Assertion (A): Growth of industrial output has been slow after the mid-sixties. Reason (R) : There is a conflict of proprietary classes, viz., the industrial capitalist class, rich farmers and professionals.

Assertion (A) is true as industrial growth in India experienced a significant deceleration and stagnation from the mid-1960s to the late 1970s [t1][t3]. Research by Isher Ahluwalia confirms that manufacturing growth declined from approximately 7% (1956-1965) to 4% (1966-1981) [t3]. Reason (R) is also true and provides a structural explanation based on the political economy of the 'proprietary classes'. According to scholars like Pranab Bardhan, the Indian state was constrained by a dominant coalition of three proprietary classes: the industrial capitalist class, rich farmers, and professionals [c3][t4]. The conflict and competition for state subsidies and resources among these groups led to a proliferation of rent-seeking, a decline in public investment, and inefficient resource allocation, which directly contributed to the industrial slowdown [t3][t5]. Thus, R is the correct explanation for A.

Sources

1. [1] Modern India ,Bipin Chandra, History class XII (NCERT 1982 ed.)[Old NCERT] > Chapter 11: Economic Impact of the British Rule > DEVELOPMENT OF MODERN INDUSTRIES > p. 193