Q50 (IAS/2012) History & Culture › National Movement (1857–1947) › National movement chronology Answer Verified

The Congress ministries resigned in the seven provinces in 1939, because

the Congress could not form ministries in the other four provinces

emergence of a ‘left wing’ in the Congress made the working of the ministries impossible

there were widespread communal disturbances in their province

None of the statements given above is correct

Result

Your answer: — · Correct: D

Explanation

The Congress ministries resigned in 1939 primarily as a protest against the British government's unilateral decision to involve India in the Second World War [3]. Viceroy Lord Linlithgow declared India a belligerent without consulting the elected provincial governments or Indian leaders [1]. The Congress Working Committee argued that a war purportedly fought for democratic freedom was hypocritical if such freedom was denied to India [1]. While the Congress had failed to form ministries in some provinces like Punjab and Sindh [5], and there were internal tensions regarding the 'left wing' and communal issues [3], these were not the reasons for the mass resignation. The resignation was a strategic political move to demand a promise of independence and the formation of a national government in exchange for war support [4]. Since none of the first three options correctly identifies the war-related protest as the cause, option 4 is correct.

Sources

[1] History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 6: Communalism in Nationalist Politics > 6.5 Observation of Day of Deliverance > p. 79
[3] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 21: Congress Rule in Provinces > Congress Rule in Provinces ✫ 415 > p. 415
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1937_Indian_provincial_elections
[4] THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART III, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 11: MAHATMA GANDHI AND THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT > Mahatma Gandhi and the Nationalist Movement Civil Disobedience and Beyond > p. 301

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The Congress ministries resigned in the seven provinces in 1939, because

Explanation

SIMILAR QUESTIONS

Assertion (A) : The Congress Ministries in all the provinces resigned in the year 1939. Reason (R) : The Congress did not accept the decision of the Viceroy to declare war against Germany in the context of the Second World War. Code:

Which among the following was the reason of the resignations of the Indian ministers in all the provinces in the year 1939?

With reference to 8th August, 1942 in Indian history, which one of the following statements is correct?

In which one of the following provinces was a Congress ministry not formed under the Act of 1935?

In the election held in 1937, in which two provinces was the Indian National Congress not able to emerge as the single largest party?