With reference to the Partition Plan, answer the following:
Name the last Viceroy of India. Mention any two clauses of his plan.
Topic: The Mountbatten Plan
Answer
The last Viceroy of India was LORD LOUIS MOUNTBATTEN, and his plan of 3 JUNE 1947 is known as the Mountbatten Plan.
Two clauses: (1) India was to be partitioned into two Dominions, INDIA and PAKISTAN, each with its own Constituent Assembly free to frame its own constitution. (2) The Legislative Assemblies of Bengal and Punjab were to meet in two groups, Hindu and Muslim, to decide on the partition of those provinces; a referendum was to be held in the North West Frontier Province and in Sylhet, and a Boundary Commission under Sir Cyril Radcliffe was to demarcate the frontier.
Three marks: one for the name and one for each clause. The date 3 June 1947 should appear, and so should the fact that Mountbatten was sent by Prime Minister Clement Attlee to speed up the transfer of power. If a question asks specifically about the PRINCELY STATES, the relevant clauses are different — paramountcy lapsing and each State free to accede to either Dominion — so read which aspect is being asked.