ABSTRACT

In addition to working to transform the Congress into the united front, leftists campaigned to draw the Congress as a whole toward adopting united front programs. This tactic entailed attempting to radicalize Congress programs by introducing explicitly socialist resolutions for discussion and approval at All-India Congress Committee (AICC) meetings and annual sessions. Disciplinary rules certainly targeted socialists and communists within the Congress who allegedly engaged in anti-Congress and anti-nationalist activities. Moreover, disciplinary mechanisms threatened the fundamental purpose of the united front. The Lucknow Congress session of April 1936 in many ways marked the high-water mark of the united front. The session passed several resolutions that complemented the united front agenda. The Lucknow session introduced Congress Socialist Party (CSP) radicalism into Congress programs, providing, in the words of Charles Mascarenas, "a synthesis of revolutionary theory and revolutionary practice". The Election Manifesto expressed united front intentions, noting that "a joint front is necessary" to secure independence.