Question

Discuss the causes of factionalism in the National Congress.

Answer 1

The causes of factionalism in the National Congress are as follows:

1. The Indian National Congress were divided because right and left leaders had differing ideas.
2. Strong socialists Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhas Chandra Bose advocated for “real economic freedom of the starving millions” and government control over major corporations. 
3. This contradicted Sardar Patel, Rajendra Prasad, and other conservatives. In 1934, Jayaprakash Narayan and colleagues founded the Congress Socialist Party, widening the gap.
4. Conservative party members like Pattabhi Sitaramayya termed socialists ‘scum’ for wanting to bring socialism to Congress. 
5. Gandhi opposed Subhas Chandra Bose’s 1939 re-election as Congress President, causing a split. After quitting, he founded the Forward Bloc to develop a strong left-wing party. 
6. The Congress Socialists stayed in Congress because they believed it was the only way to end British control.
7. Since “socialism had already made its power felt in the Congress,” Leftist and Rightist parties remained divided.