Examkin

Question

Difficulty: HardRise of Indian Nationalism and Early Phase of the Indian National Congress

Regarding the early phase of the Indian National Congress (1885–1905) and early nationalist political activities, which of the following statements are correct?

  1. Early nationalist leaders such as Dadabhai Naoroji and R. C. Dutt articulated a thorough economic critique of British rule, highlighting the systemic 'Drain of Wealth' from India.Answer
  2. One of the primary political demands of the early Indian National Congress was the expansion of legislative councils and an increase in Indian non-official representation.Answer
  3. C
    The Indian Councils Act of 1892 granted non-official members of legislative councils the right to vote on the annual financial budget.
  4. D
    The Indian Association of Calcutta merged with the Indian National Congress during its inaugural session held at Bombay in December 1885.

Answer

The correct statements are that early nationalist leaders articulated a thorough economic critique highlighting the 'Drain of Wealth' from India, and that a primary political demand of the early Congress was the expansion of legislative councils with increased Indian representation.
The early Moderate phase was defined by economic analysis (Drain Theory by Dadabhai Naoroji, R. C. Dutt) and constitutional demands for legislative reform. Both statements confirming the economic Drain critique and the demand for legislative expansion accurately reflect early nationalist objectives.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Evaluate the economic contributions of early nationalist leaders.
Dadabhai Naoroji (author of Poverty and Un-British Rule in India) and R. C. Dutt developed the 'Drain Theory', explaining the economic exploitiveness of colonial rule. This statement is correct.
Economic critique was the core intellectual contribution of early Moderates.
2
Analyze the constitutional demands of early INC sessions.
Expanding legislative councils and increasing Indian representation were central political demands of early sessions (1885–1892). This statement is correct.
Early leaders emphasized constitutional agitation and political representation.
3
Examine the provisions of the Indian Councils Act of 1892 regarding budgetary powers.
The Act allowed council members to discuss the budget and ask questions on public interest matters, but did not grant voting rights on the budget. This statement is incorrect.
Conflating discussion rights with voting rights misinterprets the limited scope of colonial constitutional reforms.
4
Verify the timeline of the Indian Association's merger with the Congress.
The Indian Association held the National Conference in Calcutta in 1885 concurrently with the first INC session in Bombay. The merger occurred during the second INC session in Calcutta in December 1886. This statement is incorrect.
Confusing the first (1885) and second (1886) INC sessions is a common chronological error.

Key Concept

Early Nationalist Economic Critique and Constitutional Demands (1885–1905)
Rate this question

Topics

Rise of Indian Nationalism and Early Phase of the Indian National Congress

More questions from this topic