In this article, we discuss the Wavell plan and Shimla conference 1945.
Wavell was the commander in chief in British Indian Army from July 1941 to June 1943. In October 1943, Lord Linlithgow made Wavell the Viceroy of India.
When Wavell became the Viceroy, the Quit India Movement was going on in India under the leadership of Gandhiji.
Jinha was insisting for the Muslim people to become a separate state i.e. Pakistan.
Subhas Chandra Bose had formed the Indian National Army and was preparing to attack India's Eastern Border with Japan.
Femin had spread in Bengal at that time.
In such a situation, Lord Wavell reached London in 1945 regarding the suggestions to end the deadlock of Congress and the Muslim League. Lord Wavell had made discussions with the Secretary of State, L S Amery.
He prepared a plan of action and in June 1945, Lord Wavell announced his solution to break the Indian Constitutional Deadlock. This solution is called the Wavell plan.
Lord Wavell had proposed in the Wavell plan that if all the political parties of India supported Britain in the war, then he would reconstitute the Executive council of Viceroy.
In this, the following proposals were given -
1. The Executive Council of the Viceroy will be reconstituted and the number of members will be increased to 14.
2. Equal representation will be given to Hindus and Muslims in this council.
3. Sikh community and depressed classes will also get representation in this council.
4. In the Executive Council of the Viceroy, all the members except the Viceroy and the Commander-in-Chief shall be Indian.
In the Wavell Plan, the Viceroy was also given VETO power, that is, the power to overwrite the decisions of the Executive Council.
It was also said here that the Viceroy would use veto power hardly. If this plan is implemented in the center then a similar plan will also be brought for the provinces.
Lord Wavell called a conference on 25 June 1945 in Shimla to discuss this plan.
All Indian political leaders were imprisoned due to Quit India Movement, Wavell took all Indian Political Prisoners out of jail.
Lord Wavell invited 21 political leaders, including Mahatma Gandhi and Jinnah, to discuss the Wavell plan at the Simla Conference.
The Shimla Conference became failed because the differences between the Congress and the Muslim League could not fulfill even the Wavell Plan.
Jinnah's demand was that only and only Muslim League would nominate the Muslim Representatives who would be in the Viceroy's Executive Council. Congress or other parties could not nominate Muslims.
Jinha had also demanded VETO power for the Muslim League.
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