Read the passage and answer the question:

The roots of the extraordinary success of the Congress party go back to the legacy of the freedom struggle. Congress was seen as inheritor of the national movement. Many leaders who were in the forefront of that struggle were now contesting elections as Congress candidates. The Congress was already a very well-organised party and by the time the other parties could even think of a strategy, the Congress had already started its campaign. In fact, many parties were formed only around Independence or after that. Thus, the Congress had the ‘first off the blocks’ advantage.

Given below are two statements: one is labelled as Assertion and the other is labelled as Reason:

Assertion:  Congress was not only an ideological coalition but a social coalition as well.

Reason:  Peasants and industrialists, urban dwellers and villagers, workers and owners, middle, lower and upper classes, and castes, all found space in the Congress.

Both the Assertion and the Reason are correct and the Reason is the correct explanation of the Assertion.

The correct answer is Option 1 - Both the Assertion and the Reason are correct and the Reason is the correct explanation of the Assertion.

Assertion:  Congress was not only an ideological coalition but a social coalition as well.

Reason:  Peasants and industrialists, urban dwellers and villagers, workers and owners, middle, lower and upper classes, and castes, all found space in the Congress.

The assertion and reason are aligned with the historical composition and ideology of the Indian National Congress during the freedom struggle. The Congress indeed functioned as both an ideological and social coalition, bringing together various segments of Indian society. Peasants, industrialists, urban dwellers, villagers, workers, owners, and individuals from different classes and castes were all represented within the Congress. This diversity allowed the Congress to articulate and advocate for a broad spectrum of interests and concerns, contributing significantly to its strength and influence during the independence movement.


Congress as a social coalition & as an ideological coalition:

Social Coalition:
The Congress party evolved from a pressure group for the educated, professional, and commercial classes in 1885 to a mass movement in the twentieth century.
Its initial composition was dominated by English-speaking, upper-caste, upper-middle-class, and urban elites.
However, with each civil disobedience movement, the Congress party expanded its social base and brought together diverse groups with often contradictory interests.
It included peasants, industrialists, urban and rural dwellers, workers, owners, and people from various social classes and castes.
Over time, the Congress party's leadership expanded beyond the upper caste and upper-class professionals to include leaders with a rural orientation and agricultural backgrounds.
By the time of independence, the Congress party had transformed into a social coalition representing India's diversity in terms of classes, castes, religions, languages, and various interests.
While some groups merged their identity within the Congress, others maintained their distinct beliefs and continued to exist within the party.

Ideological coalition:
The Congress party served as an ideological coalition, accommodating individuals and groups with a range of beliefs, including revolutionaries, pacifists, conservatives, radicals, extremists, moderates, and those from the left, right, and centre.
It functioned as a platform for numerous groups, interests, and even political parties to participate in the national movement.
During the pre-independence era, many organizations and parties with their own constitutions and organizational structures were allowed to operate within the Congress.
Some of these groups, such as the Congress Socialist Party, later separated from the Congress and became opposition parties.
Despite differences in methods, specific programs, and policies, the Congress party managed to contain and, to some extent, resolve conflicts and build consensus.