{"id":100111,"date":"2024-04-08T16:08:46","date_gmt":"2024-04-08T10:38:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/?post_type=udaan&#038;p=100111"},"modified":"2024-09-17T13:34:24","modified_gmt":"2024-09-17T08:04:24","slug":"independence-and-partition-of-india","status":"publish","type":"udaan","link":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/udaan\/independence-and-partition-of-india","title":{"rendered":"Independence and Partition of India: Attlee&#8217;s Statement &#038; Congress Acceptance"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Introduction<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After nearly two centuries of British colonial rule, India gained its freedom following a long struggle for independence led by prominent figures like <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/mahatma-gandhi-anniversary\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mahatma Gandhi,<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Jawaharlal Nehru, and others. However, the path to independence was accompanied by the partition of British India into two separate nations: India and Pakistan. The partition led to widespread violence, displacement, and loss of life, leaving a lasting impact on the social, political, and cultural landscape of the region.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong>Attlee&#8217;s Statement (February 20, 1947)<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li><b>Clement Attlee,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the British Prime Minister, made an announcement on <\/span><b>February 20, 1947,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> declaring the British intention to leave the Indian subcontinent.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Set a deadline of June 30, 1948,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for the transfer of power, irrespective of the Indian politicians&#8217; agreement on the constitution.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>British Plans: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">British would relinquish power <\/span><b>to either a <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/upsc-notes\/part-iii-central-government\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>central government<\/b><\/a><b> or existing provincial governments<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> if the Constituent Assembly lacked full representation, particularly if Muslim-majority provinces did not join.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Lapse of Powers and Obligations: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Powers and obligations concerning <\/span><b>princely states<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> would lapse with the transfer of power, <\/span><b>without<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> transferring to any <\/span><b>successor<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> government in British India.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Lord Mountbatten <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">would<\/span><b> replace<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/upsc-notes\/lord-wavell-1944-1947\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Lord Wavell<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as the viceroy.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Reason for Announcing the Date of Withdrawal<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Compelling Agreement: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The government fixed a date for withdrawal with the hope that it would compel the parties to reach an agreement on the main question and prevent a constitutional crisis.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Gesture of Sincerity: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This measure aimed to demonstrate British sincerity and acknowledged the irreversible decline of the government&#8217;s authority, as assessed by <\/span><b>Wavell<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong>Congress Acceptance<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Multiple Power Centres: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Congress found the provision of transfer of power to multiple centres <\/span><b>acceptable<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, seeing it as a way to move forward with constitution framing.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>League&#8217;s Civil Disobedience Movement: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, the optimism for a settlement was <\/span><b>short-lived<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, leading to a <\/span><b>final showdown <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">when the League initiated a civil disobedience movement in <\/span><b>Punjab<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, feeling emboldened by the government&#8217;s decision.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span class=\"vc_button\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pw.live\/batches\/upsc?utm_source=seo+upsc+batch&#038;utm_medium=seo+upsc&#038;utm_campaign=seo&#038;utm_id=upsc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Enroll now for UPSC Online Course<\/a> <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong>Independence and Partition<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Consideration of Partition: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In early 1947, escalating <\/span><b>communal riots<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and the dysfunction of the Congress-League coalition prompted consideration of the once-unthinkable idea of partition.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Communal Groups in Bengal and Punjab: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hindu and Sikh communal groups in Bengal and Punjab, concerned about compulsory grouping that could place them in Pakistan, became vocal advocates for partition.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>Hindu Mahasabha in Bengal <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">explored the possibility of a separate Hindu province in West Bengal.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Nehru&#8217;s Stance: On March 10, 1947<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><b>Nehru <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">expressed that the Cabinet Mission&#8217;s implementation was the best solution, with the<\/span><b> partition of Punjab and Bengal<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> being the only viable alternative.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Kripalani&#8217;s Proposal: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By<\/span><b> April 1947<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Congress <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/upsc-notes\/president-of-india\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>President<\/b><\/a><b> Kripalani<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> conveyed a willingness to accept Pakistan, proposing fair partitioning of Bengal and Punjab to avoid conflict.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong>Mountbatten as Viceroy<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li><b>Mountbatten&#8217;s Authority and Mandate: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mountbatten, the new viceroy, had more decision-making powers and a clear mandate from the British government to<\/span><b> expedite the process of leaving India<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by October 1947.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Pre-Mountbatten Era:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Before Mountbatten&#8217;s arrival in India, the concept of freedom with partition gained widespread acceptance.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A significant innovation, proposed by<\/span><b> V.P. Menon<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, was the <\/span><b>immediate transfer of power based on the grant of dominion status,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> including the right of secession.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This approach eliminated the necessity to wait for an agreement in the constituent assembly regarding a new political structure.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Mountbatten Plan June 3, 1947<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Legislative Assemblies<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of Punjab and Bengal would<\/span><b> vote for partition<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> into separate Hindu and Muslim groups.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A <\/span><b>simple majority<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in either group would lead to the partition of these provinces.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the case of partition,<\/span><b> two dominions<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/editorial-analysis\/india-pakistan-relations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(India and Pakistan<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) and <\/span><b>two constituent assemblies<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> would be created.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Sindh <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">would make its <\/span><b>own decision<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> regarding partition.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Referendums <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in <\/span><b>NWFP <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and <\/span><b>Sylhet district of Bengal<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> would determine the fate of these areas.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As Congress had conceded a unified India, all their other points would be met, which are:\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Princely states would not be independent<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> but would join either India or Pakistan.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Independence for Bengal was ruled out.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Accession of <\/span><b>Hyderabad to Pakistan was ruled out<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (Mountbatten supported Congress on this).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Freedom to come on August 15, 1947.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Boundary commission<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to be set up if partition was to be effected.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>The League&#8217;s demand for Pakistan was conceded<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and the Congress&#8217;s position on unity was considered to minimize the size of Pakistan.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mountbatten&#8217;s formula aimed to divide India while <\/span><b>retaining maximum unity<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<table style=\"width: 100.196%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 872.77%; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #ff5e00; text-align: center;\" colspan=\"2\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Must Read<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 49.6699%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Current Affairs<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 823.1%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/editorial-analysis\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Editorial Analysis<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 49.6699%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/upsc-notes\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Upsc Notes\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 823.1%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/blogs\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Upsc Blogs\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 49.6699%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/ncert-notes\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">NCERT Notes<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 823.1%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/mains-answer-writing\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Free Main Answer Writing<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong>Acceptance of Dominion Status and Partition Plan<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Congress, <\/span><b>contrary to the <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/upsc-notes\/lahore-congress-session-31-december-1929\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Lahore<\/b><\/a><b> Congress (1929) <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">spirit, was <\/span><b>willing to accept dominion status<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for several reasons:\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Firstly<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, it promised a peaceful and prompt transfer of power;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Secondly<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, it was crucial for Congress to assume authority and manage the volatile situation; and\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Thirdly<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, it allowed for essential continuity in the bureaucracy and the army.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Additionally, for Britain, granting dominion status provided an opportunity to<\/span><b> retain India in the Commonwealth<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, even if temporarily, given India&#8217;s economic strength, defence potential, and the significant value of trade and investment.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pw.live\/batches\/upsc\/pw-only-ias?utm_source=seo+upsc+batch&#038;utm_medium=seo+upsc&#038;utm_campaign=seo&#038;utm_id=upsc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Enroll now for UPSC Online Classes<\/a> <\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong>Reason for Early Date and Boundary Commission<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Selection of August 15, 1947: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The reasoning behind selecting an early date, August 15, 1947, was driven by <\/span><b>Britain&#8217;s desire to secure Congress&#8217; acceptance of dominion status<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> while simultaneously <\/span><b>avoiding responsibility for the communal situation.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Swift Implementation of Partition Plan: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The plan was swiftly implemented, with the legislative assemblies of Bengal and Punjab opting for partition.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consequently, <\/span><b>East Bengal <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and<\/span><b> West Punjab became<\/b> <b>part <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/editorial-analysis\/pakistan-prime-minister-election\/\"><b>Pakistan<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, while <\/span><b>West Bengal <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and<\/span><b> East Punjab remained with the Indian Union.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The<\/span><b> referendum in Sylhet<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> led to its incorporation into East Bengal.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Two Boundary Commissions: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These were constituted to demarcate the boundaries of the new provinces.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>The Radcliffe Line: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was published on 17 August 1947 as a boundary demarcation line between the dominions of India and Pakistan upon the partition of India.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was named after its architect, <\/span><b>Sir Cyril Radcliffe,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> who was the <\/span><b>chairman<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the<\/span><b> Border Commissions. [UPSC 2014]<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong>Indian Independence Act, 1947<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li><b>\u00a0Royal Assent and Implementation: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The<\/span><b> British Parliament passed<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/upsc-notes\/indian-independence-act-1947\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indian Independence Act<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">on <\/span><b>July 5, 1947<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and received royal assent on July 18, 1947.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was<\/span><b> implemented<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on <\/span><b>August 15, 1947.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was based on the <\/span><b>Mountbatten Plan.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Features:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Two Nations: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It provided for the creation of <\/span><b>two independent dominions<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, India and Pakistan, effective from August 15, 1947.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Governor-general: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Each dominion had a <\/span><b>Governor-general<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> responsible for implementing the Act.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Constituent Assemblies: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The act provided constituent Assemblies of the new dominions exercised legislative powers, leading to the <\/span><b>dissolution <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of the<\/span><b> existing Central Legislative Assembly<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and the <\/span><b>Council of States.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Interim Governance: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Till the adoption of a new constitution by each dominion, the governments operated under the <\/span><b>Government of India Act, 1935.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pakistan became independent on August 14, 1947. India gained freedom on August 15, 1947.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>M.A. Jinnah<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> became the<\/span><b> first<\/b> <b>Governor General of Pakistan<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Lord Mountbatten <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">continued as the<\/span><b> Governor General of India,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> upon India&#8217;s request.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<table style=\"width: 100.201%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8; width: 100%;\"><b>Integration of States<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>State People\u2019s Movement (1946\u201347)<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">New upsurge demanding political rights and elective representation in the Constituent Assembly.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Nehru<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> presided over the <\/span><b>All India State People\u2019s Conference<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> sessions in <\/span><b>Udaipur<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (1945) and<\/span><b> Gwalior<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (April 1947), emphasizing that states refusing to join would be treated as hostile.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Vallabhbhai Patel<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> took charge of the new States Department in July 1947. Under Patel, the incorporation of Indian states took place in two phases:<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Phase I &#8211; Instrument of Accession<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By August 15, 1947, all states, <\/span><b>except Kashmir, Hyderabad, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and <\/span><b>Junagarh,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> signed the instrument of accession and acknowledged central authority over <\/span><b>defence, external affairs, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and <\/span><b>communication<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Princes easily agreed as they were surrendering functions that had been part of British paramountcy, and there was no change in the internal political structure.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Phase II &#8211; Integration of States<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Challenging Process: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A more challenging process involved the integration of states into neighbouring provinces or new units like <\/span><b>Kathiawar Union<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><b>Vindhya and <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/books\/madhya-pradesh\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Madhya Pradesh<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,<\/span><b> Rajasthan<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, or<\/span><b> Himachal Pradesh<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Constitutional Changes in States: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Internal constitutional changes occurred in states <\/span><b>retaining old boundaries <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">for some years (Hyderabad, Mysore, Travancore-Cochin).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This phase was accomplished within a year, offering a generous <\/span><b>privy purse<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and appointing some princes as<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/upsc-notes\/governor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Governors<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and Rajpramukhs in free India.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pw.live\/batches\/upsc?utm_source=seo+upsc+batch&#038;utm_medium=seo+upsc&#038;utm_campaign=seo&#038;utm_id=upsc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Enroll now for UPSC Online Coaching<\/a>\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The independence and partition of India ushered in a new era of freedom and self-governance for millions, it also left behind a legacy of communal violence, displacement, and unresolved tensions.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The process of partition presented immense challenges, yet India emerged as the world&#8217;s largest democracy, striving towards unity in diversity amidst the complexities of its diverse cultural, linguistic, and religious landscape.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<table style=\"width: 100.152%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 138.771%; 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text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/upsc-notes\/causes-of-british-success-in-india\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Causes Of British Success In India<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 55.6485%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/upsc-notes\/difference-between-constitution-and-constitutionalism\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Constitution &#038; Constitutionalism<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 83.1229%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/upsc-notes\/acts-related-to-the-press-during-british-rule-from-1799-to-1857\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">British Rule in India<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","udaan-chapter":[5349],"udaan-subject":[5149],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/udaan\/100111"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/udaan"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/udaan"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=100111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=100111"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"udaan-chapter","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/udaan-chapter?post=100111"},{"taxonomy":"udaan-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/udaan-subject?post=100111"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}