Overview
- Speaking in Guwahati on December 20, Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleged Congress was willing to let Assam become part of East Pakistan and credited Gopinath Bordoloi for defying the party.
- The 1946 Cabinet Mission Plan outlined a three-tier structure that grouped provinces and placed Assam with Bengal in an eastern bloc.
- The Assam Provincial Congress, led by Bordoloi, formally rejected the grouping over fears of subordination to a Muslim-majority zone.
- Gandhi told Assam leaders to refuse the grouping even against party wishes, while Nehru’s letters stated no province like Assam would be forced into any arrangement.
- Reporting draws on historical documents to show the plan failed, partition followed, and Assam remained in India owing to provincial resistance backed by Gandhi and Nehru, challenging Modi’s characterization.