The Plan

The idea was to reconstruct the governor-general’s executive council pending the preparation of a new constitution. For this purpose, a conference was convened by the viceroy, Lord Wavell, at Shimla in June 1945. The main proposals of the Wavell Plan were as follows.

● With the exception of the governor-general and the commander-in-chief, all members of the executive council were to be Indians.

● Caste Hindus and Muslims were to have equal representation.

● The reconstructed council was to function as an interim government within the framework of the 1935 Act (i.e. not responsible to the Central Assembly).

● The governor-general was to exercise his veto on the advice of ministers.

● Representatives of different parties were to submit a joint list to the viceroy for nominations to the executive council. If a joint list was not possible, then separate lists were to be submitted.

● Possibilities were to be kept open for negotiations on a new constitution once the war was finally won.