Read the passage and answer the questions:
To that end, the British government convened a series of "Round Table Conferences" in London. The first meeting was held in November 1930, but without the pre-eminent political leader in India, thus rendering it an exercise in futility. Gandhiji was released from jail in January 1931 and the following month had several long meetings with the Viceroy. These culminated in what was called the "Gandhi-Irwin Pact", by the terms of which civil disobedience would be called off, all prisoners released, and salt manufacture allowed along the coast. The pact was criticised by radical nationalists, for Gandhiji was unable to obtain from the Viceroy a commitment to political independence for Indians: he could obtain merely an assurance of talks towards that possible end.
A second Round Table Conference was held in London in the latter part of 1931. Here, Gandhiji represented the Congress. However, his claims that his party represented all of India came under challenge from three parties: from the Muslim League; which claimed to stand for the interests of the Muslim minority: from the Princes, who claimed that the Congress had no stake in their territories; and from the brilliant lawyer and thinker B.R. Ambedkar, who argued that Gandhiji and the Congress did not really represent the lowest castes.
Gandhi was criticised by the radicals due to following reasons as he was unable to obtain this commitment. Choose the correct option.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → The Viceroy did not grant political independence.
Option (1) The Viceroy did not grant political independence. — Correct. Radical nationalists criticised the pact because Gandhiji could not obtain from the Viceroy a commitment to political independence for Indians. He got only an assurance of talks towards that possible end.
Option (2) The Viceroy did not exempt taxes. — Incorrect. Taxes were not the point of the criticism. On salt, the pact in fact allowed salt manufacture along the coast.
Option (3) The Viceroy did not grant social freedom. — Incorrect. The radicals wanted a promise of political freedom for India; social freedom was not what they blamed Gandhiji for missing.
Option (4) The Viceroy did not grant economic independence. — Incorrect. Economic independence was not the commitment at issue; the pact was criticised for leaving out political independence.
NCERT (2026-27): “3.2 Dialogues … To that end, the British government convened a series of ‘Round Table Conferences’ in London. The first meeting was held in November 1930, but without the pre-eminent political leader in India, thus rendering it an exercise in futility. Gandhiji was released from jail in January 1931 and the following month had several long meetings with the Viceroy. These culminated in what was called the ‘Gandhi-Irwin Pact’, by the terms of which civil disobedience would be called off, all prisoners released, and salt manufacture allowed along the coast. The pact was criticised by radical nationalists, for Gandhiji was unable to obtain from the Viceroy a commitment to political independence for Indians; he could obtain merely an assurance of talks towards that possible end.…” |