Demand for a Constituent Assembly
Context:
- Indians wanted to draft their own
Constitution after independence, not follow British-made laws.
Key Events:
- 1934: M.N. Roy (communist
leader) first suggested a Constituent Assembly for India.
- 1935: Indian National Congress (INC) officially
demanded a Constituent Assembly to write India’s Constitution.
- 1938: Jawaharlal Nehru declared
the Constitution must be made by Indians alone, elected by adult
voting rights (all adults, not just elites).
- 1940 – August Offer:
- British finally agreed in principle to
a Constituent Assembly after WWII.
- But kept control over defense and foreign affairs.
- 1942 – Cripps Mission:
- British sent Sir Stafford Cripps with
a proposal:
- Post-WWII, India would get a Constituent
Assembly.
- Provinces/princely states could opt out (e.g.,
form separate nations).
- Rejected by Muslim League: They
wanted two assemblies (for Hindu-majority India and
Muslim-majority Pakistan).
- 1946 – Cabinet Mission Plan:
- British team proposed:
- One Constituent Assembly for united
India.
- Provinces grouped into 3 sections (Hindu-majority,
Muslim-majority NW, Muslim-majority NE).
- Each group would draft rules for their region,
then merge into a national Constitution.
- Muslim League initially agreed but
later demanded Pakistan, leading to Partition (1947).
Why Important?
- First time British accepted Indians’ right to
self-rule through a democratic process.
- Laid the groundwork for the Constituent
Assembly of 1946 (which drafted India’s 1950 Constitution).
- Showed rising tensions between Congress (united
India) and Muslim League (separate Pakistan).
Simplified Summary:
- Indians wanted to write their own Constitution.
- British agreed after years of protests (1940–1946).
- Muslim League’s demand for a separate Pakistan led
to Partition, but the Assembly still formed in 1946.