Read the passage and answer the questions:
“The real minorities are the masses of this country”
Sir, there is a lot of talk about minorities. Who are the real minorities? Not the Hindus in the so-called Pakistan provinces, not the Sikhs, not even the Muslims. No, the real minorities are the masses of this country. These people are so depressed and oppressed and suppressed till now that they are not able to take advantage of ordinary civil rights. What is the position? You go to the tribal areas. According to law, their own traditional law, their tribal law, their lands cannot be alienated. Yet our merchants go there, and in the so-called free market they are able to snatch their lands. Thus, even though the law goes against this snatching away of their lands, the merchants are still able to turn the tribal people into veritable slaves by various kinds of bonds, and make them hereditary bond-slaves. Let us go to the ordinary villagers. There goes the moneylender with his money, and he is able to get the villagers in his pocket. There is the landlord himself, the zamindar, and the malguzar, and there are various other people who are able to exploit these poor villagers. There is no elementary education even among these people. These are the real minorities that need protection and assurances of protection. In order to give them the necessary protection, we will need much more than this Resolution.
What was the position of the masses of this country?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Depressed, oppressed and suppressed; and unable to take advantage of ordinary civil rights
The speaker, N.G. Ranga, says that the masses of the country are so depressed and oppressed and suppressed till now that they are not able to take advantage of ordinary civil rights. Tribal people lose their lands to merchants, villagers fall into the hands of moneylenders and landlords, and there is no elementary education even among them. Options (2), (3) and (4) say the opposite of what he describes.
NCERT: Themes in Indian History Part III — Chapter 12: Framing the Constitution (2025-26)
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