Assertion: There was considerable unease in Indo-US relations during the 1950s.
Reason: India signed a 20-year Treaty of Peace and Friendship with the Soviet Union in August 1971.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is option 2: Both the Assertion and the Reason are correct but the Reason is not the correct explanation of the Assertion.
Assertion: There was considerable unease in Indo-US relations during the 1950s. This is correct. In the 1950s, Indo-US relations were strained due to differences over Cold War alignments, with India pursuing a non-aligned foreign policy, while the US was focused on containing communism. (correct).
Reason: India signed a 20-year Treaty of Peace and Friendship with the Soviet Union in August 1971. This is also correct. The treaty marked a closer relationship between India and the Soviet Union, particularly in the context of the Cold War. However, this treaty is not the direct cause of the unease in Indo-US relations during the 1950s, as the US’s concerns stemmed more from India's neutral stance rather than its later alignment with the Soviet Union. (correct).