Which of the following factors contributed to the formation of the Forward Bloc by Subhas Chandra Bose in 1939?

Question

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.

1. A. 1, 2 and 3
2. B. 1, 2 and 4
3. C. 1, 3 and 4 (Correct answer)
4. D. 2 and 4 only

Correct Answer

Option C — C

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is Option C.

Key Points

• Explanation: Subhas Chandra Bose won the Congress presidency at Tripuri in 1939 by defeating Gandhi's candidate Pattabhi Sitaramayya, but was then forced to resign and went on to form the Forward Bloc.
• Statement 1 is correct: he had failed to win Gandhi's confidence, and Gandhi treated Sitaramayya's defeat as his own.
• Statement 3 is correct: the Communists did not back Bose, preferring Congress unity and an anti-fascist line.
• Statement 4 is correct: the followers of M. N. Roy and socialists such as Jayaprakash Narayan also placed Congress unity above supporting Bose.
• Why Statement 2 is wrong: The claim as framed — that the Congress Left simply "failed to support Bose" — is too sweeping.
• Sections of the Left did rally to him; it was the specific defections described in Statements 3 and 4, rather than a blanket failure of the Left, that isolated him.

Additional Information

• Bose founded the Forward Bloc in May 1939 to consolidate the Left within the Congress.
• He was subsequently expelled from the Congress and removed from the presidency of the Bengal Provincial Congress Committee.