Q. With reference to Indian National Movement, consider the following pairs : - Person Position held Sir Tej Bahadur : President, All India Sapru Liberal Federation
- K. C. Neogy: Member, The Constituent Assembly
- P. C. Joshi : General Secretary, Communist Party of India
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched? (UPSC Prelims 2019)
Answer:
1, 2 and 3
Notes: The correct answer is
[D] 1, 2 and 3. Each of these individuals played distinct and significant roles in the political landscape of India leading up to and during the transition to independence.
- Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru (Pair 1 – Correct): A towering figure among Indian Liberals and a brilliant lawyer, Sapru left the Congress after the advent of the Non-Cooperation Movement. He was a founding member and President of the All India Liberal Federation. He is best known for his role in the Round Table Conferences and the Sapru Committee Report (1945), which sought to resolve constitutional deadlocks between the Congress and the Muslim League.
- K. C. Neogy (Pair 2 – Correct): Kshitish Chandra Neogy was a prominent politician from West Bengal and a Member of the Constituent Assembly of India. After independence, he served as the Chairman of the First Finance Commission of India (1952). He also served as the Minister of Relief and Rehabilitation and later as the Minister of Commerce in the first Cabinet of independent India.
- P. C. Joshi (Pair 3 – Correct): Puran Chand Joshi was one of the early stalwarts of the communist movement in India. He served as the first General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI) from 1935 to 1947. Under his leadership, the party expanded its mass base significantly, and he was noted for his efforts to link the communist struggle with the broader anti-imperialist national movement.
Key Historical Context:- The Liberal Federation often acted as a bridge between the British government and the Indian National Congress during periods of high tension.
- The Constituent Assembly consisted of members indirectly elected by the provincial assemblies, representing a wide spectrum of Indian political thought beyond just the Congress and League.
- The CPI, under P.C. Joshi, notably supported the British during WWII after the USSR joined the Allies (the "People's War" phase), which created a temporary rift with the Congress during the Quit India Movement.