Question

Make a précis of the following passage:

On 28 July, Mountbatten held a reception at which he, Patel and V.P. Menon joined forces to bully the princes. The Maharajas stood around nervously to watch this daunting triumvirate at work. Mountbatten would not be able to provide Patel with a completely full basket of apples, but it is striking that he managed to secure as many as he did.

Most of the princes would disappear quietly into estate management or gin palaces, as they pleased. But an impressive number of exceptions ran for office in the new democratic India. Whatever may be said about Mountbatten’s tactics or the machinations of Patel, their achievement remains remarkable. Between them, and in less than a year, it may be argued that these two men achieved a larger India, more closely integrated, than had 90 years of the British raj, 180 years of the Mughal Empire, or 130 years of Ashoka and the Maurya rulers.

Answer 1

Answer:

Mountbatten held a reception with the purpose of bullying the princes in tandem with Patel and V.P. Menon. As the princes speculated, Mountbatten went about persuading them, providing Patel with far more accessions than he should have been able to.

Many princes became irrelevant after accession, but some ran for office in independent India. But between themselves, Mountbatten and Patel achieved something remarkable, constituting an India at the time of independence that was greater and more closely integrated than ever before.