Whose among the following contributed to the establishment of the Swaraj Party in 1923?

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 1:

The Swaraj Party, officially the Congress-Khilafat Swarajya Party, was established in January 1923, shortly after the collapse of the Non-Cooperation Movement. The party was founded by C.R. Das (Chittaranjan Das) as the President and Motilal Nehru as one of the Secretaries. This move was a result of a deep ideological divide within the Indian National Congress regarding the path forward. These leaders, often called 'Pro-Changers,' advocated for ending the boycott of legislative councils and instead contesting elections to enter the councils, aiming to 'wreck the government from within' by obstructing official business and demanding reforms. Their goal was to use the constitutional framework as a battleground against British rule, differing from the 'No-Changers' who favored continuing the constructive program outside the councils.

The incorrect option is 2:
Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhash Chandra Bose were significant leaders in the independence movement, but they were not the founders of the Swaraj Party in 1923. At the time of the Swaraj Party's formation, both Nehru and Bose were primarily associated with the radical, younger wing of the Congress. Jawaharlal Nehru, in particular, was a 'No-Changer' and was initially opposed to the idea of council entry championed by Motilal Nehru and C.R. Das. He, along with others, viewed council entry as a deviation from Gandhi’s constructive program, although he later moved towards socialist and radical movements, and neither of them were central figures in the Swarajist movement’s foundation.

The incorrect option is 3:
Bhagat Singh and Chandra Shekhar Azad are recognized as revolutionary nationalists who advocated for armed struggle against the British Raj, not parliamentary politics. They were associated with the Hindustan Republican Association/Army and later the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association. Their political activities and methods stood in stark contrast to the Swaraj Party’s aim of using the legislative councils for obstructionist politics. Therefore, they were part of a completely different stream of the freedom struggle and had no connection with the establishment of the Swaraj Party.

The incorrect option is 4:
Rammanohar Lohia and Jai Prakash Narayan were prominent socialist leaders who gained prominence much later in the Indian freedom struggle, particularly during the 1930s and 1940s, and were key figures in the post-independence era. They were part of the Congress Socialist Party (CSP) which emerged as a leftist faction within the Congress. Since the Swaraj Party was established in 1923, their active political careers as major national figures began well after the party's formation, making their involvement in its establishment chronologically impossible.