Lord Wavell was appointed Viceroy of India by the British Government in October 1943, in place of Lord Linlithgow.Prior to assuming the post, Wavell was the Chief of the Indian Army, so he had a good understanding of Indian politics. When Wavell took office as Viceroy, his most important task was to come up with a plan to resolve the Indian issue that Congress and the Muslim League would both accept. In May 1945, he travelled to London and discussed his findings with the British Government after conducting his basic research. Following the London discussions, an action plan was developed. A broadcast from Delhi by Wavell and an announcement by LS Amery, the Secretary of State for India, announced the plan publicly on June 14, 1945. The plan was commonly referred to as the Wavell Plan. 

Proposals of The Wavell Plan 1945

  • All the Indian political parties that supported the British during the war would be prepared to introduce constitutional reforms afterwards
  • As a result of the immediate reorganisation of the Viceroy’s Executive Council, its membership would grow significantly
  • At that council, Hindus and Muslims of the high class would have equal representation
  • In addition to low-caste Hindus, Sikhs, and Shudders, other minorities would also be represented on the Council
  • The council members would all be Indians, with the exception of the Viceroy and the Commander-in-Chief
  • Among the members of the Council for Foreign Affairs would be an Indian
  • An English commissioner, however, would be appointed to deal with the trade-related matters
  • Up until the transfer of power to India, the defence of India was to be undertaken by a British authority
  • By selecting 6 representatives, the Muslims, who made up only about 25% of the total population, were given the opportunity to over represent themselves in the proposed Executive Council
  • Indian politicians from the Congress and the Muslim League would gather under the Viceroy’s leadership to nominate the members of the new council
  • If the federal government approves this plan, there would be similar popular ministries made up of political leaders in each province
  • These proposals will not affect the proposed changes nor the essential form of India’s future permanent constitution

Viceroy’s Executive Council

This was the cabinet of British India headed by the Viceroy of India, formally known as the Viceroy’s Executive Council. The Viceroy’s Executive Council was also known as the Council of the Governor-General of India. The Indian Councils Act of 1861 gave recognition to the portfolio system introduced by Lord Canning in 1859 and converted it from an advisory council to a cabinet comprising five members heading revenue, military, law, finance, and home. In 1874, an additional member was added to be responsible for public works.

Wavell Plan and The Simla Conference

At a conference convened at British India’s summer capital, Shimla, in 1945, representatives of renowned activists from the Indian freedom movement attended from each community or political organisation. The Shimla Conference consisted of debates between men who held strong views about their respective communities, ideologies, and the role they would play after the Queen’s government left India. It was not a productive conference, but it provided a platform for attendees to further articulate their demands or demands as to their level of representation post-independence. Thus, the conference did not achieve its desired outcome.

  • In order to discuss the Wavell Plan, Lord Wavell invited 21 Indian political leaders to the Summer Capital of British India
  • Under the Wavell Plan, Muslims were given separate representation and minority powers in Muslim-majority regions, resulting in Indian self-government
  • The discussion stalled at the stage of selecting Muslim representatives. The Muslim League alone has the right to represent Islam in India, according to Jinnah, whereas the Congress claimed they are not permitted to nominate a Muslim to the Executive Council
  • The Muslim members of the Executive Council of 14 were given a seat by Wavell, and the British gave it the power of veto over any constitutional proposal not in their favour
  • Yet Indian Muslims represented just 25% of Indians
  • This unreasonable demand was turned down by Congress
  • The Muslim league refused to budge, so Wavell abandoned his plan

Conclusion

Wavell’s Plan was established to resolve the political deadlock in India, but he abandoned the proposals due to disputes between Muslim League leaders and Congress leaders, and eventually, the proposals were thrown out at the Shimla Conference. With the end of the world war and the Labour Party taking power, Wavell’s efforts had come to a halt. Labour Party leaders wanted India’s independence as soon as possible, so they sent a cabinet mission to accomplish this exact goal. A major cause of the partition of India is viewed as the Simla Conference. Ultimately, partition was inevitable because of Jinnah’s adamant stance in favour of a separate Muslim state and the INC’s resistance to nominating Muslim representatives.