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Q37 (IAS/2017) History & Culture › National Movement (1857–1947) › Early national politics Official Key

Consider the following pairs : 1. Radhakanta Deb - First President of the British Indian Association 2. Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty - Founder of the Madras Mahajana Sabha 3. Surendranath Banerjee - Founder of the Indian Association Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched ?

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: B
Explanation

The correct answer is option B (pairs 1 and 3 only).

Radhakanta Deb was one of the founders of the Landholder's Society[1], which merged with the Bengal British India Society in 1851 to form the British Indian Association[2]. As a founding member of the predecessor organization, he became the first President of the British Indian Association, making pair 1 correct.

Surendranath Banerjee, along with Ananda Mohan Bose, founded the Indian Association of Calcutta in 1876[3], making pair 3 correct.

However, pair 2 is incorrect. Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty was associated with the Madras Native Association[5] (founded in 1852), not the Madras Mahajana Sabha. These were different organizations, and he is not credited with founding the Madras Mahajana Sabha.

Therefore, only pairs 1 and 3 are correctly matched.

Sources
  1. [3] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 10: Beginning of Modern Nationalism in India > Beginning of Modern Nationalism in India ✫ 245 > p. 245
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PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
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Q. Consider the following pairs : 1. Radhakanta Deb - First President of the British Indian Association 2. Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty - F…
At a glance
Origin: Books + Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 3.3/10 · 3.3/10
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This is a classic 'Pre-Congress Associations' question testing memory of specific founders versus general eras. While Pair 3 is a standard textbook fact, Pair 2 relies on a 'Chronological Swap' trap (1852 leader vs 1884 organization). Pair 1 is the differentiator, requiring knowledge of specific office-bearers (President vs Secretary) in early landlord societies.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
In British India, was Radhakanta Deb the first president of the British Indian Association?
Origin: Weak / unclear Fairness: Borderline / guessy
Indirect textbook clues
Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 10: Beginning of Modern Nationalism in India > Political Associations in Bengal > p. 244
Strength: 5/5
“In 1851, both the Landholders' Society and the Bengal British India Society merged into the British Indian Association. It sent a petition to the British Parliament demanding inclusion of some of its suggestions in the renewed Charter of the Company, such as (i) establishment of a separate legislature of a popular character; (ii) separation of executive from judicial functions; (iii) reduction in salaries of higher officers; and (iv) abolition of salt duty, abkari and stamp duties. These were partially accepted when the Charter Act of 1853 provided for the addition of six members to the governor-general's council for legislative purposes.”
Why relevant

States that in 1851 the Landholders' Society and the Bengal British Indian Society merged into the British Indian Association, giving the association's origin, date, and Bengal regional base.

How to extend

A student can use the 1851 founding and Bengal focus to consult Bengal-era lists of office-holders (newspapers, minutes, or biographical registers) to see who served as its first president.

Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 10: Beginning of Modern Nationalism in India > Beginning of Modern Nationalism in India ✫ 245 > p. 245
Strength: 4/5
“The Indian Association of Calcutta (also known as the Indian National Association) superseded the Indian League and was founded in 1876 by younger nationalists of Bengal led by Surendranath Banerjea and Ananda Mohan Bose, who were getting discontented with the conservative and pro-landlord policies of the British Indian Association. The Indian Association was the most important of pre-Congress associations and aimed to "promote by every legitimate means the political, intellectual and material advancement of the people." It set out to— (i) create a strong public opinion on political questions, and (ii) unify Indian people in a common political programme. It protested against the reduction of age limit in 1877 for candidates of the Indian Civil Service examination.”
Why relevant

Says the Indian Association formed in 1876 by younger Bengal nationalists because they were discontented with the "conservative and pro-landlord policies of the British Indian Association."

How to extend

A student can infer the British Indian Association was led by conservative/landlord elements and therefore seek prominent Bengal aristocrats (candidate names) as likely early presidents.

Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 10: Beginning of Modern Nationalism in India > Political Associations Before the Indian National Congress > p. 243
Strength: 4/5
“The Indian National Congress was not the first political organisation in India. However, most of the political associations in the early half of the nineteenth century were dominated by wealthy and aristocratic elements. They were local or regional in character. Through long petitions to the British Parliament most of them demanded— ● administrative reforms, ● association of Indians with the administration, and ● spread of education. The political associations of the second half of the nineteenth century came to be increasingly dominated by the”
Why relevant

Explains early political associations were dominated by wealthy and aristocratic elements and were local/regional in character.

How to extend

Knowing this pattern, a student could test whether Radhakanta Deb—if known from outside sources as a prominent Bengal aristocrat—fits the typical profile of early leaders of the British Indian Association.

Modern India ,Bipin Chandra, History class XII (NCERT 1982 ed.)[Old NCERT] > Chapter 12: Growth of New India—The Nationalist Movement 1858—1905 > Predecessors of the Indian National Congress > p. 204
Strength: 3/5
“The Indian National Congress, founded in December 1885, was the first organised expression of the Indian National Movement on an all-India scale. It had, however, many predecessors. As we have seen in an earlier chapter, Raja Rammohun Roy was the first Indian leader to start an agitation for political reforms in India. The earliest public association in modern India was the Landholders' Society—an association of the landlords of Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa, founded in 1837 with the purpose of promoting the class interests of the landlords. Then, in 1843, was organized the Bengal British Indian Society to protect and promote general public interests.”
Why relevant

Lists early associations (Landholders' Society, Bengal British Indian Society) that preceded the British Indian Association, highlighting continuity of elite regional organisations in Bengal.

How to extend

A student could trace leadership continuity from those predecessor bodies into the merged British Indian Association to identify inaugural officers.

Modern India ,Bipin Chandra, History class XII (NCERT 1982 ed.)[Old NCERT] > Chapter 12: Growth of New India—The Nationalist Movement 1858—1905 > GROWTH OF NEW INDIA—THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT 1858-1905 205 > p. 205
Strength: 3/5
“educated Indians studied the character of British rule and its consequences for the Indians, they became more and more critical of British policies in India. The discontent gradually found expression in political activity. The existing associations no longer satisfied the politically-conscious Indians. In 1866, Dadabhai Naoroji organised the East India Association in London to discuss the Indian question and to influence British public men to promote Indian welfare. Later he organised branches of the Association in prominent Indian cities. Born in 1825, Dadabhai devoted his entire life to the national movement and soon came to be known. As the Grand Old Man of India.”
Why relevant

Describes formation of Indian/East India type associations by named leaders (e.g., Dadabhai Naoroji), illustrating that leaders' names are typically recorded and can be checked.

How to extend

Use this pattern (prominent individuals recorded as founders/presidents) to justify searching primary lists or contemporary accounts for the first president of the British Indian Association and verify if Radhakanta Deb appears.

Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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