Question

(a) Identify the event in the picture. Name the Lady seen in the given picture. Mention the year when the event took place.
(b) What was the provision of the Indian Independence Act?
(c) Mention the reasons that made the Congress accept the Partition Proposals.

Answer 1

(a) The event is the transfer of power to India. Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru is taking oath. The lady seen in the given picture is Mrs. Mountbatten. The event shown in the picture took place on 15th August 1947.

(b) (i) It made a provision for the creation of two Independent Dominions by 15th August, 1947 to be known as Indian and Pakistan. East Bengal, West Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan, North-West Frontier Province and the district of Sylhet (Assam) would be part of Pakistan. All the remaining territories included in British India would be part of India.
(ii) They would act as central legislatures and would have full power to make laws.
(iii)The present Constituent Assembly would continue to work and draft a Constitution for India, while Pakistan would have a separate Constituent Assembly.

(c) Congress accepted the partition because:

• The League had joined the Congress to obstruct the working of the Congress and cooperate with it.
• A smaller India with strong centre was better than a bigger with a weak centre.
• The large scale communal riots that engulfed the whole convinced all that the only solution to the communal problem lay in the partition of the India.
• To avoid a civil war.