The British Govt. sent a delegation to India under Sir Stafford Cripps, to negotiate with the Indian National Congress a deal to obtain total cooperation during the war, in return of progressive devolution and distribution of power from the Crown and the Viceroy to an elected Indian Legislature. The talks failed, as they did not address the key demand of a time table of self government and of definition of the powers to be relinquished, essentially making an offer of limited dominion status that was wholly unacceptable to theIndian movement.