Question

State two important reasons that prompted the British to withdraw from India.

Answer 1

• The government could not any longer rely on Indians for its civil administration or on the armed forces for suppression of the national movement. The INA had shown that patriotic ideas had entered the ranks of the Indian army, the chief instrument of the British rule in India.
• There was a revolt of the Indian Naval ratings at Mumbai in February 1946. The rating had fought a seven-hour battle with the army as well as navy and had surrendered only when asked to do so by the national leaders.
• There was also widespread strikes in the Royal Indian Air Force.