RAS question
During the Quit India Movement, which option names two prominent centres where parallel governments were formed?
Correct answer: (B) Ballia (UP) and Satara (Maharashtra).
Ballia in Uttar Pradesh and Satara in Maharashtra were prominent centres associated with parallel governments during the Quit India Movement.
Explanation
The point tested here is that the Quit India Movement did not remain limited to protest marches or arrests; in some places, local resistance took the form of parallel governments. Among the options, Ballia in Uttar Pradesh and Satara in Maharashtra is the pair that names two recognised centres. Ministry of Culture material identifies Satara in Maharashtra and Tamluk in Purba Medinipur, West Bengal as centres where such parallel governments functioned, which matters because the question is about recognised centres, not about a single province-wide label. Therefore, the safest exam reading is to choose the option that gives specific centres rather than a broad region.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Punjab is a province-level answer and is not identified as a notable centre of parallel government during the Quit India Movement.
- (C) Bengal is too broad: Tamluk in Purba Medinipur, West Bengal, is recognised, but the option does not name that specific centre and misses Satara.
- (D) Madras is not identified as a prominent parallel-government centre during the Quit India Movement.
Concept
This tests the modern-history theme of mass mobilisation in the Quit India Movement and the local forms that anti-colonial authority could take. RAS repeats such points because they link national movements with specific regional centres.