RAS question
Who operated the underground radio station 'Congress Radio' during the Quit India Movement?
Correct answer: (B) Usha Mehta.
Usha Mehta operated the underground Congress Radio from Bombay during the Quit India Movement.
Explanation
The underground Congress Radio is associated with Usha Mehta because she was the young Gandhian activist who operated it from Bombay during the Quit India Movement. The Press Information Bureau, Government of India describes Usha Mehta as a prominent Gandhian and freedom fighter, renowned for her role in organising radio broadcasting during the Quit India Movement. The key historical link is not a general Quit India-era reputation, but Usha Mehta's specific role in the radio operation. The broadcast ran from August to November 1942, until the British discovered it, making Usha Mehta the historically precise answer.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Jayaprakash Narayan had a major Quit India-era role, but the radio-broadcasting operation is attributed to Usha Mehta.
- (C) Ram Manohar Lohia was an important socialist leader in the freedom struggle, but Usha Mehta operated Congress Radio from Bombay.
- (D) Aruna Asaf Ali is closely associated with the Quit India Movement, but the relevant radio-broadcasting role is linked to Usha Mehta.
Concept
Modern Indian History covers mass mobilisation and underground resistance during the Quit India Movement. RAS often asks precise associations between nationalist movements, methods of resistance, and named freedom fighters.