Q1(a). Discuss the events from the Muslim League's observance of Direct Action Day to the partition of India. What was the attitude of the Congress and Gandhiji to the demand for partition ? Why was the partition finally agreed to?

“Partition was the tragic culmination of a failure to find a common nationhood.” – Stanley Wolpert

The period between Direct Action Day (16 August 1946) and Partition (15 August 1947) was marked by intense communal violence, breakdown of constitutional negotiations, and hardening political positions. The Muslim League’s mass mobilisation for Pakistan, the communal riots across Bengal, Bihar and Punjab, and the collapse of trust between communities forced political leaders into choices none of them originally desired.

Events from Direct Action Day to Partition

Direct Action Day, 16 August 1946

• The Muslim League, rejecting the Cabinet Mission Plan, declared this day to press for Pakistan.
• Calcutta witnessed one of the worst communal riots (“Great Calcutta Killing”) with nearly 4,000 deaths and tens of thousands injured.

Worsening Communal Violence (Late 1946 – Early 1947)

• The Noakhali massacres (October 1946) led Gandhi to undertake a peace mission.
• Bihar saw retaliatory killings.
• Punjab became the epicentre of mass violence, with death tolls running into tens of thousands.

The British administration struggled to control escalating anarchy.

League’s Entry into Interim Government (Oct 1946)

The League joined the Interim Government but obstructed decision-making, arguing that Muslims could not trust a Congress-dominated administration. Mutual suspicion paralysed governance.

Mountbatten’s Appointment and Decision for Quick Transfer (March–June 1947)

Lord Mountbatten concluded that:

1. A united India was no longer feasible.
2. Delay would cause a civil war.

The Mountbatten Plan (3 June 1947) accepted Partition.

Attitude of the Congress and Gandhiji to Partition

Congress Attitude

The Congress initially rejected Partition and supported a united India under the Cabinet Mission Plan. However, by mid-1947:

• Patel believed Partition was the “lesser evil” compared to endless violence.
• Nehru felt that a federal arrangement with a strong Muslim League veto would make India ungovernable.

Thus, Congress moved from moral opposition to tactical acceptance.

Gandhiji’s Attitude

Gandhi remained morally committed to Hindu–Muslim unity. He opposed Partition till the end and declared he would “never sign the division of India. He undertook peace marches (Noakhali, Bihar, Calcutta) to rebuild trust.

However, events overtook his influence, as both communities drifted into fear and hostility.

Why Partition Was Finally Agreed To

Rise of Communal Violence Beyond Control

The riots of 1946–47 convinced leaders that coexistence under one government was impossible without massive bloodshed.

Muslim League’s Uncompromising Stand

Jinnah refused any united-India scheme unless it guaranteed Pakistan in substance if not in name.

British Decision for Quick Withdrawal

Exhausted by World War II and unable to maintain order, Britain favoured a swift exit. Partition appeared the only workable administrative solution.

Punjab and Bengal’s Intractable Situation

Mixed populations made any federal compromise fragile. Leaders feared a full-scale civil war.

Partition was a product of hard political positions, administrative collapse, communal polarisation, and British urgency to withdraw. Gandhi’s moral resistance could not halt the tide. Congress accepted it not out of desire but compulsion. The result was a division marked by unprecedented human suffering and long-term geopolitical consequences.