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Question 46 of 60 · Indian National Congress & Its Sessions
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Who was the only person to remain President of the Indian National Congress continuously for about six years (1940-1946) before Independence?

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Answer: Option C — Maulana Abul Kalam Azad

Detailed Solution

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was elected President of the Indian National Congress at the Ramgarh session (March 1940), and continued in office until 1946, because no annual sessions could be held during the Second World War.

Why the term was so long:

  • During the Second World War, the Congress opposed India being dragged into the war without its consent.
  • The Congress launched the Individual Satyagraha (1940-41) and the Quit India Movement (1942).
  • Most Congress leaders, including Azad, were in jail from August 1942 to 1945, and the Congress was banned.
  • So no new President could be elected, and Azad remained in office.

Important events during his presidency:

  • The August Offer (1940), which the Congress rejected.
  • The Cripps Mission (1942); Azad and Nehru negotiated with Stafford Cripps on behalf of the Congress.
  • The Quit India Movement (1942); Azad was imprisoned in the Ahmednagar Fort along with other members of the Working Committee.
  • The talks on the transfer of power after the war, and the Cabinet Mission (1946).

His successor:

Azad was succeeded by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1946.

The Ramgarh session (1940):

  • It was held at Ramgarh, in present-day Jharkhand.
  • It resolved that nothing short of complete independence would be acceptable, and that the Congress could not support the war effort.

About Azad's writings:

  • He was also a noted Urdu journalist.
  • His commentary on the Quran is called "Tarjuman-ul-Quran".
  • His letters written in jail were published as "Ghubar-e-Khatir".

Why not the other options?

  • ✗Nehru, Rajendra Prasad and Sarojini Naidu did not hold the office continuously for six years.

Quick tip

Remember: longest continuous Congress President before Independence = Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (Ramgarh, 1940 to 1946), because no sessions were held during the Second World War.

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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.

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