Which of the following factors contributed to the formation of the Forward Bloc by Subhas Chandra Bose in 1939 ? 1. Bose failed to win the confidence of Mahatma Gandhi. 2. The Congress Left was disunited and failed to support Bose. 3. The Communists did not support Bose in his endeavours. 4. The supporters of M.N. Roy and socialist leaders like Jayaprakash Narayan preferred Congress unity to supporting Bose. Select the answer using the code given below :

The correct answer is Option B (1, 2 and 4).

Statement 1 is correct: Subhas Chandra Bose ran for a second term as Congress President at the 1939 Tripuri session, defeating Pattabhi Sitaramayya. However, Mahatma Gandhi opposed this radical shift and famously declared Sitaramayya’s defeat as his own. Failing to win Gandhi's confidence, Bose was crippled by a deadlock, unable to form his Congress Working Committee. He resigned in April 1939 and subsequently founded the Forward Bloc.

Statement 2 is correct: Bose intended to consolidate all anti-imperialist, radical, and left-wing factions. However, the Congress Left was severely disunited and failed to present a cohesive front to back him during his standoff with the moderate 'Old Guard'.

Statement 4 is correct: The disunity peaked when Govind Ballabh Pant moved a resolution requiring Bose to nominate his Working Committee strictly according to Gandhi's wishes. Key left-wing entities, including Jayaprakash Narayan's Congress Socialist Party (CSP) and the followers of M.N. Roy, abstained from voting against this resolution. They prioritized the overarching unity of the Indian National Congress, fearing that supporting Bose would split the national movement.

Why Statement 3 is incorrect: Statement 3 is incorrect because the Communists did support Bose in his initial endeavours. The Communist Party of India (CPI) actively voted for Bose during his 1939 presidential re-election. Furthermore, after Bose formed the Forward Bloc, the Communists collaborated with him by joining the Left Consolidation Committee (LCC) in June 1939 to unite left-wing elements, even though this alliance eventually fractured.

Takeaway: During the 1939 Tripuri Crisis, Bose’s isolation was driven by Gandhi's opposition and the CSP/Royists prioritizing Congress unity. The Communists, conversely, were among the few factions that initially backed Bose’s radical block.