Question:
Consider the following statements:
(1) Mir Mahboob Ali Khan, the 6th Nizam of Hyderabad was the only ruler of India to be given the title “His Exalted Highness”.
(2) On the basis of Mountbatten plan, the British Parliament passed the ‘Indian Independence Act’ 1947 on 28 July 1947.
(3) The Raja of Dhaulpur Riyasat told Mountbatten with tears in his eyes ‘that this has broken the old relationship of our ancestors and the ancestors of your Emperor which was going on since 1765’.
(4) The Cripps proposal was a failed attempt to treat a child who was not even born : – Pattabhi Sitaramiya.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
(A) (1) and (2) only
(B) (3) and (4) only
(C) (2) and (3) only
(D) (1) and (4) only
Answer : (B) (3) and (4) only
Analysis of the Statements
Here’s a breakdown of each statement’s historical accuracy:
- (1) The title “His Exalted Highness” for the Nizam of Hyderabad.
- Incorrect. The unique title of “His Exalted Highness” was granted by the British to Mir Osman Ali Khan, the 7th Nizam of Hyderabad, in 1918. It was not given to his predecessor, Mir Mahboob Ali Khan (the 6th Nizam).
- (2) The date of the Indian Independence Act, 1947.
- Incorrect. While the Act was based on the Mountbatten Plan, it received Royal Assent and was passed into law on July 18, 1947, not July 28.
- (3) The reaction of the Raja of Dhaulpur.
- Correct 👍. This emotional statement is a well-documented historical anecdote. The ruler of Dholpur, Rana Udai Bhan Singh, did express this sentiment to Lord Mountbatten, lamenting the end of the long-standing treaties and relationships between the princely states and the British Crown.
- (4) The quote about the Cripps proposal.
- Correct 👍. This medical analogy is indeed attributed to the Congress leader and historian Dr. Pattabhi Sitaramayya. He used this metaphor to criticize the Cripps Mission of 1942, suggesting its promises were for a future that was too distant and uncertain, while failing to address the immediate demand for independence.