Question

AITUC and INTUC are regarded as:
A.Political parties
B.Pressure groups
C.Social movements
D.Ethnic groups

Answer 1

Hint: AITUC stands for All India Trade Union Congress which is the oldest trade union in India. Inspired by the 1917 Bolshevik revolution in Russia, it was established by Lala Lajpat Rai in 1920 and is currently associated with the Communist Party of India. The INTUC or the Indian National Trade Union Congress is the official trade union wing of the Indian National Congress founded in 1947.

Complete step by step solution:
Option A: Political parties are incorrect. A political party is an organised group of individuals who share the same ideology and contest elections at the local, state or national level. Although the AITUC and INTUC are associated with the Communist Party of India and Indian National Congress respectively, they do not classify as political parties.
Option B: Pressure groups are correct. When a number of people, large or small, with a common social, cultural, trade of business or other such interests organise themselves to exert pressure on the government, a pressure group is formed. They do not participate in electoral politics and neither do they have a role in the governance of the State. Their responsibility is to serve as a link between the government and the people to keep the government or the representatives informed of the wishes and demands of the people. AITUC and INTUC are pressure groups.
Option C: Social movements are incorrect. It is not an organised effort like a political party or a pressure group but it leads to masses turning out in support of a social cause or resistance to a specific action or policy of the government. AITUC and INTUC are not social movements but organised pressure groups.
Option D: Ethnic group is incorrect because ethnic groups are communities formed by people based on their ethnicity or race.

Note: The first conference of the AITUC was held in Bombay and presided over by Lala Lajpat Rai and over the years, several leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Sarojini Naidu and Chittaranjan Das have been associated with the union.