--- title: "Cabinet Mission Plan 1946: Grouping & Assembly" description: "The Cabinet Mission Plan 1946 aimed to transfer power to a united India through a loose federation, influencing India's independence movement and governance." url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/cabinet-mission-1946" --- [New](https://modeldiplomat.com/) # Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026 TL;DR - The Cabinet Mission Plan 1946 was a British proposal for transferring power to a united India through a loose three-tier federation with grouped provinces and a constituent assembly. - Why did the Cabinet Mission Plan reject the demand for Pakistan? - What was the grouping clause and why was it contentious? - How does the Cabinet Mission Plan differ from the Mountbatten Plan? - What is the Cabinet Mission Plan's significance for the Constituent Assembly? [Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026 Go beyond the definition ## Research Cabinet Mission Plan 1946 like a delegate Model Diplomat's AI drafts position papers, speeches, and country research with real sources — built for MUN and politics students. ## Timeline 1. 24 March 1946 Alexander, the First Lord of the Admiralty; it arrived in New Delhi on . 2. 15 March 1946 Its mandate flowed from Attlee's declaration of in the House of Commons, which accepted India's right to full self-government and even, by implication, the… 3. 16 May 1946 The plan was published on . 4. 6 June 1946 The Muslim League, meeting at its council on , accepted the plan because the compulsory grouping of Sections B and C effectively delivered a Pakistan-in-embryo. 5. 10 July 1946 On , Jawaharlal Nehru, newly elected Congress president, declared at a Bombay press conference that the Assembly would be sovereign and free to alter the gro… 6. 29 July 1946 Muhammad Ali Jinnah treated this as a breach of the compact; on the League withdrew its acceptance and called Direct Action Day for 16 August 1946, which pr… 7. 16 August 1946 Muhammad Ali Jinnah treated this as a breach of the compact; on 29 July 1946 the League withdrew its acceptance and called Direct Action Day for , which prec… 8. 3 June 1947 Unlike the Mountbatten Plan of , which accepted partition and the creation of two dominions, the Cabinet Mission explicitly aimed to preserve a united India… ## Positions at a glance ### Indian National Congress The Cabinet Mission Plan 1946 was the constitutional scheme advanced by a three-member British delegation dispatched by Prime Minister Clement Attlee's Labour government to negotiate the transfer of power in India. The mission comprised Lord Pethick-Lawrence, the Secretary of State for India, Sir Stafford Cripps, President of the Board of Trade, and A. V. Alexander, the First Lord of the Admiralty; it arrived in New Delhi on 24 March 1946. Its mandate flowed from Attlee's declaration of 15 March 1946 in the House of Commons, which accepted India's right to full self-government and even, by implication, the possibility of partition. The mission's authority rested not on statute but on executive negotiation with the Indian National Congress and the All-India Muslim League, against the backdrop of the failed Cripps Mission of 1942, the Quit India movement, the 1945 Simla Conference deadlock, and the post-war exhaustion of British power. The plan was published on 16 May 1946. ### All-India Muslim League The Cabinet Mission Plan 1946 was the constitutional scheme advanced by a three-member British delegation dispatched by Prime Minister Clement Attlee's Labour government to negotiate the transfer of power in India. The mission comprised Lord Pethick-Lawrence, the Secretary of State for India, Sir Stafford Cripps, President of the Board of Trade, and A. V. Alexander, the First Lord of the Admiralty; it arrived in New Delhi on 24 March 1946. Its mandate flowed from Attlee's declaration of 15 March 1946 in the House of Commons, which accepted India's right to full self-government and even, by implication, the possibility of partition. The mission's authority rested not on statute but on executive negotiation with the Indian National Congress and the All-India Muslim League, against the backdrop of the failed Cripps Mission of 1942, the Quit India movement, the 1945 Simla Conference deadlock, and the post-war exhaustion of British power. The plan was published on 16 May 1946. ## Research it like a delegate Research on modeldiplomat.com ## Ask a follow-up about Cabinet Mission Plan 1946 Open a cited briefing in Model Diplomat search — timelines, positions, and sources you can use in committee or exam answers. [Start research on Cabinet Mission Plan 1946](https://modeldiplomat.com/search?q=Explain%20Cabinet%20Mission%20Plan%201946%20%E2%80%94%20key%20dates%2C%20actors%2C%20positions%2C%20and%20sources) Example In July 1946, Jawaharlal Nehru told a Bombay press conference that the Constituent Assembly would be sovereign to change the Cabinet Mission's grouping scheme, prompting the Muslim League to withdraw its acceptance and call Direct Action Day. Keep learning ## Go deeper than the definition [Explore all Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams lessons](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services)[Test yourself with a quiz](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/quiz/civil-services) ## Take Cabinet Mission Plan 1946 beyond the glossary Ask the AI research engine built for diplomacy — get briefings, position papers, and speeches with sources you can cite in committee.