Q. Which of the following factors contributed to the formation of the Forward Bloc by Subhas Chandra Bose in 1939?
1. Bose failed to win the confidence of Mahatma Gandhi.
2. The Congress Left was disunited and failed to support Bose.
3. The Communists did not support Bose in his endeavours.
4. The supporters of M.N. Roy and socialist leaders like Jayaprakash Narayan preferred Congress unity to supporting Bose.
Select the answer using the code given below:
Exp) Option b is the correct answer.
The formation of the All India Forward Bloc was closely linked to the ideological tensions within the Congress after the Tripuri Session of 1939. The conflict reflected differing views on the timing and method of the anti-colonial struggle, especially between Bose’s radical approach and Gandhi’s cautious strategy.
Statement 1 is correct: Although Bose won the Congress presidential election at Tripuri, he could not secure Mahatma Gandhi’s confidence. Bose favoured an immediate mass struggle and even proposed giving the British government an ultimatum for independence.
Gandhiji, however, believed that the country and the Congress organisation were not yet prepared for such a confrontation. The ideological gap between the two leaders widened further when Bose failed to form a working committee acceptable to the Gandhian camp.
Statement 2 is correct:The Left within the Congress lacked unity and organisational cohesion. Though several socialist and radical groups were sympathetic to Bose’s militant line, they were unwilling to risk a split in the Congress. As a result, Bose did not receive consistent support from the broader Left bloc during the Tripuri crisis.
Statement 3 is incorrect:The issue was not outright Communist opposition to Bose. The source material indicates that the Communists, like many other Left groups, were mainly concerned about preserving Congress unity during the national movement. They feared that a split in the Congress would weaken the anti-colonial struggle and reduce the influence of the Left.
Statement 4 is correct: Many Royists and socialist leaders believed that maintaining a united Congress under Gandhi’s leadership was more important than backing Bose in an organisational confrontation. Since the Congress was the principal vehicle of the freedom struggle, these groups avoided supporting any move that could divide the organisation. This weakened Bose politically and eventually led to his resignation and the formation of the Forward Bloc in May 1939.
Source: https://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/62832/1/Block-7.pdf – Unit 22 – INTRODUCTION TO NATIONALISM AND SOCIAL -REVOLUTION-I (SOCIALISM) – SUBHASH CHANDRA BOSE AND SOCIALISM – Different Activities of Bose – Page 11;
https://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/44329/3/Block-5.pdf – Page -12
A brief History of India by Rajiv Ahir (Spectrum) – Nationalist Response in the Wake of World War II – Haripura and Tripuri Sessions: Subhash Bose’s Views – Tripuri – Page 437 to 439
