Question

Which one of the following statements is/are correct?
A) The Cripps Mission of 1942 offered the dominion status to be granted after the war
B) Shimla Conference of 1945 was convened to endorse the Cripps Mission
C) Both 'A' and 'B' are correct statements
D) None of the above statements is correct

Answer 1

Hint: Cripps met with Indian politicians upon his arrival in India. Through his recommendations, Cripps aimed to appease all communities. He was a close friend of Nehru's and worked tirelessly to reach an accord. However, the level of mistrust was too high, and many powerful people did not want a deal to be struck. There is significant uncertainty over what Cripps was permitted by Churchill and Leo Amery to offer India's nationalist MPs, and he also met hostility from Viceroy Lord Linlithgow.

Complete answer:
The Cripps Mission, led by senior minister Sir Stafford Cripps, was an unsuccessful attempt by the British government in late March 1942 to win complete Indian collaboration and support for their efforts in World War II. Cripps was a member of the coalition War Cabinet led by Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who had long been the leader of the movement to prevent Indian independence.

Cripps aimed to keep India loyal to the British war effort in exchange for elections and full self-government (Dominion status) after the war. Cripps discussed and published the recommendations with the Indian leaders, which he had developed himself. His recommendations were rejected by the congress, and they were also rejected by Churchill; no middle ground was found, and the expedition failed. As a result of Congress's refusal to participate in the war effort, the British imprisoned virtually the entire Congress leadership for the length of the war.

Therefore the correct answer is option ‘A’.

Note: Cripps was a member of the left-wing Labour Party, which had traditionally been sympathetic to Indian self-rule, but he was also a member of the coalition War Cabinet led by Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who had long been the leader of the movement to prevent Indian independence.