to the desirability of the States, in suitable cases, forming or joining administrative units large enough to enable them to be fitted into the constitutional structure, as also of conducting negotiations with British India in regard to the future regulation of matters of common concern, specially in the economic and financial field.
63. The Cabinet Mission's Plan announced on 16th May, 1946 (Appendix III), provided for the entry of the States into the proposed Union of India in the following manner:—
(a) Paramountcy could neither be retained by the British Crown nor transferred to the new Government. But according to the assurance given by the Rulers that they were ready and willing to do so, the States were expected to co-operate in the new development of India.
(b) The precise form which the co-operation of the States would take must be a matter for negotiation during the building up of the new constitutional structure, and it by no means followed that it would be identical for all the States.
(c) The States were to retain all subjects and powers other than those ceded to the Union, namely, Foreign Affairs, Defence and Communications.
(d) In the preliminary stage the States were to be represented on the Constituent Assembly by a Negotiating Committee.
(e) In the final Constituent Assembly they were to have appropriate representation, not exceeding 93 seats; the method of selection was to be determined by consultation.
(f) After the Provincial and Group Constitutions had been drawn up by the three Sections of the Constituent Assembly, the representatives of the Sections and the Indian States would reassemble for the purpose of setting the Union constitution.
The plan did not deal with the States in detail and its vague provisions regarding the association of the States with the Constituent Assembly caused some difficulty as regards the stage at which they could come in as regular members of the Constituent Assembly.
64. In its Resolution, dated 24th May 1946, the Congress Working Committee expressed the view that the Constituent Assembly could not be formed by entirely desperate elements and the manner of selecting States'
