Prelims 2015 · archive
MediumWith reference to Congress Socialist Party, consider the following statements:
- 1.It advocated the boycott of British goods and evasion of taxes.
- 2.It wanted to establish the dictatorship of proletariat.
- 3.It advocated separate electorate for minorities and oppressed classes.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (d) None
None of the statements is correct. The Congress Socialist Party (CSP) was formed within the Congress in 1934 by young leaders who wanted a more radical and egalitarian Congress. Its aim was socialism pursued through the national movement. Boycott of British goods and non-payment of taxes were methods of the Gandhian mass movements, not the CSP's distinctive programme. It did not aim at a dictatorship of the proletariat, and it did not demand separate electorates.
- ✗ 1. Boycott and non-payment of taxes were techniques of the Congress-led mass movements under Gandhi, such as Non-Cooperation and Civil Disobedience. The CSP was a group inside the Congress that sought to push it in a more radical, egalitarian and socialist direction. These methods were not what defined its programme.
- ✗ 2. The 'dictatorship of the proletariat' is the Marxist-Leninist goal associated with Soviet-style communism. The CSP worked within the Congress for a socialist society, not for proletarian dictatorship. Leaders such as Narendra Deva advocated a democratic socialism distinct from both Marxism and reformist social democracy.
- ✗ 3. As secularists, CSP members hoped to overcome communal divisions through class solidarity. Separate electorates were a colonial device that the Congress opposed and the Constitution later abolished. They were never a CSP demand.
Remember · The CSP was formed in 1934 as a socialist group within the Congress, seeking a more radical and egalitarian Congress. It stood for class solidarity across communities, not separate electorates or a proletarian dictatorship.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 12 Politics in India since Independence, Ch 2 (practise this chapter) · Class 12 Themes in Indian History, Part III, Ch 3 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NCERT Class 12 · Politics in India since Independence, Chapter 2 “The Congress Socialist party (CSP) was formed within the Congress in 1934 by a group of young leaders who wanted a more radical and egalitarian Congress.”
- IGNOU MHI-09 Indian National Movement, Block 4 (National Movement – The Mass Phase-II) ↗ · reference work “As secularists, they hoped to transcend communal divisions through class solidarity. Some, such as Narendra Deva or Basawon Singh, advocated a democratic socialism distinct from both Marxism and reformist social democracy.”
- NCERT Class 12 · Themes in Indian History, Part III, Chapter 3 “In some towns, factory workers went on strike while lawyers boycotted British courts and students refused to attend government-run educational institutions. As in 1920-22, now too Gandhiji's call had encouraged Indians of all classes”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2015, General Studies paper. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 25 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·