RAS question
The Interim Government of India (1946) was headed by:
Correct answer: (D) Jawaharlal Nehru.
Jawaharlal Nehru headed the Interim Government of India formed in 1946.
Explanation
The Interim Government of India was formed on 2 September 1946 after the Cabinet Mission plan, and Jawaharlal Nehru headed it. The Nehru Portal records that Nehru led the Interim Government of India and was sworn in on 2 September 1946 as its Vice President and Member in Charge of External Affairs. This makes Nehru, not the Viceroy or another Congress leader, the substantive head of the interim national government before independence. The Muslim League initially refused to join the arrangement, later entered it in October 1946 under Liaquat Ali Khan, and used its position to obstruct governance. Nehru's leadership role in the 1946 interim setup distinguishes him from the other named figures.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Maulana Azad was Congress president, but the 1946 interim government was headed by Jawaharlal Nehru.
- (B) Lord Wavell was the Viceroy, but the government itself was headed by Nehru rather than by Wavell.
- (C) Sardar Patel was a member of the interim government, not the leader who headed it.
Concept
The transfer-of-power phase of Modern Indian History includes the Cabinet Mission and the 1946 interim government. RAS often covers this phase because it links constitutional negotiations with the final pre-independence administrative arrangement.