Jinnah was sobbing for Pakistan and was not ready to take anything less than that but Gandhiji and Maulana Abul Kalam did not want to give Pakistan to him at any cost. That's why Mountbatten was not able to decide whether he should go away by giving the right to rule to Akhand Bharat or give Pakistan to Jinnah, handing over separate power to both the countries!
In either case, he had to keep two things in mind. One is that the British forces and British officers should safely leave India with their families and secondly, that the communal riots should not spread in India and the British caste should not be accused of killing crores of innocent Indians. The Viceroy's own job and reputation were in complete danger.
In those days Mountbatten's wife Edwina visited the communal riot-hit areas of India. Edwina's eyes were stoned upon seeing the bodies of those killed in the riots. Edwina, after returning from the riot-hit areas, explained to her husband that the Congress would never accept the partition of India, but if the British community did not want to take the charge of killing crores of people, then you should forcibly partition India and the Congress leaders would be forced to do so. Prepare for
Agreeing with Edwina, Mountbatten spoke to Gandhi, Nehru and Patel for the partition of India. Gandhiji did not want the partition of India under any circumstances. On 3 March 1947, Gandhiji said that the partition of India would be on my dead body, but Patel and Nehru accepted the imperative of partition in view of the communal riots.
On this Gandhiji held 6 meetings with Mountbatten which took a total of 14 hours. Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre have written – 'Gandhiji repeatedly told Mountbatten that he would not break India. , Gandhiji was eager to stop the partition to such an extent that he had kept the same thinking that King Solomon had once thought. Do not cut the child and divide it in half. Give the whole country to Jinnah.
Jinnah come out with his Muslim League, form the government. Rule over thirty crore citizens of the country.' On this Mountbatten replied to Gandhiji that if you can give the formal approval of Congress on this proposal, then I am also ready to consider it.'
After meeting Mountbatten, Gandhi spoke to Nehru and Patel. Both Nehru and Patel opposed Gandhi's proposal and asked them to withdraw their proposal. On this, on 3 June 1947, Mountbatten presented the plan of partition of India. Jinnah jumped with joy. After a lifetime of defeats, he was finally victorious.