Q. The plan of Sir Stafford Cripps envisaged that after the Second World War (UPSC Prelims 2016)
Answer: India should be given Dominion status
Notes: The correct answer is [D] India should be given Dominion status. The Cripps Mission was sent to India in March 1942, headed by Sir Stafford Cripps, to secure Indian cooperation for the British war effort during World War II.

• Dominion Status (Statement D – Correct): The primary proposal of the Cripps Mission was the grant of "Dominion Status" to India after the conclusion of the war. This meant India would remain part of the British Commonwealth, sharing the British monarch as the head of state, rather than achieving "Purna Swaraj" or complete independence.
• Constituent Assembly: It proposed the setting up of a constitution-making body consisting of elected members from Provincial Assemblies and nominated members from the Princely States.
• Right to Secede: A controversial "non-accession clause" allowed any province or Princely State not prepared to accept the new constitution the right to secede and form a separate union with Britain. This was seen as a blueprint for partition.
• Complete Independence (Statement A – Incorrect): The mission stopped short of offering full independence, which was a major reason for its rejection by the Indian National Congress. Mahatma Gandhi famously described the proposal as a "post-dated cheque on a crashing bank."
• Partition (Statement B – Incorrect): While the proposals contained the seeds of partition via the secession clause, the explicit plan was for a "Union of India" with Dominion status, not a pre-ordained partition into two nations.
• Republic and Commonwealth (Statement C – Incorrect): The concept of a Republic (where the head of state is elected) was inconsistent with the "Dominion Status" offered at that time, which implied allegiance to the Crown.

The failure of the Cripps Mission led directly to the launch of the Quit India Movement in August 1942, as Indian leaders realized the British were not yet willing to transfer real power.