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GS History Modern India
Q.

Consider the following statements regarding the nationalist movement in India during 1858 to 1905.

1. The early nationalist movement was mainly to safeguard the interest of the social groups which joined it.

2. They were not able to expose the exploitative character of colonial rule.

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct. The Early Nationalists were a group of political leaders in India active between 1885 and 1905. This phase of the national movement had a narrow social base and the masses played a passive role. They had full faith in the British sense of justice, fair play, honesty, and integrity while they believed that British rule was a boon for India. The national leaders like Dadabhai Naoroji, Pherozshah Mehta, D.E. Wacha, W.C. Banerjee, S. N. Banerjee who dominated the Congress policies during this period were believers in liberalism and moderate politics. They advocated for the expansion of the councils, reform of councils and democratic self-government. The early nationalists failed to widen the democratic base of the movement by not including the masses, especially women and not demanding the right to vote for all.

Statement 2 is incorrect: The early nationalists, led by Dadabhai Naoroji, R.C Dutt, Dinshaw Wacha and others, carefully analyzed the political economy of British rule in India, and put forward the ‘drain theory’. Thus, the early nationalist leaders exposed the basically exploitative character of colonial rule.

Thus, Option A is Correct.

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