An important aspect of the Cripps Mission of 1942 was

The Cripps Mission was sent to India in 1942 to secure Indian cooperation for the British war effort during World War II. The primary proposal offered by Stafford Cripps was the promise of Dominion status for India once the war concluded. This meant India would become a self governing entity within the British Commonwealth, rather than receiving immediate full independence. Option A is incorrect because joining the Union was not a mandatory condition for autonomy. Option C is incorrect because the mission offered Dominion status, not full sovereign independence, and the offer was a promise for the future rather than a guaranteed immediate result of cooperation. Option D is incorrect because the Cripps proposals actually included a provision allowing provinces the right to opt out of the Union and frame their own separate constitutions, which was one of the reasons the Indian National Congress rejected the plan. Therefore, the defining feature of the mission was the post war offer of an Indian Union with Dominion status.