CAPF AC 2025 Q51: Modern History – Social & Religious Reform Movements
Consider the following statements :
1. The first meeting of the All India Depressed Classes Conference was held at Poona in 1926 under the presidency of M. C. Rajah.
2. The All India Depressed Classes Association was formed at Nagpur in 1928 with Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar as its first elected President.
3. The All India Depressed Classes Congress was founded by Dr. B. S. Munje at a conference in Bombay in 1936.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
- (a) 1 and 2 only
- (b) 2 and 3 only
- (c) 1, 2 and 3
- (d) None
Answer: (d) None
Explanation
Depressed Classes organisations
How to think: each statement mixes up the place, the year or the leader.
Published histories of the depressed classes movement show that none of the three is correct.
| Statement | What the record says | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| 1. First All India Depressed Classes Conference at Poona in 1926 under M. C. Rajah | The all-India depressed classes meeting of the 1920s was held at Nagpur, not Poona | Wrong |
| 2. All India Depressed Classes Association formed at Nagpur in 1928 with Ambedkar as first elected President | The association of 1926 had M. C. Rajah as its first elected president; Ambedkar's own all-India body came in 1930 | Wrong |
| 3. All India Depressed Classes Congress founded by B. S. Moonje at Bombay in 1936 | The Depressed Classes Congress was set up by Ambedkar at Nagpur in 1930 | Wrong |
Answer: (d) None.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. Statement 1 gives the wrong city, and statement 2 names the wrong first president.
- (b) Incorrect. Statements 2 and 3 both misplace the founder or the year.
- (c) Incorrect. All three statements contain an error, so they cannot all be correct.
- (d) CORRECT. None of the three statements is correct.
Key point
M. C. Rajah: first elected president of the All India Depressed Classes Association (1926, Nagpur). Ambedkar: Bahishkrit Hitakarini Sabha 1924; All India Depressed Classes Congress, Nagpur 1930; Round Table Conferences 1930-32; Poona Pact 1932.
Remember
Rajah 1926 Nagpur; Ambedkar's Depressed Classes Congress 1930 Nagpur.
Common mistakes
- Crediting Ambedkar with the 1926 association because he is the best-known leader.
- Linking Poona with the conference because of the Poona Pact (1932).
- Assuming a statement is true because a famous name such as Moonje appears in it.
Exam tip
Educated guess: every statement joins a famous name to a precise year and city, a style that usually hides errors. When all three look like that, 'None' is worth a look.
Sources
- Eleanor Zelliot, From Untouchable to Dalit: Essays on the Ambedkar Movement (Manohar, 1992)
- Dhananjay Keer, Dr. Ambedkar: Life and Mission (Popular Prakashan)