Q. Who was the earliest Congress leader to acknowledge that partition was inevitable?
Answer: Chakravarti Rajagopalachari
Notes: Rajaji felt the Congress and the Indians must help Britain in its time of distress when it was fighting with its back to the wall. His proposal (CR Formula; July, 1940) was that British should give India freedom after the war, and establish a representative government forthwith; while India (Congress and Muslim League) should support British War efforts. Further, if Muslims in India wanted a partition, Congress should not oppose this. Congress should offer plebiscite of all the people in those regions where Muslims were in the majority.