C. R. formula
Encyclopedia
C. Rajagopalachari's formula (or C. R. formula or Rajaji formula) was a proposal formulated by Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari to solve the political deadlock between the All India Muslim League and Indian National Congress
on independence of India from the British
. The League's position was that the Muslims
and Hindus of British India were of two separate nations
and hence the Muslims had the right to their own nation when India obtained independence. The Congress, which included both Hindu and Muslim members, was opposed to the idea of partitioning India. With the advent of Second World War British administration required both parties to agree so that Indian help could be sought for the war efforts.
C. Rajagopalachari, a Congress leader from Madras, devised a proposal for the Congress to offer the League the Muslim Pakistan
based on plebiscite of all the peoples in the regions where Muslims made a majority. Although the formula was opposed even within the Congress party, Gandhi used it as his proposal in his talks with Jinnah in 1944. However, Jinnah rejected the proposal and the talks failed.
. In 1916, the League and the Congress entered into a pact
where the League agreed to support the Congress' efforts for home rule in exchange for the Congress support to authorise a two electorate system which would create constituencies where only Muslims could contest and vote. In the elections of 1937, Congress emerged as the largest party in seven of the 11 provinces with clear majority in five (Madras Presidency
, Uttar Pradesh
, Central Province
, Bihar
and Orissa
). On the whole, Congress won 716 of the 1161 seats it contested. The Muslim League secured 4.8 % of the total Muslim votes (winning 25% of the seats allotted for Muslims) and did not acquire majority in any of the four Muslim predominant provinces (Punjab
, Sind Province, North West Frontier Province and Bengal Presidency
). The Muslim League had hoped that its candidates will win the votes over the Congress in constituencies granted as separate Muslim electorates which did not turn true. Since Congress had full majority in Hindu majority provinces, it refused to share power in the governments with the League in those provinces. The eventual disagreement led to a political tussle between the League and the Congress climaxing with Lahore Resolution
of the League in March 1940 calling for an independent Muslim nation carved out of British India.
. The Congress party which by that time having formed governments in many provinces of British India resigned in protest stating that the viceroy’s decision had pushed India into a war which is not of India’s making nor with consultation of its people or representatives. Nevertheless, many of the Congress leaders including Nehru
had expressed moral support to the cause of Allies
against the Nazis. Congress demanded that if Britain
was fighting to protect democracy
through the war, it should also establish full democracy in India. However, both the Viceroy and the Secretary of State for India (Leo Amery) openly disliked Indian National Congress and its leaders including Gandhi and Nehru. Moreover, since the British Indian army was dominated by Muslims and Sikhs, the government in London was keen to get both these parties to be on its side in the war rather than appeasing the Congress. While Jinnah's Muslim League wanted a Muslim Pakistan, Sikhs feared that if India was divided Punjab would come under Pakistan and hence Sikhs left under a Muslim rule. Eventually the British administration concluded that no agreement on Indian statehood be reached unless Congress would sort its differences with the League.
With Japan
’s attack on Pearl Harbor
, the US was dragged into the war. Later the Japanese invasion of South East Asia
in 1941 drew the war much closer to India. Congress maintained that it would support the war efforts of Britain provided India was given its freedom. While the Congress demanded for a unified India and the issue of Muslim nation to be sorted after its independence, League preferred separate dominions be created before British withdrawal. Jinnah claimed that he wanted "Pakistan and that commodity is available not in the Congress market but in the British market". Although the ruling Conservatives
had taken a harsh stance on the Congress, the Labour Party
and its leaders were sympathetic to it efforts. The progression of war saw an increase in support in Britain for efforts to solve the crisis between the Raj, Congress and League. It was realised that the deadlock meant, the vast resources of India was blocked from being utilised in the war. In addition, America had been sympathetic with India’s cause which if not satisfied by the British administration would have further weakened the Allies. With division in opinion within the British government, Sir Stafford Cripps was sent to India in March 1942. Since Cripps was a well known Congress sympathiser, who had earlier advised the Congress leaders to "stand firm as a rock" on their demands of freedom, he was seen as the best choice for negotiations. Cripps' mission
however failed as the Congress declared that he was assuming two different stances in private and public with regard to self-governance in India. Cripps' failure to reach an agreement propelled Congress with Gandhi's leadership to a civil disobedience movement called Quit India movement
. In response to the movement, Gandhi and all senior leaders of the Congress Party were arrested in August 1942.
Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari (or Rajaji as he was commonly referred) was a prominent Congress leader from Madras. He was a well known follower of Gandhi and was sometimes referred to as Gandhi's conscience keeper. Nevertheless, he envisaged that if Muslims in India wanted a partition Congress should not oppose to the demand. Thus he was the earliest Congress leader to acknowledge that partitioning India was inevitable. He considered that in a likely scenario of Japanese invasion of India, Indians would need the support from the British and hence required the Congress and the League to agree on the constitution of India with urgency. In April 1942, parts of the Madras Presidency were bombed by Japanese war planes operating from the aircraft career Ryūjō
. Aurthur Hope
, the Governor of Madras advised the people to leave Madras and also moved the secretariat inland. Rajaji considered this as an act of the British administration forsaking the people of Madras and brought resolutions in Madras Legislature Party of the All India Congress Committee that the Congress should concede with the demand of Pakistan if the League insisted on it. With severe opposition to the resolutions from the Congress leadership he resigned from the Congress as per Gandhi’s advice. Thus he did not participate in the Quit India movement and was not arrested with the other Congress leaders. Hence he was able to device a proposal to negotiate with the League. This proposal, which was called CR formula by the popular press was to recognise the demand for Pakistan in principle and to act as a basis of talks between the League and the Congress.
The CR formula entailed
supported Rajagopalachari's actions and considered his C. R. Formula to be one of the steps towards the formation of Dravida Nadu. In a meeting held at Salem on June 23, 1947, Periyar said:
The formulation although conceived the principle of Pakistan, it aimed to show that the provinces that Jinnah claimed as Pakistan also contained in itself large numbers of non-Muslims. Jinnah had placed the claim for British Indian Provinces then regarded as Muslim majority regions (in the north-west; Sind, Baluchistan
, the North-West Frontier Province
and the Punjab
, and in the north-east, Assam
and Bengal
). Thus if a plebiscite was placed, Jinnah ran a risk partitioning Punjab and Bengal. Moreover, Jinnah considered that the League represented all Muslims and the adult franchise demanded by the formula was redundant. Furthermore, the decision of Muslims to secede from India, according to the CR formula, would be taken not just by Muslims alone but by a plebiscite of the entire population even in the Muslim majority districts. This, according to Ayesha Jalal
(a Pakistani-American sociologist and historian), might well have diluted the enthusiasm of the people of these provinces about going their own separate way. Hence Jinnah rejected the initiative, telling his Council that it was intended to 'torpedo' the Lahore resolution; it was 'grossest travesty', a 'ridiculous proposal', 'offering a shadow and a husk – a maimed, mutilated and moth-eaten Pakistan, and thus trying to pass off having met out Pakistan scheme and Muslim demand'. While the formula kept most of the essential services together, Jinnah wanted a full partition and any relations would be dealt as a treaty
alone. Although a failure the CR formula was seen as Congress’ betrayal of the Sikhs by Akali Dal leaders like Master Tara Singh
. Since the formula meant vivisection of Punjab, if agreed the Sikh community would be divided into two. Since Sikhs did not make a majority in any single district although being a very significant number in Punjab would have to be scattered between Muslim and Hindu nations. The proposal had been detested by other leaders such as V. D. Sarvarkar and Syama Prasad Mookerjee
of the Hindu Mahasabha and Srinivas Sastri of National Liberal Federation. However, Wavell the then viceroy of India, who had earlier insisted on the geographic unity of India stated that the talks based on the CR formula failed because Gandhi himself did "not really believe" in the proposal nor Jinnah was ready to "answer awkward questions" which would reveal that he had "not thought out the implications of Pakistan".
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
on independence of India from the British
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
. The League's position was that the Muslims
Islam in India
Islam is the second-most practiced religion in the Republic of India after Hinduism, with more than 13.4% of the country's population ....
and Hindus of British India were of two separate nations
Two-Nation Theory
The Two-Nation Theory proposed by Allama Iqbal is the ideology that the primary identity of Muslims in the Indian subcontinent is their religion, rather than their language or ethnicity, and therefore Indian Hindus and Muslims are two distinct nationalities, regardless of ethnic or other...
and hence the Muslims had the right to their own nation when India obtained independence. The Congress, which included both Hindu and Muslim members, was opposed to the idea of partitioning India. With the advent of Second World War British administration required both parties to agree so that Indian help could be sought for the war efforts.
C. Rajagopalachari, a Congress leader from Madras, devised a proposal for the Congress to offer the League the Muslim Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
based on plebiscite of all the peoples in the regions where Muslims made a majority. Although the formula was opposed even within the Congress party, Gandhi used it as his proposal in his talks with Jinnah in 1944. However, Jinnah rejected the proposal and the talks failed.
Congress and League
The All India Muslim League was formed in 1906 to "protect the interests of Muslim" in British India and to "represent their needs and aspirations to the Government". The Indian National Congress, formed in 1885 (holding membership from both Muslims and Hindus), had placed its demand for self-governance in IndiaSwaraj
Swaraj can mean generally self-governance or "self-rule", and was used synonymously with "home-rule" by Gandhi but the word usually refers to Gandhi's concept for Indian independence from foreign domination. Swaraj lays stress on governance not by a hierarchical government, but self governance...
. In 1916, the League and the Congress entered into a pact
Lucknow Pact
Lucknow Pact refers to an agreement between the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League...
where the League agreed to support the Congress' efforts for home rule in exchange for the Congress support to authorise a two electorate system which would create constituencies where only Muslims could contest and vote. In the elections of 1937, Congress emerged as the largest party in seven of the 11 provinces with clear majority in five (Madras Presidency
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
, Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
, Central Province
Central Provinces and Berar
The Central Provinces and Berar was a province of British India. The province comprised British conquests from the Mughals and Marathas in central India, and covered much of present-day Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra states. Its capital was Nagpur. The Central Provinces was formed in...
, Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
and Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
). On the whole, Congress won 716 of the 1161 seats it contested. The Muslim League secured 4.8 % of the total Muslim votes (winning 25% of the seats allotted for Muslims) and did not acquire majority in any of the four Muslim predominant provinces (Punjab
Punjab (British India)
Punjab was a province of British India, it was one of the last areas of the Indian subcontinent to fall under British rule. With the end of British rule in 1947 the province was split between West Punjab, which went to Pakistan, and East Punjab, which went to India...
, Sind Province, North West Frontier Province and Bengal Presidency
Bengal Presidency
The Bengal Presidency originally comprising east and west Bengal, was a colonial region of the British Empire in South-Asia and beyond it. It comprised areas which are now within Bangladesh, and the present day Indian States of West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Meghalaya, Orissa and Tripura.Penang and...
). The Muslim League had hoped that its candidates will win the votes over the Congress in constituencies granted as separate Muslim electorates which did not turn true. Since Congress had full majority in Hindu majority provinces, it refused to share power in the governments with the League in those provinces. The eventual disagreement led to a political tussle between the League and the Congress climaxing with Lahore Resolution
Lahore Resolution
The Lahore Resolution , commonly known as the Pakistan Resolution , was a formal political statement adopted by the Muslim League at the occasion of its three-day general session on 22–24 March 1940 that called for greater Muslim autonomy in British India...
of the League in March 1940 calling for an independent Muslim nation carved out of British India.
Second world war and India
In September 1939, Lord Linlithgow, the then Viceroy of India, declared that India was at war with GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The Congress party which by that time having formed governments in many provinces of British India resigned in protest stating that the viceroy’s decision had pushed India into a war which is not of India’s making nor with consultation of its people or representatives. Nevertheless, many of the Congress leaders including Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
had expressed moral support to the cause of Allies
Allies
In everyday English usage, allies are people, groups, or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out between them...
against the Nazis. Congress demanded that if Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
was fighting to protect democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
through the war, it should also establish full democracy in India. However, both the Viceroy and the Secretary of State for India (Leo Amery) openly disliked Indian National Congress and its leaders including Gandhi and Nehru. Moreover, since the British Indian army was dominated by Muslims and Sikhs, the government in London was keen to get both these parties to be on its side in the war rather than appeasing the Congress. While Jinnah's Muslim League wanted a Muslim Pakistan, Sikhs feared that if India was divided Punjab would come under Pakistan and hence Sikhs left under a Muslim rule. Eventually the British administration concluded that no agreement on Indian statehood be reached unless Congress would sort its differences with the League.
With Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
’s attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
, the US was dragged into the war. Later the Japanese invasion of South East Asia
South-East Asian theatre of World War II
The South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was the name given to the campaigns of the Pacific War in Burma , Ceylon, India, Thailand, Indochina, Malaya and Singapore. Conflict in the theatre began when the Empire of Japan invaded Thailand and Malaya from bases located in Indochina on December 8,...
in 1941 drew the war much closer to India. Congress maintained that it would support the war efforts of Britain provided India was given its freedom. While the Congress demanded for a unified India and the issue of Muslim nation to be sorted after its independence, League preferred separate dominions be created before British withdrawal. Jinnah claimed that he wanted "Pakistan and that commodity is available not in the Congress market but in the British market". Although the ruling Conservatives
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
had taken a harsh stance on the Congress, the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
and its leaders were sympathetic to it efforts. The progression of war saw an increase in support in Britain for efforts to solve the crisis between the Raj, Congress and League. It was realised that the deadlock meant, the vast resources of India was blocked from being utilised in the war. In addition, America had been sympathetic with India’s cause which if not satisfied by the British administration would have further weakened the Allies. With division in opinion within the British government, Sir Stafford Cripps was sent to India in March 1942. Since Cripps was a well known Congress sympathiser, who had earlier advised the Congress leaders to "stand firm as a rock" on their demands of freedom, he was seen as the best choice for negotiations. Cripps' mission
Cripps' mission
The Cripps mission was an attempt in late March 1942 by the British government to secure Indian cooperation and support for their efforts in World War II...
however failed as the Congress declared that he was assuming two different stances in private and public with regard to self-governance in India. Cripps' failure to reach an agreement propelled Congress with Gandhi's leadership to a civil disobedience movement called Quit India movement
Quit India Movement
The Quit India Movement , or the August Movement was a civil disobedience movement launched in India in August 1942 in response to Mohandas Gandhi's call for immediate independence. Gandhi hoped to bring the British government to the negotiating table...
. In response to the movement, Gandhi and all senior leaders of the Congress Party were arrested in August 1942.
C. Rajagopalachari's role
Japanese aircraft carrier Ryujo
Ryūjō was a light aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. She was laid down by Mitsubishi at Yokohama in 1929, launched in 1931 and commissioned on 9 May 1933. Her final design resulted in a top-heavy unstable vessel and within a year she was back at Kure Naval Yard for modification...
. Aurthur Hope
Arthur Hope, 2nd Baron Rankeillour
Arthur Oswald James Hope, 2nd Baron Rankeillour GCIE MC was a British politician, soldier and administrator. He was a Conservative and served as Member of Parliament for Nuneaton from 1924 to 1929 and for Birmingham Aston from 1931 to 1939, after which he was Governor of the Madras Presidency of...
, the Governor of Madras advised the people to leave Madras and also moved the secretariat inland. Rajaji considered this as an act of the British administration forsaking the people of Madras and brought resolutions in Madras Legislature Party of the All India Congress Committee that the Congress should concede with the demand of Pakistan if the League insisted on it. With severe opposition to the resolutions from the Congress leadership he resigned from the Congress as per Gandhi’s advice. Thus he did not participate in the Quit India movement and was not arrested with the other Congress leaders. Hence he was able to device a proposal to negotiate with the League. This proposal, which was called CR formula by the popular press was to recognise the demand for Pakistan in principle and to act as a basis of talks between the League and the Congress.
The proposal
- i. The League was to endorse the Indian demand for independence and to co-operate with the Congress in formation of Provisional Interim Government for a transitional period.
- ii. At the end of the War, a commission would be appointed to demarcate the districts having a Muslim population in absolute majority and in those areas plebiscite to be conducted on all inhabitants (including the non-Muslims) on basis of adult suffrage.
- iii. All parties would be allowed to express their stance on the partition and their views before the plebiscite.
- iv. In the event of separation, a mutual agreement would be entered into for safeguarding essential matters such as defence, communication and commerce and for other essential services.
- v. The transfer of population, if any would be absolutely on a voluntary basis.
- vi. The terms of the binding will be applicable only in case of full transfer of power by Britain to Government of India.
Gandhi-Jinnah talks of 1944
As the Allies by the turn of tides saw more victories the attitude of British administration towards Congress softened. Moreover, America had been pressing on meeting India’s demand for self-governance though being an ally of Britain in the war. Although other Congress leaders were still in prison Gandhi was released on 5 May 1944. After his release Gandhi proposed talks with Jinnah on his two-nation theory and negotiating on issue of partition. The CR formula acted as the basis for the negotiations. Gandhi and Jinnah met in September 1944 to ease the deadlock. Gandhi placed the CR formula as his proposal to Jinnah. Nevertheless, Gandhi-Jinnah talks failed after two weeks of negotiations.Periyar's reaction
Periyar E. V. RamasamyPeriyar E. V. Ramasamy
Erode Venkata Ramasamy , affectionately called by his followers as Periyar , Thanthai Periyar or E. V...
supported Rajagopalachari's actions and considered his C. R. Formula to be one of the steps towards the formation of Dravida Nadu. In a meeting held at Salem on June 23, 1947, Periyar said:
Causes of failure of the proposal
Balochistan (Pakistan)
Balochistan is one of the four provinces or federating units of Pakistan. With an area of 134,051 mi2 or , it is the largest province of Pakistan, constituting approximately 44% of the total land mass of Pakistan. According to the 1998 population census, Balochistan had a population of...
, the North-West Frontier Province
North-West Frontier Province
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province and various other names, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan, located in the north-west of the country...
and the Punjab
Punjab (British India)
Punjab was a province of British India, it was one of the last areas of the Indian subcontinent to fall under British rule. With the end of British rule in 1947 the province was split between West Punjab, which went to Pakistan, and East Punjab, which went to India...
, and in the north-east, Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
and Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
). Thus if a plebiscite was placed, Jinnah ran a risk partitioning Punjab and Bengal. Moreover, Jinnah considered that the League represented all Muslims and the adult franchise demanded by the formula was redundant. Furthermore, the decision of Muslims to secede from India, according to the CR formula, would be taken not just by Muslims alone but by a plebiscite of the entire population even in the Muslim majority districts. This, according to Ayesha Jalal
Ayesha Jalal
Ayesha Jalal is a Pakistani-American sociologist and historian. She is a professor of history at Tufts University and a 1998 MacArthur Fellow. The bulk of her work deals with the creation of Muslim identities in modern South Asia....
(a Pakistani-American sociologist and historian), might well have diluted the enthusiasm of the people of these provinces about going their own separate way. Hence Jinnah rejected the initiative, telling his Council that it was intended to 'torpedo' the Lahore resolution; it was 'grossest travesty', a 'ridiculous proposal', 'offering a shadow and a husk – a maimed, mutilated and moth-eaten Pakistan, and thus trying to pass off having met out Pakistan scheme and Muslim demand'. While the formula kept most of the essential services together, Jinnah wanted a full partition and any relations would be dealt as a treaty
Treaty
A treaty is an express agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely sovereign states and international organizations. A treaty may also be known as an agreement, protocol, covenant, convention or exchange of letters, among other terms...
alone. Although a failure the CR formula was seen as Congress’ betrayal of the Sikhs by Akali Dal leaders like Master Tara Singh
Master Tara Singh
Master Tara Singh Malhotra was a prominent Sikh political and religious leader in the first half of the 20th century...
. Since the formula meant vivisection of Punjab, if agreed the Sikh community would be divided into two. Since Sikhs did not make a majority in any single district although being a very significant number in Punjab would have to be scattered between Muslim and Hindu nations. The proposal had been detested by other leaders such as V. D. Sarvarkar and Syama Prasad Mookerjee
Syama Prasad Mookerjee
Dr. Shyama Prasad Mookerjee was a minister in Jawaharlal Nehru's Cabinet as a Minister for Industry and Supply....
of the Hindu Mahasabha and Srinivas Sastri of National Liberal Federation. However, Wavell the then viceroy of India, who had earlier insisted on the geographic unity of India stated that the talks based on the CR formula failed because Gandhi himself did "not really believe" in the proposal nor Jinnah was ready to "answer awkward questions" which would reveal that he had "not thought out the implications of Pakistan".