Q. The Congress Ministries resigned in November 1939 because
(a) The Provincial Autonomy proved to be a farce
(b) The Governors interfered too much in the dayto- day administration of the provinces
(c) India was dragged into the Second World War without the consent of her people
(d) The British followed the policy of divide and rule
Ans: (c) India was dragged into the Second World War without the consent of her people
Explanation: The Congress Ministries resigned in November 1939 primarily because (c) India was dragged into the Second World War without the consent of her people.
The Congress Ministries, which were formed following the provincial elections in British India in 1937, were led by the Indian National Congress and its allied parties. These ministries aimed to exercise limited self-government within the framework of the Government of India Act, 1935.
However, when World War II broke out in September 1939, the British government, without consulting the Indian leadership or seeking the consent of the Indian people, declared India as a belligerent and a participant in the war effort. The Congress party, led by Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, strongly opposed India’s involvement in the war without the consent of the Indian people and without any significant progress in India’s path towards complete self-governance.
The Congress believed that the war was being fought for the principles of freedom and democracy, which were being denied to the people of India. The party felt that India’s participation in the war effort without resolving the political issues and granting full independence was unjust and unacceptable.
Therefore, in November 1939, the Congress Ministries resigned as a protest against India’s involvement in the war without the consent of the Indian people. The resignation was an assertion of the Congress’s demand for complete independence and a way to express their dissatisfaction with the British policy of dragging India into the war without consulting her people (c). The other options, while they reflect various issues and challenges faced by the Congress Ministries, were not the primary reason for their resignation in November 1939.