Wavell's Plan: A Step Towards Self-Rule
1. Introduction
In 1945, as World War II was ending, India was in a state of political deadlock.
The two main political groups, the Indian National Congress and the All-India
Muslim League, could not agree on how the country should move forward.
The person in charge at the time was the Viceroy of India, Field Marshal
Viscount Lord Wavell. He travelled to London and, with the support of the British
government, developed a proposal known as the Wavell Plan.
The main goal of the Wavell Plan was simple: to end the political stalemate
and allow Indian political leaders to form a temporary (or "interim")
government to run the country until a permanent constitution could be written.
2. Detail Details (Background and Implementation)
The plan was a direct follow-up to earlier failed attempts to resolve the political
crisis, such as the Cripps Mission (1942). The British realized that Indian
cooperation was essential, especially after the immense effort of the war.
Lord Wavell officially presented his proposal in a broadcast on June 14, 1945. To
discuss and implement this plan, he immediately called a meeting of 21 major
Indian political leaders, including Mahatma Gandhi and Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
This meeting was called the Simla Conference (held in Simla, now Shimla).
The core mechanism of the plan was the restructuring of the Viceroy's Executive
Council—which functioned like a modern cabinet or government.
3. Main Points (Key Proposals)
The Wavell Plan contained several critical proposals for the new Executive
Council:
● Indian Control: The Council would be completely reconstituted. All
members, except for the Viceroy and the Commander-in-Chief (who was
responsible for Defense), would be chosen from Indian political parties.
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● Balanced Representation (Parity): This was the most contentious point.
The plan proposed "balanced representation" of the main communities.
Specifically, the number of members from the Muslim community and the
number of members from the "Caste Hindu" community would be equal.
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● Viceroy's Veto Power: The Viceroy would retain his constitutional power to
veto (reject) decisions of the Council. However, it was understood that this
power would be used very rarely, only in truly exceptional circumstances.
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● Defense: The portfolio of Defense would remain under the control of the
British Commander-in-Chief.
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● Future Constitution: The newly formed Council would operate as the
interim government. Its Indian members would be responsible for working
together and then later discuss the framework for a permanent, free, and
self-governing India.
4. Conclusion
Despite the high hopes attached to it, the Wavell Plan was a failure. The Simla
Conference broke down completely, and the plan never went into effect.
Why did it fail?
The primary reason was the disagreement over the selection of Muslim
members. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, leader of the Muslim League, firmly insisted
that only the Muslim League had the sole right to nominate all Muslim
representatives to the Executive Council. The Congress party, which also had
Muslim members, refused to accept this demand.
Since Wavell could not find a compromise, he declared the conference closed
and the plan was shelved.
Historical Significance:
The failure of the Wavell Plan was deeply significant. It was the last major
attempt by the British to keep India united before the eventual partition. It
made one thing absolutely clear: the communal and political divide between the
Congress and the Muslim League was now so wide that a joint interim
government was impossible without addressing the core issues of separate
representation, paving the way for the later Cabinet Mission and the eventual
partition of India.
