Bangladesh, Cabinet Missiom (contd-2)

Archibald Wavell (Viceroy of india, 1943-1847) was to address the Bengal famine of 1943 by feeding the starving rural Bengalis. He attempted with mixed success to increase the supplies of rice to reduce the prices and make it more affordable.

Although initially popular with Indian politicians, presure mounted concerning the likely structure and timing of an independent India. Apthough Wavell attempted to move the debate along , he received little support from Churchill (who was against Indian Independence) nor from Clement Attlee, Churchill's successor, as Prime Minister. He was also hampered by the differences between the various Indian political factions. At the end of the war rising Indian expectations continued unfulfilled and inter-communal violence became an increasing feature. Eventually, in 1947, Attlee lost confidence in Wavell and replaced him with Lord Mountbatten of Burma.

Wavell as Viceroy Of India (centre)with C-in-C if the Indian army Achinlek (right), and Montgomery

The composition of the interim Govt. proved to be a bone of contention between the Congress and the Muslim League. In view of the deadlock created after first round of discussion, the Viceroy Wavell issued a statement on 16th June, setting forth their own proposal to set up an Executive Council of fourteen persons, six belonging to the Congress including one from sceduled caste, five from Muslim League, one Sikh, one Indian Christian, and one Parsi.

The Cabinet mission left India on 29th June,1946. Jawaharlal Nehru was elected President of the Congress and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad relinquished his duties to Nehru who expressed after taking over the office that they were not bound single thing except that they had decided for the moment to go to the Constituent Assembly.

Jinnah held that Jawaharlal's statement represented the real mind of the Congress that they could change their decision so many times and if such thing occurred during British rule what they could expect when British rule was absent.

Jinnah's letter to Mr. ChurchiThe League boycotted the Assembly, leaving the Congress in charge of the Govt. but denying it legitimacy in the eyes of many Muslims. He issued a call for all Muslim to launch "DIRECT ACTION "on 16 Aug 1946 to acieve Pakistan.