Question

Who was the principal secretary of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association in 1929?
A) Bhagat Singh
B) Raj Guru
C) Sukhdev
D) Chandra Shekhar Azad

Answer 1

Hint: Ram Prasad Bismil and his associates instituted a revolutionary party named Hindustan Republic Association (HRA) in the year 1929. Responding to the rise in anti-colonial sentiment, the party was later reorganized as The Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA).

Complete answer:
The Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) was set up in 1928 by a group of Indian revolutionaries including; Chandra Shekhar Azad, Ashfaqulla Khan, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee at Feroz Shah Kotla, New Delhi.

Let us analyze the given options:
Option A) Bhagat Singh: He was an Indian socialist revolutionary and is regarded as one of the most heroic and inspirational figures of India’s independence movement. Since he was the “Principal Secretary” of HSRA in 1929, this is the correct option.

Option B) Raj Guru: He was an Indian revolutionary from Maharashtra, and he is known for being involved in the assassination of the British police officer ‘Saunders’. He was one of the colleagues of Bhagat Singh in all his missions but was not the ‘Principal Secretary’ of HSRA. This option is wrong.

Option C) Sukhdev: He participated in several revolts along with Bhagat Singh and Raj Guru in the 1920s. He was hanged by the British officials in 1931 for these actions. Though he was a senior member of the HSRA, he was never the ‘Principal Secretary’. Thus, this option is also wrong.

Option D) Chandra Sekhar Azad: Famously recognised by his self-taken name Azad (“the free”), he was an Indian progressive who revamped the HRA under its new name of Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) after the demise of Ram Prasad Bismil. He was the “Commander-in-Chief” of the HSRA. Thus, this option is incorrect.

Thus, the correct answer is Option (A) Bhagat Singh. Bhagat Singh was the principal secretary of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association in 1929.

Note: The party was initially named Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) by Bismil when he formed it in 1923. It was a revolutionary party that was set up to fight against the colonial rule of the British and achieve independence for India through an armed rebellion (if necessary). The main reason why the party was formed was that Mahatma Gandhi had called off the non-cooperation movement in 1922 due to the Chauri Chaura incident.