A transition to freedom

It was on September 2, 1946, that the Interim Government of India was formed — one of the many steps in the nation’s storied journey from colonial subjugation to self-governance. Liberation does not happen at a singular point in time — it takes place over a period of time. India’s liberation was a consequence of years of agitation, conversation, correspondence and compromise — some parts of which we may never know of.

The formation of the Interim Government, however, is an event etched in history books, however small its mention may be — a day, perhaps, equally significant for both Independence and Partition.

The Interim Government had the only cabinet of its kind in which the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League came together at the Centre — not without reservations, however.

When Viceroy Wavell wrote identical letters to Jawaharlal Nehru and Muhammad Ali Jinnah on July 22, 1946, asking if the Congress and the Muslim League would be open to forming an Interim Government, the latter refused, stating that it would go against the principle of parity.

The cabinet, with Nehru as its Vice-President and de-facto Prime Minister, was initially formed with the Congress alone, with the offer still being on the table for the Muslim League. Three of the five ministries reserved for Muslims were occupied by non-League representatives — Asaf Ali, Shafaat Ahmad Khan and Syed Ali Zaheer — while the other two remained vacant.

The Muslim League would eventually come around and name five members for the Interim Government. In Jinnah’s words, the Muslim League was “going into the Interim Government to get a foothold to fight for… the cherished goal of Pakistan”.

In the aftermath of World War II, the economically-weakened Britain was forced to reconsider its decision to hold India as a colony. All political prisoners associated with the Quit India moment had been freed. Led by newly elected Prime Minister Clement Attlee, Britain was keen on ending colonial rule in India and, therefore, dispatched the three-member Cabinet Mission of 1946 to propose a constitutional framework involving the interests of both the Congress and the Muslim League.

The Interim Government was formed of the Constituent Assembly, the members of which were chosen through a non-direct election by provincial legislatures. The Congress obtained a majority, holding about 69 per cent, or 208, seats, while the ML won 73.

The Interim Government lasted until August 15, 1947, paving the way for the following governments in India. The most notable achievement of the Constituent Assembly, from which the Interim Government was formed, was its role in drafting the Constitution of India.

The day, in historic discourse, is often underplayed. After all, it is no unabashed display of rebellion they make Bollywood films about, but a symbol of compromise for the same goal, but with a different vision.