UPSC Prelims 2002 Q144: Modern History – Peasant, Tribal & Labour Movements
Assertion (A): The effect of labour participation in the Indian nationalist upsurge of the
early 1930s was weak.
Reason (R): The labour leaders considered the ideology of Indian National Congress as bourgeois
and reactionary.
- (a) Both A and R are individually true and R is the correct explanation of A
- (b) Both A and R are individually true but R is not a correct explanation of A
- (c) A is true but R is false
- (d) A is false but R is true
Answer: (a) Both A and R are individually true and R is the correct explanation of A
Explanation
Assertion-Reason: labour in the nationalist upsurge of the early 1930s
| Statement | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Assertion: labour participation in the early 1930s upsurge was weak | True — the Civil Disobedience movement had little working-class involvement |
| Reason: labour leaders thought the Congress ideology bourgeois and reactionary | True — the communist-led unions kept away |
| Link | The leaders' view of the Congress is why labour stayed away |
| Result | Both true and R explains A |
In the early 1930s the communist-led trade unions, after the Sixth Congress of the Comintern, regarded the Congress as a bourgeois party and kept away from the Civil Disobedience Movement. This explains the weak labour participation.
Answer: (a) Both A and R are individually true and R is the correct explanation of A.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) CORRECT. Both are true and the leaders' view explains the weak participation.
- (b) Incorrect. R does explain A, so option (b) fails.
- (c) Incorrect. R is true as per standard accounts.
- (d) Incorrect. A is true; labour participation was weak.
Key point
Labour in 1930-34: Bombay Girni Kamgar Union, communist influence, Meerut Conspiracy Case 1929, CPI ban 1934.
Remember
Labour stayed away from 1930s Civil Disobedience because unions saw the Congress as bourgeois.
Common mistakes
- Thinking labour was a major force in Civil Disobedience.
- Overlooking the Comintern line against the Congress.
- Missing the cause and effect link between A and R.
Exam tip
Communist-led unions' distrust of the Congress explains labour's distance.
Sources
- Bipan Chandra — India's Struggle for Independence
- Sumit Sarkar — Modern India