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Question
Describe the organization of the Congress party as a social and ideological coalition.
Solution
By the time of Independence, the Congress was transferred to a rainbow-like social coalition broadly representing India’s diversity in terms of classes and castes, religions and languages and various interests. Many of these groups merged rather than identified with the Congress. In this sense, the Congress was an ideological coalition as well.
The Congress was already a very well-organised party, and by the time the other parties could even think of a strategy, the Congress had already started its campaign. In fact, many parties were formed only around independence or thereafter. Thus, the Congress had the first off the blocks advantage. By the time of Independence, the party had not only spread across the length and breadth of the country but also to the grass root local level.
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RELATED QUESTIONS
Which characteristics made the Congress an ideological coalition during the freedom movement of India?
In what sense was the Congress an ideological coalition? Mention the various ideological currents present within the Congress.
Read the following passage and answer the questions below :
" Patel, the organisational man of the congress, wanted to purge the congress of other political groups and sought to make of it a cohesive and disciplined political party . He ... sought to take the Congress away from its all-embracing character and turn it into a close-knit party of disciplined cadres . Being a 'realist' he looked more for discipline than for comprehension . while Gandhi took too romantic view of "carrying on the movement," Patel's idea of transforming the congress into strictly political party with a single ideology and tight discipline showed an equal lack of understanding of the eclectic role that the congress, as a government, was to be called upon to perform in the decades to follow." - Rajni Kothari
(a) Why does the author think that Congress should not have been a cohesive and disciplined party?
(b) Give some examples of the eclectic role of the Congress party in the early years.
(c) Why does the author say that Gandhi’s view about Congress future was romantic?