Question 1

With reference to the formation of Congress ministries after the 1937 elections, consider the following statements:

1. Congress formed ministries in provinces such as the United Provinces and Bihar.
2. The formation of the Congress ministry in the North-West Frontier Province occurred simultaneously with its formation in Bombay and Madras.
3. Mahatma Gandhi advised the ministers to view their offices as 'crowns of thorns' and to hold them lightly rather than tightly.

How many of the above statements are correct?

Accepted Answer

Only two. Statement 1 is correct. Following the 1937 provincial elections, the Indian National Congress formed ministries in several provinces, including Bombay, Madras, Central Provinces, Orissa, United Provinces, and Bihar. Statement 2 is incorrect. While Congress ministries were formed in a majority of provinces initially, their formation in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Assam happened at a later stage, not simultaneously. Statement 3 is correct. Mahatma Gandhi offered specific advice to the new Congress ministers, urging them to see their positions not as perks of power but as responsibilities, famously describing them as 'crowns of thorns' and advising them to hold office 'lightly and not tightly'.

Question 2

Consider the following statements:

Statement-I: The Indian National Congress, after initial hesitation, formed ministries in several provinces in 1937.

Statement-II: Mahatma Gandhi's advice was that these offices should be used to demonstrate to the British that Indians were capable of effective governance within the existing constitutional framework.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Accepted Answer

Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect. Statement-I is correct. The Indian National Congress did form ministries in provinces like Bombay, Madras, and United Provinces after the 1937 elections. Statement-II is incorrect. The advice given by Mahatma Gandhi was not to work within the British framework to prove competence. Instead, he advised that the offices should be used in a way not expected or intended by the British, with the aim of quickening the pace towards the ultimate nationalist goal of independence.

Question 3

Consider the following statements regarding the performance of Congress ministries after the 1937 elections:
1. The ministries were successful in fundamentally altering the imperialist character of the state administration.
2. The ministries consistently upheld civil liberties for all political ideologies, including socialists and communists.
3. In Bombay, pensions of officials who had been dismissed due to their association with the Civil Disobedience Movement were restored.
How many of the above statements are correct?

Accepted Answer

Only one. Statement 1 is incorrect. The Congress ministries had basic limitations and could not change the fundamental imperialist character of the system or introduce a radical era. Statement 2 is incorrect. The performance of the ministries had blemishes regarding civil liberties; for instance, socialists like Maherally and S.S. Batliwala were arrested, and the Bombay home minister, K.M. Munshi, used the CID against communists and leftists. Statement 3 is correct. The text explicitly states that pensions of officials associated with the Civil Disobedience Movement were restored.

Question 4

Consider the following actions taken by the Congress ministries during their 28 months in office:
1. Repeal of laws granting emergency powers.
2. Use of the CID to shadow politicians was completely stopped.
3. Restoration of confiscated arms and arms licences.
4. Arrest of socialist leader S.S. Batliwala by the Bombay government.
How many of the above are correct?

Accepted Answer

Only two. Statement 1 is correct. The ministries repealed laws that gave the government emergency powers. Statement 2 is incorrect. While police powers were curbed, the text specifies that the CID stopped shadowing politicians in general, but K.M. Munshi, the Bombay home minister, specifically used the CID against communists and leftists, indicating the practice was not 'completely' stopped. Statement 3 is correct. Confiscated arms and arms licences were restored as part of the measures to ease curbs on civil liberties. Statement 4 is incorrect. S.S. Batliwala, a socialist, was arrested for a seditious speech by the Madras government, not the Bombay government.

Question 5

Consider the following statements regarding the constraints faced by the Congress ministries (1937-39) in implementing agrarian reforms:

1. The ministries were hampered by inadequate financial resources, as a large share was appropriated by the central Government of India.
2. A primary hurdle was the need to conciliate the reactionary Legislative Councils, which were dominated by landlords and moneylenders in several provinces.
3. The Congress's strategy of class confrontation against zamindars made it impossible to build a consensus for land reform legislation.

How many of the above statements are correct?

Accepted Answer

Only two. Statement 1 is correct. The ministries had inadequate financial resources because the Government of India appropriated a lion's share. Statement 2 is correct. The second chambers (Legislative Councils) in provinces like the United Provinces, Bihar, and Madras were dominated by vested interests such as landlords and capitalists, and their support was necessary for passing legislation. Statement 3 is incorrect. The Congress strategy was one of 'class adjustments,' which aimed to conciliate and neutralise zamindars, not class confrontation. This cautious approach itself was a constraint on radical reform.

Question 6

Consider the following two statements:

Statement-I: The Congress ministries during 1937-39 often treated militant trade union protests as law and order problems, using repressive measures like Section 144 and arresting leaders.

Statement-II: The fundamental approach of the ministries was to suppress workers' interests entirely to promote unhindered industrial growth for capitalists.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Accepted Answer

Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect. Statement-I is correct. The ministries did resort to colonial-era repressive measures like Section 144 to handle militant protests, viewing them as law and order issues. Statement-II is incorrect. The basic approach of the ministries was not to suppress workers' interests, but to advance them while promoting 'industrial peace'. They sought to act as mediators, create goodwill between labour and capital, and secure wage increases for workers. The repression was a tool used to manage conflict, not the core policy objective.

Question 7

Consider the following initiatives undertaken during the period of Congress ministries (1937-39):

1. The National Planning Committee was established in 1938 under the presidency of Jawaharlal Nehru to develop a framework for planning.
2. A key component of the labor policy was the advocacy for compulsory arbitration prior to workers resorting to strikes.
3. Social welfare reforms included measures for Harijans, such as facilitating temple entry and increasing their representation in government services.

How many of the above statements are correct?

Accepted Answer

Only two. Statement 1 is incorrect. The National Planning Committee was indeed set up in 1938, but it was under the Congress president Subhas Chandra Bose, not Jawaharlal Nehru. Statement 2 is correct. The ministries' approach to labor sought to reduce strikes by advocating for compulsory arbitration through established conciliation machinery before a strike could be called. Statement 3 is correct. The ministries took several measures for the welfare of Harijans, which included temple entry, access to public facilities, scholarships, and increasing their numbers in government service and the police.

Question 8

With reference to the mass mobilization strategy of the Indian National Congress, consider the following activities:

1. Establishment of parallel administrative and judicial bodies like panchayats.
2. Organization of literacy campaigns on a mass scale.
3. Channeling public grievances through the submission of mass petitions.
4. Mobilization and support for political movements within the princely states.

How many of the above were components of the Congress's extra-parliamentary mass activity?

Accepted Answer

All four. All four statements correctly describe the extra-parliamentary mass activities undertaken by the Congress. 
- Statement 1 is correct as the Congress set up its own police stations and panchayats, creating parallel structures.
- Statement 2 is correct as launching mass literacy campaigns was a key activity.
- Statement 3 is correct as Congress Grievance Committees were formed to present mass petitions to the government.
- Statement 4 is correct as the strategy included involvement in States peoples’ movements.

Question 9

With reference to the 28-month Congress rule (1937-39), consider the following statements:
1. The ministries successfully demonstrated that state power could be used to further a movement's ends without being co-opted by the colonial structure.
2. The period was marked by an anti-labour shift in Congress attitudes, culminating in legislation like the Bombay Industrial Disputes Act.
3. The Congress leadership resolved its internal dilemma by actively providing support to the Praja Mandal movements in the princely states.
4. The ministries were largely unable to control the outbreak of communal riots, a key failure of their tenure.
How many of the above statements are correct?

Accepted Answer

Only two. Statement 1 is correct. The Congress ministries used their administrative power to implement parts of the nationalist agenda, such as passing agrarian relief acts, releasing political prisoners, and promoting civil liberties. This demonstrated that state machinery could be used for movement objectives without being absorbed into the colonial framework.
Statement 2 is correct. The ministries faced a surge in industrial strikes. To maintain order and production, and reflecting their close ties with Indian capitalists, the Congress governments adopted a stance that was often seen as pro-capitalist. The Bombay Industrial Disputes Act of 1938, for instance, made conciliation compulsory and restricted the right to strike, which was heavily criticized by trade unions and the left wing as an anti-labour measure.
Statement 3 is incorrect. The official Congress policy during this period was one of non-intervention in the affairs of the princely states. While there was internal debate and sympathy for the Praja Mandal movements, the leadership, particularly at the Haripura Session (1938), decided against direct and active organizational support. The dilemma was resolved by maintaining a policy of non-interference, not by providing active support.
Statement 4 is incorrect. The Congress ministries were largely effective in controlling communal riots during their tenure. The communal situation was significantly better in Congress-ruled provinces compared to non-Congress provinces like Punjab and Bengal. The communal situation deteriorated sharply only after the ministries resigned in 1939.
Thus, only two statements (1 and 2) are correct.

Question 10

Consider the following two statements:
Statement-I: The All India Muslim League established the Pirpur Committee in 1938 to prepare a report on atrocities supposedly committed by the Congress ministries.
Statement-II: The Congress ministries resigned in October 1939, which the Muslim League interpreted as a confirmation of their administrative failure and oppression.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Accepted Answer

Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct but Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I.. Statement-I is correct. The Pirpur Committee was established by the Muslim League in 1938. The reason for its establishment was the League's annoyance with the Congress for not sharing power. Statement-II is also a correct historical fact; the Congress ministries did resign in October 1939. However, Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I. The Pirpur Committee was formed in 1938, a year *before* the Congress ministries resigned. Therefore, the resignation could not have been the cause for the committee's formation.

Question 11

Consider the following actions associated with the work done under the Congress ministries (1937-39):
1. Lifting of restrictions on the press and restoration of pensions for officials associated with the Civil Disobedience Movement.
2. Suppression of the Urdu language in favour of Hindi in official proceedings.
3. Release of political prisoners and revolutionaries.
How many of the above statements represent confirmed actions taken by the Congress ministries?

Accepted Answer

Only two. Statement 1 is correct. The ministries eased curbs on civil liberties, which included lifting restrictions on the press, and they restored pensions of officials associated with the CDM. Statement 2 is incorrect. The suppression of Urdu was an *allegation* made by the Pirpur Committee in its report on supposed atrocities by the Congress ministries. It is presented as a charge, not a confirmed action of the ministries. Statement 3 is correct. The ministries released political prisoners and revolutionaries as part of their work to ease curbs on civil liberties. Therefore, only two of the statements represent confirmed actions.

Congress Rule in Provinces

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