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Q24 (NDA-II/2010) History & Culture › National Movement (1857–1947) › Indian National Congress Answer Verified

The author describes the safety-valve thesis as a myth because

Result
Your answer: —  Â·  Correct: B
Explanation

The 'safety-valve' thesis, popularized by Lala Lajpat Rai and later R.P. Dutt, suggests that A.O. Hume founded the Indian National Congress to provide a safe outlet for Indian discontent and prevent a violent uprising against British rule [2]. However, modern historians like Bipan Chandra describe this thesis as a 'myth' because, upon examining available historical materials and the 'Seven Volumes' of secret reports cited by Hume, they found no evidence of such a conspiracy [t6][t9]. The author concludes that the thesis does not hold ground because the Congress was actually the result of a growing national movement and the urge of politically conscious Indians to establish a national organization for political advancement [c3][t2]. Instead of being a British tool, the Congress was an indigenous effort by Indian nationalists who used Hume as a 'lightning conductor' to avoid early suppression by the colonial state [c2][t6].

Sources

  1. [1] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 11: Indian National Congress: Foundation and the Moderate Phase > Was It a Safety Valve? > p. 248
  2. [2] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 11: Indian National Congress: Foundation and the Moderate Phase > Summary > p. 256
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SIMILAR QUESTIONS

CAPF · 2014 · Q43 Relevance score: -2.23

Which one among the following explains the meaning of the ‘Safety Valve Theory1 in the context of Indian National Movement ?

CDS-II · 2015 · Q91 Relevance score: -2.78

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