Some socialist leaders, such as Rammanohar Lohia, distanced themselves from the Congress and increased their criticism in 1955 due to:

The Congress' declaration of a socialist pattern of society

The correct answer is Option 1 - The Congress' declaration of a socialist pattern of society

• The socialist leaders wanted to present themselves as a distinct political alternative based on socialist ideas.
• When the Congress also declared itself socialist, it created a problem:
  • Now both were claiming similar ideology
  • So the Socialists could no longer differentiate themselves clearly
• This led to two reactions:
  • Some leaders chose cooperation
  • Others, like Rammanohar Lohia, increased criticism and distanced themselves to maintain a separate identity

NCERT: "The origins of the Socialist Party can be traced back to the mass movement stage of the Indian National Congress in the pre-independence era. The Congress Socialist Party (CSP) was formed within the Congress in 1934 by a group of young leaders who wanted a more radical and egalitarian Congress. In 1948, the Congress amended its constitution to prevent its members from having a dual party membership. This forced the Socialists to form a separate Socialist Party in 1948. The Party’s electoral performance caused much disappointment to its supporters. Although the Party had presence in most of the states of India, it could achieve electoral success only in a few pockets. The socialists believed in the ideology of democratic socialism which distinguished them both from the Congress as well as from the Communists. They criticised the Congress for favouring capitalists and landlords and for ignoring the workers and the peasants. But the socialists faced a dilemma when in 1955 the Congress declared its goal to be the socialist pattern of society. Thus it became difficult for the socialists to present themselves as an effective alternative to the Congress. Some of them, led by Rammanohar Lohia, increased their distance from and criticism of the Congress party. Some others like Asoka Mehta advocated a limited cooperation with the Congress."