THE view that the British Cabinet Mission would place a formula of their own envisaging the establishment of a Pakistan, consisting of North-West Punjab, Sind, Baluchistan, Eastern Bengal and the Sylhet District of Assam, enjoying almost sovereign power and a loose confederation of the country if the Congress and the Muslim League do not come to an agreement, was expressed by Mr. L.B. Bhopatkar, acting President of the Hindu Mahasabha, who recently interviewed the British Cabinet Mission … according to an A.P.I. message from Poona on Tuesday [April 23].

He was also of the opinion that the Mission was bent upon the formation of an interim Government at the Centre with the co-operation of those parties willing to come in.

The Mission, he said, would by-pass the Congress or the Muslim League if they refused to co-operate. Their proposal about this interim Government … would be based on parity of representation for the Congress, the Muslim League and the Indian States. Both Dr. Shyama Prasad and he, Mr. Bhopatkar said, had made it clear to the Mission … that the Hindu Mahasabha stood for a United India with a strong … Centre…

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2021