Correct Option (B)
TheCripps Mission, dispatched inMarch 1942, aimed to secure India's support for the British war effort duringWorld War II. A central proposal was the creation of anIndian Union with Dominion statusimmediately after the war. This Union would have the right to secede from the Commonwealth. Aconstitution-making body, elected by Indians, was to draft the new constitution. Provinces unwilling to join the proposed Indian Union were granted the option to retain their existing constitutional position or frame a separate constitution, forming a separate union. The mission ultimately failed due to rejection by both theIndian National Congress(demanding immediate independence and opposing the provincial opt-out clause) and theMuslim League(seeking explicit recognition of Pakistan).
Incorrect Options
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Option 1: The Cripps Mission did not mandate the compulsory accession of all Indian States to the Indian Union. Instead, it offered princely states the choice to join the Union or maintain their separate existence, thereby contradicting the premise of this option.
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Option 3: The mission proposed Dominion status for India after the war, not full sovereign independence. While it sought Indian cooperation in the war effort, the ultimate political status offered was short of complete sovereignty.
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Option 4: The Cripps proposals explicitly allowed provinces the right to opt out of the proposed Indian Union and form separate unions or retain their existing constitutional position. This directly contradicts the idea of a single constitution for the entire Union with no separate provincial constitutions.