Which of the following factors contributed to the formation of the Forward Bloc by Subhas Chandra Bose in 1939?
- Bose failed to win the confidence of Mahatma Gandhi.
- The Congress Left was disunited and failed to support Bose.
- The Communists did not support Bose in his endeavours.
- The supporters of M.N. Roy and socialist leaders like Jayaprakash Narayan preferred Congress unity to supporting Bose.
Select the answer using the code given below:
- 1, 2 and 3
- 1, 2 and 4
- 1, 3 and 4
- 2 and 4 only
Explanation
Statement 1 is correct
- Although Bose won the Congress presidential election in 1939, he did not enjoy the support of Mahatma Gandhi and the Gandhian group within Congress. This was the fundamental reason for the formation of the Forward Bloc in 1939.
Statement 2 is correct
- Subhas Chandra Bose could win the Presidential election for the Tripuri Congress because all the left forces within the Congress supported him. The support of the left, particularly CSP, was crucial for Bose. However, they did not support Bose in Pant’s resolution. After the resolution was approved, Bose suddenly found himself isolated and finally resigned from the presidency of Congress in April 1939 and formed the Forward Bloc in May 1939 as a new party within the Congress.
Statement 3 is incorrect
- The Communists were generally sympathetic towards Bose at this stage and were not a major reason for his isolation.
Statement 4 is correct
- From 1936 onwards, all the left groups within Congress acted unitedly against the right wing of Congress. However, after the 1939 presidential election, the left leadership, particularly the CSP, realised that an effort to establish alternative leadership would weaken the national movement and isolate the Left from the mainstream. They also realised that Indian people could be mobilised into a movement only under Gandhiji’s leadership. Now, they chose to preserve unity within Congress rather than openly back Bose against the Congress leadership.
