Which of the following statement is correct about the views on democracy in the mid-twentieth century?

A) Leaders in some countries thought that opting for democracy could lead to conflicts.
B) The leaders of non-democratic regimes restore democracy, as promised when they came to power.
C) The leaders of independent India viewed politics as a way to accumulate power.
D) The leaders of independent India believe pursuing public interest should be the purpose of political activity.

Choose the correct answer from the given options:

A and D only

The correct answer is Option 3 - A and D only

The correct statements are:

A) Leaders in some countries thought that opting for democracy could lead to conflicts.
D) The leaders of independent India believe pursuing public interest should be the purpose of political activity.

Correction in the incorrect statement:

B) The leaders of non-democratic regimes restore democracy, as promised when they came to power.
Correction- Non-democratic regimes always started with a promise of restoring democracy very soon. But once they established themselves, it was very difficult to dislodge them.

C) The leaders of independent India viewed politics as a way to accumulate power.
Correction- The leaders of independent India did not view politics as a problem; they saw it as a way of solving the problems.

Independent India was born in difficult circumstances. It faced serious challenges of nation-building. Faced with such serious challenges, leaders in many other countries of the world decided that their country could not afford to have democracy. They said that national unity was their first priority and that democracy will introduce differences and conflicts. Therefore many of the countries that gained freedom from colonialism experienced non-democratic rule. It took various forms: nominal democracy but effective control by one leader, one party rule or direct army rule. Non-democratic regimes always started with a promise of restoring democracy very soon. But once they established themselves, it was very difficult to dislodge them. The conditions in India were not very different. But the leaders of the newly independent India decided to take the more difficult path. Any other path would have been surprising, for our freedom struggle was deeply committed to the idea of democracy. Our leaders were conscious of the critical role of politics in any democracy. They did not see politics as a problem; they saw it as a way of solving the problems. Every society needs to decide how it will govern and regulate itself. There are always different policy alternatives to choose from. There are different groups with different and conflicting aspirations. How do we resolve these differences? Democratic politics is an answer to this question. While competition and power are the two most visible things about politics, the purpose of political activity is and should be deciding and pursuing public interest. This is the route our leaders decided to take.