In the given question, a statement of Assertion is followed by a statement of Reason. Mark the correct answer.

Assertion: Indian National Congress (INC) was an ideological coalition.
Reason: It brought together diverse groups whose interactions were often contradictory. Peasant and industrialist, urban dwellers and villagers, workers and owners, middle, lower and upper classes and castes, all found space in the Indian National Congress (INC). 

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

The Congress party served as an ideological coalition, accommodating individuals and groups with various 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 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.