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Mountbatten Plan
- Lord Mountbatten was sent as Viceroy to India with the specific task of transfer of power.
- On 3 June 1947 the Mountbatten Plan was announced so it is also called as June 3rd Plan.
- proposals
- Power would be transferred on the basis of dominion status to India and Pakistan.
- Princely states would have to join either India or Pakistan.
- Boundary commission was to be set up under Radcliffe Brown and the award would be announced after the transfer of power.
- Punjab and Bengal Legislative Assemblies would vote on whether they should be partitioned.
- Muslim League accepted the plan on 10 June 1947.
- The AICC met on 15 June 1947 and the resolution, moved by Govind Ballabh Pant, accepting partition, was approved.
- The Mountbatten Plan was given effect by the enactment of the Indian Independence Act on 18 July 1947 by the British Parliament.
- The Act abolished the sovereignty of the British Parliament over India.
Independence and Partition
The partition of India involved dividing the provinces of Bengal and Punjab into two.
- Punjab into West and East – West would go to Pakistan and East goes to India
- Division of Bengal – Western parts will remain in India and the East become Pakistan.
- The referendum in Sylhet resulted in the incorporation of that district in East Bengal.
- The declaration on February 20, 1947 by Prime Minister Atlee, setting June 30, 1948 for the British to withdraw from India.
- But later the withdrawal was changed as early and set 15 August as day of Independence.
- Radcliffe arrived in India on July 8, 1947. He was given charge of presiding over two Boundary Commissions.
- India was partitioned into two dominions – India and Pakistan.
- On 15 August 1947 India won independence.