Nehru-Patel strands in Congress
Topic: The National Movement: Gandhian Era · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 3 "Mahatma Gandhi and the Nationalist Movement"
Meaning
In the 1930s the Congress had two main groups pulling in different directions. Jawaharlal Nehru led the socialist group, which wanted big changes in land and wealth for the poor. Vallabhbhai Patel and Rajendra Prasad led the conservative group, which wanted steadier, more careful change. Gandhi often acted as the go-between who stopped the party from splitting. This shows that the Congress was a broad platform holding many views, not a single-minded party.
Example
In 1936 Nehru was Congress president, and his socialist speeches angered the conservative leaders. Rajendra Prasad and Patel threatened to resign. Letters from that year show Gandhi making peace between the two sides and telling Nehru to keep "the crown of thorns" of the presidency.
Don't confuse with
- Swarajists vs No-changers (1920s): that quarrel was about whether to enter the councils. The 1936 rift was about socialism.
Related concepts
- Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi
- Young India and Navajivan
- Harijan
- A Bunch of Old Letters
- Fortnightly Reports