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Question 111 of 137 · Gandhian Era & Struggle for Independence
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In the Interim Government formed in 1946, Jawaharlal Nehru held the position of:

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Answer: Option A — Vice-President of the Executive Council

Detailed Solution

In the Interim Government formed in 1946, the Viceroy remained the President of the Executive Council, and Jawaharlal Nehru was the Vice-President of the Executive Council, effectively acting as the head of the government.

Background:

  • The Interim Government was formed on the basis of the Cabinet Mission Plan of 1946.
  • It was meant to run the country until a new constitution was framed and power was transferred.
  • The Viceroy's Executive Council was reconstituted with Indian members holding all portfolios.

Nehru's role:

  • As Vice-President of the Executive Council, Nehru led the Indian members of the government.
  • He also held the portfolios of External Affairs and Commonwealth Relations.
  • He is often described as the de facto Prime Minister of the Interim Government.

The President of the Council:

The Viceroy, Lord Wavell and later Lord Mountbatten, remained the President of the Executive Council.

Members of the Interim Government:

  • It included leaders of the Indian National Congress and, from October 1946, members of the Muslim League.
  • Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel held Home, Information and Broadcasting.

Dr. Rajendra Prasad held Food and Agriculture.

Muslim League's participation:

  • The Muslim League initially boycotted the Interim Government and observed "Direct Action Day" on 16 August 1946, which led to communal riots in Calcutta.
  • It joined the government later in October 1946 but did not cooperate fully.

End of the Interim Government:

  • It continued until 15 August 1947, when India became independent.
  • After independence, Nehru became the first Prime Minister of India.

Importance:

  • The Interim Government gave Indians experience in running the central government before independence.
  • It also showed the deep differences between the Congress and the Muslim League, which led to partition.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗The Viceroy was the President of the Executive Council.
  • ✗The post of Prime Minister came into existence only after independence.
  • ✗The Governor-General was the Viceroy.

Quick tip

Remember: Interim Government (1946): Viceroy = President of the Executive Council; Nehru = Vice-President.

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Gandhian Era & Struggle for Independence — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Gandhian Era & Struggle for Independence, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers the freedom struggle from Gandhi's return to India in 1915 to independence in 1947: the Champaran, Kheda and Ahmedabad movements, the Rowlatt Act and Jallianwala Bagh, the Non-Cooperation, Civil Disobedience and Quit India movements, the Round Table Conferences, the Cripps Mission, the Cabinet Mission and the partition of India. Most questions ask about the year, cause or result of a movement, or the event that ended it. For example, the Chauri Chaura incident (1922) led Gandhi to call off the Non-Cooperation Movement, and the Dandi March (1930) started the Civil Disobedience Movement. Learning these events on a timeline is the best way to avoid confusion. Practise the Gandhian era questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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