During the time in 1940 the war in Europe was continuing. At first Germany scored success after success. By the summer of 1940 it had conquered all who resisted on the continent of Europe. Now England stood alone against the `axis` powers. On 13 august i.e. a few days after the august offer, German planes began daylight bombing of English cities. This attempt to bring the British people to their knees did not succeed. But until the middle of 1941, Britain was too preoccupied with survival to think much about anything else. Many people in India were happy to see their oppressor humbled. But the congress high command refrained from doing anything that might create difficulties for the British in their hour of need. In June 1941 Germany turned from England to Russia. This would prove to be a fatal mistake. But for some time the Germans succeeded in penetrating deep into Russian territory.
In December 1941 the Japanese attacked an American naval base in Hawaii, and the United States entered the war against Japan, Germany and Italy. Japan won a series of dramatic victories in the western pacific. Malaya and Singapore were overrun, and the retreating Anglo-Indian army surrendered Rangoon without a fight in early march. Soon the Japanese were at India`s eastern frontier, and an invasion of the country seemed imminent.
For some time the United States had been pressing Britain to satisfy Indian demands for self-government. But Britain`s Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, was dead-set against this. He would shortly declare, `I did not become the king`s first minister to preside over the liquidation of the British Empire.` After the United States and Great Britain signed the Atlantic charter, which guaranteed `the right of all peoples to choose the form of government under which they will live`, Churchill said bluntly that the charter did not apply to India. But in March 1940, while Japanese troops were advancing through Burma, it became clear to Churchill that he would have to make some gesture, both to gain the support of the Indian people, and also to satisfy his American allies.
Late in march, Churchill sent sir Stafford Cripps, a socialist member of the war cabinet, to negotiate with Indian leaders on behalf of the government. Cripps brought a new set of proposals. The government promised `the earliest possible realization of self-government in India`. A `new Indian union` would be created which would be a `dominion, associated with the united kingdom and the other dominions by a common allegiance to the crown, but equal to them in every respect, in no way subordinate` to them.
India would be able to frame its own constitution after the war. A new central executive council would operate till then. The net result of this would be that `in place of the majority of British members in the existing executive council, there would be an executive council composed of Indians alone.` This statement was given by the current congress president Abdul Kalam Azad. This would mean that India would enjoy a significant measure of self-government even before the conclusion of the war.
In exchange for these concessions, the British asked for India`s support in its war effort. Leaders of the principal sections of the Indian people were invited to give their active and constructive help in the discharge of a task. This task is vital and essential for the future freedom of India, namely the defeat of the axis dictatorships. A few leaders of Indian opinion responded favourably to Cripps`s proposals. M. N. Roy, who is currently head of the radical Democratic Party, supported them on the grounds that the defeat of the axis was the most important thing at the moment. Aurobindo Ghose, now known as Sri Aurobindo, was convinced that the dictatorships constituted a far greater threat to India and the world than British imperialism. He welcomed the Cripps offer `as an opportunity given to India to determine for herself. . . Her freedom and unity, and take an effective place among the world`s free nations.` But practically every other shade of opinion in India found the proposals unacceptable. Most parties doubted the truth of Britain`s declared intention to share executive power. They could see that the Indian members of the proposed council could be prevented from taking part in the decision-making process. This happened especially in the critical area of defense. The clause that permitted provinces to break away from the proposed union was very clear. It can be explained as in the eyes of congress leaders, `a severe blow to the conception of Indian unity`, for it admitted the possibility of a separate Muslim state. Muslim leaders felt that the mere possibility was not enough. They claimed that partition was `the only solution of India`s constitutional problem.`
These were not the only reasons the Cripps offer was rejected. The Indian people were not ready to trust a country that for almost two centuries had betrayed their confidence. It was too late for everything.
