Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor in December 1941 and was advancing through Southeast Asia towards India. To gain India's cooperation in fighting Japan, Sir Stafford Cripps was sent to India in March 1942 with a proposal that offered India dominion status after the war like Canada and Australia, a constituent assembly to finalize the constitution, and allowing princely states to join India or remain independent. However, the proposal was rejected because it did not give a time limit for dominion status, allowed provinces to separate from India, and nominated representatives from princely states rather than electing them. Gandhi criticized it as a "post-dated check on a failing bank" and the Muslim League rejected it for not clearly stating partition and a Muslim state.