Previous Year Question
Given below are two statements, one is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other as Reason (R).
Assertion (A): Most of the early nationalists considered British rule as an act of providence destined to bring modernisation.
Reason (R): They complained only against “Un-British rule” in India.
Select the correct answer from the codes given below:
Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
(A) is false, but (R) is true.
Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
(A) is true, but (R) is false.
Correct Answer: C
Detailed Solution
Assertion (A) is correct. The early nationalists or Moderates of the Indian National Congress did not completely reject British rule in the manner of the later assertive nationalists. They saw in British rule the possibility of developing modern education, law, political institutions and administrative unity.
University historical material also records that the Moderates regarded the coming of the British as “beneficial and providential.” They believed that the British connection could be used to reform Indian society and political institutions.
For this reason, the early nationalists initially demanded constitutional and administrative reforms rather than the immediate termination of British rule. They attached importance to constitutional methods such as petitions, resolutions, memorials and influencing British public opinion.
Reason (R) is also correct. The early nationalists severely criticised the economic and administrative policies of colonial rule, but they often framed this criticism as a departure from the professed liberal principles of British governance.
The clearest example is Dadabhai Naoroji. While criticising the drain of wealth, poverty and colonial economic exploitation, he titled his famous work Poverty and Un-British Rule in India. He argued that the policies pursued in India violated Britain's own principles of justice and liberalism.
This is what connects (R) with (A). Since a large section of the early nationalists still retained faith in British political traditions and their professed liberal ideals, they located the problem not simply in rule being “British”, but in the “Un-British” manner in which it was being administered.
The word “only” should be understood in the historical framing of the question—it does not mean that the early nationalists raised only one issue; they raised questions of poverty, Drain of Wealth, discrimination in services, high administrative expenditure and inadequate representation. The point is that at this stage their political critique focused on reforming the unjust and ‘Un-British’ character of colonial administration rather than immediately ending the British connection.