States. However, critically, the proposal included a clause that allowed any province or princely state *not* willing to join the Union to negotiate a separate agreement with Britain. This condition, which implicitly allowed for the possibility of multiple unions, was a crucial reason for the mission's failure, but the basic intent to create one Indian Union was stated. Therefore, proposals (A) and (C) accurately describe the framework offered.

The incorrect option is 1 (Only A is correct):
This option is incorrect because, while Statement (A) concerning the elected Constituent Assembly is a central and correct feature of the Cripps proposals, it neglects the equally stated proposal regarding the structure of the Union. Statement (C), which suggests the formation of one Indian Union comprising all provinces and princely states, was also explicitly part of the mission’s offer, despite the controversial clause allowing provinces to opt out. Therefore, limiting the correct proposals to only A makes this option incomplete.

The incorrect option is 2 (Only A and B are correct):
This option fails because Statement (B), claiming the Constitution should give complete independence (Purna Swaraj) to India, is factually inaccurate regarding the Cripps proposals. The mission specifically offered India 'Dominion Status' immediately after the war, not 'complete independence'. Dominion Status meant India would be largely self-governing but still formally tied to the British Crown, a condition that the Indian National Congress found unacceptable as their official goal since 1929 had been Purna Swaraj. This key difference—Dominion Status versus Complete Independence—was one of the main reasons why the Congress rejected the proposals.

The incorrect option is 4 (Only B and C are correct):
This option is entirely incorrect because it includes the fundamentally wrong Statement (B)—the proposal was for Dominion Status, not complete independence. While Statement (C) about the formation of one Indian Union is correct, the inclusion of the inaccurate Statement (B) makes this option invalid. Furthermore, this option omits the most pivotal and forward-looking proposal of the mission, which was Statement (A), guaranteeing the establishment of an elected Constituent Assembly to draft the new Constitution.