Previous Year Question
Who formed the Radical Democratic Party in 1940?
Indrasen
M. N. Roy
Somendranath Tagore
Sachindranath Sanyal
Correct Answer: B
Detailed Solution
Manabendra Nath Roy (M. N. Roy) founded the Radical Democratic Party (RDP) in December 1940. Before this, he had been associated with the Indian National Congress and had organised his followers under the League of Radical Congressmen.
During the Second World War, M. N. Roy’s position diverged from that of the Congress leadership. Roy believed that the defeat of fascism was essential for the defence of democracy, and therefore supported the Allied war effort. As differences on this issue widened, he left the Congress and formed the Radical Democratic Party.
The RDP was not merely an electoral organisation; through it Roy sought to develop an alternative political outlook based on democratic decentralisation, individual freedom and rational political thought.
During the same period, Roy gradually moved away from orthodox Marxism towards Radical Humanism or New Humanism, which later became his principal philosophical doctrine.