Statement (I): Indian Foreign Secretary, KPS Menon wrote, "when the British left India, the unity even of divided India was in danger. There were 560 princely states in India.
It was open to them to accede to India, to accede to Pakistan, or to remain independent. This looked as if India was going to be Balkanised. This danger was averted by firm handling by a man of iron, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel".
Statement (II): In a meeting with Mountbatten on 01 April 1946, Gandhi appealed to dismiss the existing cabinet and call on Jinnah to appoint an all-muslim administration. In May 1946, Jinnah stated "India stands on the Brink of Civil war".
In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:
Correct Answer: A. Both Statement I and Statement II are correct
Solution:Statement I is correct as KPS Menon describes the political situation post-independence and Sardar Patel’s role in integrating princely states into India.Statement II is also correct, depicting Gandhi’s actions and Jinnah’s statement reflecting the political tensions leading to civil war threats. Both statements accurately describe historical events, making option A correct.