Wavell Plan and the Simla Conference of 1945.
This event represents the last serious British attempt before Independence to bring the Congress and the Muslim League onto a single platform. But as we’ll see, it failed — and that failure paved the way for the partition of India two years later.
The Context: The Need for a New Political Formula
By mid-1945, the Second World War had ended, and Britain faced tremendous domestic and international pressure to resolve the Indian political deadlock.
- Within India, the key problem was the sharp divide between:
- The Indian National Congress (INC) — representing a national, secular, all-India perspective.
- The All India Muslim League (AIML) — representing the demand for a separate Muslim identity and, increasingly, for a separate nation.
- Internationally, Britain’s Allied partners, especially the United States and the Soviet Union, were pressing it to make progress on decolonization.
The Allies had fought the war in the name of democracy and freedom — yet Britain itself still ruled India without granting freedom. This contradiction was becoming untenable.
In this background, the British sought a temporary political arrangement — something that could bring both communities together in governance while a permanent solution was worked out later.
The Wavell Plan (June 1945)
The Plan was jointly announced by:
- Lord Wavell, the Viceroy of India, and
- Winston Churchill’s Conservative Government in Britain.
Their objective was simple:
➡️ to form an interim government run largely by Indians themselves, while retaining British control over defence and final authority.
Let’s go point-by-point through the main proposals.
Main Proposals of the Wavell Plan
- Reconstitution of the Viceroy’s Executive Council:
The existing Council (which functioned like a cabinet) would be expanded and reconstituted to include more Indian members. - Work within the 1935 Framework:
The new Council would still operate under the Government of India Act, 1935, meaning it would not be responsible to the legislature. So, no parliamentary control yet. - All-Indian Membership (Except Two):
All members, except the Viceroy and the Commander-in-Chief, would be Indians. - Balanced Communal Representation:
The Council would reflect a balanced representation of all communities, with equal numbers of high-caste Hindus and Muslims. - Temporary Arrangement:
The new Executive Council would be interim, to function until a permanent constitution could be framed later. - Veto Power of the Viceroy:
The Viceroy retained veto power, meaning he could reject or override any decision of the Council. - Joint List for Nominations:
The Viceroy asked all political parties to jointly submit names for the Council.
If they failed to agree, separate lists could be sent. - Future Constitutional Negotiations:
Once the war ended, talks for framing a new constitution would begin.
In short, the Wavell Plan was designed to be a temporary bridge between colonial rule and full self-government — but its success depended entirely on cooperation between Congress and the Muslim League.
And that brings us to the Simla Conference.
The Simla Conference (June–July 1945)
Lord Wavell convened the Simla Conference on 25 June 1945 at the hill station of Simla (now Shimla).
The purpose: to discuss and finalize the Wavell Plan.
Key Participants:
- Maulana Abul Kalam Azad – President of the Indian National Congress.
- Mohammad Ali Jinnah – President of the All-India Muslim League.
- Gandhiji – Though not a formal delegate (since he held no official post), he attended as an advisor.
- Other prominent figures: C. Rajagopalachari, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Rajendra Prasad, Bhulabhai Desai, Master Tara Singh, G.B. Pant, and others.
On the Muslim side, apart from the League, there were also Unionist Party members from Punjab, representing a different strand of Muslim leadership.
The Central Dispute: Who Represents the Muslims?
The entire Simla Conference broke down on one single issue — Muslim representation in the proposed Executive Council.
Jinnah’s Contention:
- Jinnah argued that the Muslim League alone had the right to nominate all Muslim members to the Council.
- His reasoning: “The Muslim League is the sole representative of Indian Muslims.”
- Out of the 14 total seats, 6 were reserved for Muslims — and the League demanded the right to fill all six.
Congress’s Stand:
- Congress rejected this claim.
- It maintained that it represented all Indians, not just Hindus, and had every right to nominate members from all communities — including Muslims.
- Accepting Jinnah’s claim would mean recognizing the League as the exclusive voice of Muslims, which Congress refused to do.
Other Complications:
- The Unionist Party of Punjab — composed of Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh landlords — also objected to Jinnah’s claim.
They argued that the League could not speak for all Muslims, especially those in Punjab who had different political affiliations. - The League further demanded a communal veto — that is, if two-thirds of Muslim members opposed a decision related to Muslim interests, it should be blocked.
This was clearly an attempt to secure a permanent veto power for Muslims in any future government.
Breakdown of the Simla Conference
In the end, no agreement could be reached.
- Wavell realized that without the League’s participation, his plan could not succeed.
- So, instead of forming a Council without them, he announced the breakdown of the conference.
This decision had serious political consequences:
- It implicitly recognized the Muslim League’s monopoly as the sole representative of Indian Muslims.
- It greatly strengthened Jinnah’s position and weakened Congress’s claim to represent all Indians.
- From now onwards, no major British constitutional proposal would be considered legitimate without the League’s consent.
In other words — from Simla onward, the League’s satisfaction became the necessary condition for any settlement.
The Significance of the Wavell Plan and Simla Conference
Even though the Wavell Plan failed, it holds immense historical importance because:
- It exposed the depth of communal polarization between Congress and the Muslim League.
- It revealed Jinnah’s determination to secure exclusive political power for Muslims, paving the way for his later demand for Pakistan.
- It showed the British tendency to appease the League, which further emboldened its separatist stance.
- Finally, it demonstrated that India’s freedom was now inevitable, but unity was not.
🧭 Summary for Revision
Aspect | Wavell Plan (June 1945) | Simla Conference (June–July 1945) |
---|---|---|
Objective | Interim government with Indian control | To discuss and approve the Plan |
Key Feature | Equal representation to Hindus & Muslims in Executive Council | Negotiation between Congress and Muslim League |
Main Issue | Who would nominate Muslim members? | Jinnah claimed League’s exclusive right |
Congress Stand | Represented all Indians; opposed communal nomination | Wanted inclusion of Muslims from Congress and others |
Outcome | No agreement reached | Conference failed |
Impact | Strengthened League’s position | Made its consent essential for any future settlement |
So, the Simla Conference ended not with unity, but with division formally recognized — a division that the Cabinet Mission of 1946 would later struggle (and fail) to heal.