Lord Mountbatten came to India as Viceroy along with specific instructions to

Lord Mountbatten was appointed Viceroy primarily to secure a prompt and favourable British withdrawal from India; his mandate emphasized an early transfer of power and preservation of stability, aiming to keep the subcontinent united if practicable. However, by the time of his arrival the freedom-with-partition formula was already gaining ground and plans for partition were circulating, limiting options for maintaining unity and making partition increasingly unavoidable [1]. The Congress itself formally accepted partition during June 1947 discussions after Mountbatten’s proposals and timetable accelerated the transfer of power, showing that his brief was oriented toward orderly withdrawal and preserving unity where feasible rather than enforcing immediate partition or acceding to League demands outright [1].

Sources

1. [1] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 25: Independence with Partition > Mountbatten Plan, June 3, 1947 > p. 493
2. [2] History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 7: Last Phase of Indian National Movement > Mountbatten Plan > p. 95