---
title: "Cripps Mission Definition and Overview | Model Diplomat"
description: "The Cripps Mission was a 1942 British proposal for India's dominion status post-WWII, aimed at securing wartime cooperation from Indian leaders."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/cripps-mission"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- The Cripps Mission was a March 1942 British proposal, led by Sir Stafford Cripps, offering India dominion status after World War II in exchange for wartime cooperation.
- Why was the Cripps Mission sent to India in 1942?
- Why did the Indian National Congress reject the Cripps proposals?
- How did the Cripps Mission relate to the demand for Pakistan?
- What was the consequence of the Cripps Mission's failure?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

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## Positions at a glance

### Indian National Congress

The Congress rejected the proposals because they offered neither immediate self-government nor control over defence, and because the provincial opt-out threatened national unity; Jawaharlal Lal Nehru and Maulana Azad (then Congress President) led the negotiations. The Muslim League under Muhammad Ali Jinnah rejected them too, as they did not unequivocally concede Pakistan. The Sikhs, Depressed Classes, and other minorities were also dissatisfied. The mission's failure, announced in April 1942, convinced Gandhi and the Congress that British promises were hollow, directly precipitating the Quit India Movement (the "Do or Die" call) launched at the Bombay AICC session on 8 August 1942. It also hardened the demand for partition by legitimising the right of provinces to secede.

### All-India Muslim League

The Congress rejected the proposals because they offered neither immediate self-government nor control over defence, and because the provincial opt-out threatened national unity; Jawaharlal Lal Nehru and Maulana Azad (then Congress President) led the negotiations. The Muslim League under Muhammad Ali Jinnah rejected them too, as they did not unequivocally concede Pakistan. The Sikhs, Depressed Classes, and other minorities were also dissatisfied. The mission's failure, announced in April 1942, convinced Gandhi and the Congress that British promises were hollow, directly precipitating the Quit India Movement (the "Do or Die" call) launched at the Bombay AICC session on 8 August 1942. It also hardened the demand for partition by legitimising the right of provinces to secede.

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Example

In March 1942, Sir Stafford Cripps arrived in Delhi with a draft declaration offering post-war Dominion Status, which Mahatma Gandhi rejected as "a post-dated cheque on a crashing bank."

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