Cabinet Mission of 1946 and its Implications on the Muslim-Sikh Politics

Abstract

The Shiromani Akali Dal diverted its strategy from the Azad Punjab scheme to the call for an independent Sikh state, an idea which it had aired from time to time. The All-India Muslim League went for Pakistan while the Hindu groups continued fighting for united India. The arrival of the Cabinet Mission on 23 March 1946 was an important milestone on the road to Indian independence. The mission tremendously affected Indian politics and definitely Punjab was no exception in this regard. It reflected in many ways the acceptance of the standpoints of the major stakeholders which the British had been trying so for. The plan decreased the traditional interaction between the Muslims and Sikhs and increased communal tension throughout the region. Many consider the acceptance of the plan by Quaid-i-Azam M. A. Jinnah as a reversal from the creed of Pakistan but actually it was a strategic step by the League leadership which proved the fact that the Hindu leadership was always reluctant to come to any compromise with the Muslims. The Sikhs supported the Indian National Congress and went further away from the League. The British divided India into Groups fulfilling the desires of the local leadership but even then this plan could not satisfy the major political parties. Voluminous work has been produced on the subject but the British decision making regarding this plan and its impact on the Muslim-Sikh relations have hardly been taken up. This article aims to see how the British government initiated the idea of sending the Cabinet Mission and what was the contingency plan to be used in case of Indian recalcitrance. The study declares the stands taken by the Indian leaders of the major communities to the constitutional suggestions as justifiable; the Sikh responses, however, added ill-will and uncertainty in the Punjab.