RAS question
The demand for 'Purna Swaraj' (Complete Independence) was made at which Congress session?
Correct answer: (A) Lahore Session 1929.
The demand for Purna Swaraj, or complete independence, was made at the Lahore Session of the Indian National Congress in December 1929.
Explanation
Purna Swaraj marked the Congress move from seeking limited constitutional concessions to demanding complete independence. This demand was made at the Lahore Session of December 1929, presided over by Jawaharlal Nehru, and 26 January 1930 was declared as Independence Day. Press Information Bureau, Government of India explains the importance of this date: 26 January came to symbolise the assertion of complete independence in 1930 and was later linked to India's constitutional beginning as Republic Day. The Lahore Session of 1929, rather than a later Congress meeting or an earlier demand for Dominion Status, marks the decisive adoption of the Purna Swaraj demand.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) The Lucknow Session of 1936 came several years after the Purna Swaraj demand had already been made in December 1929.
- (C) The Calcutta Session of 1928 is linked to Dominion Status, whereas Purna Swaraj meant complete independence.
- (D) The Karachi Session of 1931 is associated with the resolution on Fundamental Rights, not with first making the Purna Swaraj demand.
Concept
The national movement timeline includes the shift from Dominion Status to complete independence. RAS repeats Congress-session chronology because it connects dates, resolutions and ideological turning points in modern Indian history.