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The Growth of the Congress Movement in Punjab, 1920–1940
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 March 2011
Abstract
The growth of the Indian National Congress traditionally has been discussed in terms of the spread of nationalism as a sentiment. The development of the Congress movement in Punjab, however, suggests it may owe less to nationalism than to specific changes within the provincial political systems. Communal politics denied to the Congress much Hindu support in Punjab until the late 1930's. It was not until efforts to organize a Hindu communal party ceased and one faction within the Congress sought Hindu communal support that a large proportion of the Punjabi Hindu community joined the Congress movement.
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References
1 For an excellent study of the organizational changes in the Congress, see Krishna, Gopal, “The Development of the Indian National Congress as a Mass Organization,” Journal of Asian Studies, XXV, 3 (05, 1966), 413–430.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
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3 These groups will be referred to under the general appellation, “Punjabi Hindu.” This is not to imply that this is a monolithic group. As will be shown below, there was a wide variation in political and social attitudes within this group. For material on the early Congress and Punjabi Hindu attitudes toward it, see Barrier, N. Gerald, “Arya Samaj and Congress Politics in Punjab, 1894–1908,” Journal of Asian Studies, XXVI, 3 (05, 1967), 363–380.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
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