With reference to the proposals of Cripps Mission, consider the following statements:
- 1.The Constituent Assembly would have members nominated by the Provincial Assemblies as well as the Princely States.
- 2.Any Province, which is not prepared to accept the new Constitution would have the right to sign a separate agreement with Britain regarding its future status.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (b) 2 only
Statement 2 is correct and statement 1 is not: the Cripps draft let a non-acceding province keep its position and settle its own future status with Britain, but the Constituent Assembly's British Indian members were to be elected, not nominated.
- ✗ 1. Under the draft declaration of March 1942 the members from British India were elected by the lower houses of the provincial legislatures, sitting as one electoral college, by proportional representation. Only the Indian States named their members by other means, being represented by their Ruling Princes rather than by elected representatives.
- ✓ 2. Any province of British India not ready to accept the new constitution could stay out and keep its present position, with the option to accede later. Britain was ready to agree a new constitution with such provinces, on the same full status as the Indian Union.
Remember · Cripps Mission (March 1942): post-war Constituent Assembly, British India's members elected by provincial lower houses, States' members appointed, and provinces free to stay out.
Sources
- Draft Declaration and Other Papers Relating to Negotiations with Sir Stafford Cripps (1942 official papers; copy in the University of North Bengal repository) ↗ · reference work “the entire membership of the Lower Houses of Provincial legislatures shall as a single electoral college proceed to the election of the constitution-making body by the system of pro- portional representation. … With such non-acceding provinces, should they so desire, His Majesty's Government will be prepared to agree upon a new constitution giving them the same full status as the Indian Union”
- UK Parliament, House of Lords debate on India (Hansard, 29 April 1942) ↗ · reference work “Well, the Draft Declaration contained provisions by which the States should be represented, but they were to be represented by the Ruling Princes and not by elected representatives of the people. … To Congress the plan is faulty because, amongst other things, it provides for the possible contracting out of Provinces of British India.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·