SSC
In 1934, the idea of a Constituent Assembly for India was put forward for the first time by:
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Answer: Option C — M.N. Roy
Detailed Solution
Roy. Manabendra Nath Roy (1887-1954), born Narendra Nath Bhattacharya in Bengal, was a revolutionary and political thinker. He is regarded as a pioneer of the communist movement in India. He helped found the Communist Party of Mexico (1917) and the Communist Party of India at Tashkent (1920), and worked with the Communist International. Later, he broke with communism and developed a philosophy called "Radical Humanism".
In 1934, M.N. Roy was the first person to put forward the idea of a Constituent Assembly for India, a body of elected Indian representatives that would draft India's own constitution, instead of the British Parliament deciding India's system of government.
The idea was then taken up by the Indian National Congress:
- In 1935, the Congress officially demanded a Constituent Assembly for the first time.
- In 1938, Jawaharlal Nehru declared that the constitution of free India must be framed by a Constituent Assembly elected on the basis of adult franchise, without outside interference.
- The British accepted the demand in principle in the "August Offer" of 1940, made by Viceroy Lord Linlithgow.
- The Cripps Mission (1942) also proposed a constitution-making body after the war.
Finally, the Constituent Assembly was set up in November 1946 under the Cabinet Mission Plan (1946). Its members were indirectly elected by the members of the provincial legislative assemblies, and representatives of princely states were nominated. Its first meeting was held on 9 December 1946, with Dr Sachchidananda Sinha as the temporary chairman. Dr Rajendra Prasad was elected its permanent President on 11 December 1946. Dr B.R. Ambedkar chaired the Drafting Committee. The Constitution was adopted on 26 November 1949.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Jawaharlal Nehru supported the demand strongly from 1938 and moved the Objectives Resolution in 1946.
B.R. Ambedkar chaired the Drafting Committee.
Mahatma Gandhi supported the idea but did not first propose it.
Quick tip
Remember: Constituent Assembly idea = M.N. Roy (1934); Congress demand = 1935; accepted in the August Offer (1940); formed under the Cabinet Mission Plan (1946), first meeting 9 December 1946.
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Indian National Congress & Its Sessions — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Indian National Congress & Its Sessions, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
The Indian National Congress was founded in 1885 by A. O. Hume, and its first session was held in Bombay under W. C. Bonnerjee. This topic covers the important Congress sessions and their presidents, the moderate and extremist phases, the Surat split, and the founding and role of the Muslim League. Questions commonly ask who presided over a session, where a session was held, or what was decided there. For example, the 1929 Lahore session under Jawaharlal Nehru adopted the goal of Purna Swaraj, and the 1931 Karachi session passed the resolution on Fundamental Rights. The first woman president of the Congress was Annie Besant (Calcutta, 1917). Practise the Indian National Congress questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.