Postwar Situation in India

Economic

Continuing food shortages

Rising inflation

Unemployment

Switch to peacetime production in industry → lost many jobs

Growing civil unrest

Mutineers demand release of all political prisoners → started in Bombay naval base over racism + poor food, quickly spread

Communist Party support mutineers + organised workers’ strike in Bombay → 200+ civilians killed

Student protests, police strikes, postal strikes, threat of national rail strike, public protests abt INA soldiers’ trial

Diffs on postcolonial state

Congress: single, secular state

Muslims: creation of separate Muslim state

Congress weakened → govt suppression of ‘Quit India’ + imprisonment of Congress leaders during war

AIML strong negotiating position → fully support GB war effort so GB seriously considered ‘2 state solution’

1946 Elections

Congress won 90% votes for open seats + 8 in 11 provinces

AIML won all 30 in reserved seats for Muslims + 442/500 in provincial legislatures

Ramachandra Guha: Congress appealed to hope, AIML appealed to fear

GB had to recognise Jinnah’s claim that AIML represented all Muslims in India (bc of evidence from elections) during negotiations for power transfer in 1946-7

First elections since 1937