Why and how did the Congress come to accept the partition of the country? (150 words)

Congress accepted partition

The Congress accepted partition as a necessary evil keeping in mind the overall environment prevailing at that time.  The major reasons could be cited as below: –

1. Jinnah’s adamant and uncompromising attitude on the issue of partition.
2. Muslim League’s undiluted capacity to stall the functioning of the Government.
3. Widespread communal violence and bloodshed in the Eastern and Western areas of the country.
4. As a price of immediate independence as it was getting delayed.
5. There was also thinking that a smaller, unified and strong India would be better than a bigger and disturbed India.

Gandhi was very much opposed to the idea of partition, and urged Mountbatten to offer Jinnah leadership of a united India instead of the creation of a separate Muslim state. However, Nehru would not agree to that suggestion. In July Britain’s Parliament passed the Indian Independence Act, which set a deadline of midnight on August 14-15, 1947 for “demarcation of the dominions of India.”