Correct Option
The proposal for the reconstitution of the Viceroy's Executive Council, wherein all portfolios, including that of the War Member, were to be held by Indian leaders, was put forth by Lord Wavell. This plan, known as the Wavell Plan, was discussed at the Shimla Conference in June 1945. The objective was to resolve the political deadlock and advance India towards self-governance by involving Indian leaders in the administration. However, the conference failed due to disagreements between the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League regarding the composition and representation of Muslims in the Executive Council.
Incorrect Options
A) Simon Commission: The Simon Commission, constituted in 1927, was an all-British parliamentary body tasked with reviewing the working of the Government of India Act 1919 and suggesting further constitutional reforms. It did not propose an all-Indian Executive Council.
C) Cripps Proposal: The Cripps Mission, sent in 1942, proposed Dominion status for India after World War II and the formation of a Constituent Assembly. While it offered an expanded Executive Council with a majority of Indian members, it did not suggest that all portfolios, including the crucial War Member, would be held by Indians.
D) Cabinet Mission: The Cabinet Mission, which arrived in India in 1946, aimed to facilitate India's independence by proposing a framework for the constitution-making body (Constituent Assembly) and an interim government. Its focus was on the transfer of power and constitutional arrangements, not the reconstitution of the Viceroy's Executive Council in the specific manner proposed in 1945.