AI-generated practice question — model-generated for extra practice, not a previous-year CBSE board question.
Dalits: Dalit participation in the Civil Disobedience Movement was limited because their leaders, especially Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, believed political empowerment was the real solution to their social disabilities. They demanded separate electorates and reserved seats in legislative councils. Ambedkar's Depressed Classes Association focused on these goals rather than on a Congress-led movement that had long ignored dalit interests to avoid offending upper-caste Hindus.
Muslims: Large sections of Muslims stayed away because they felt alienated from the Congress after the decline of the Non-Cooperation–Khilafat Movement. From the mid-1920s, the Congress became visibly associated with Hindu religious groups, leading to communal riots and deepening distrust. Muslims feared their culture and identity would be submerged under Hindu majority dominance, making wholehearted participation in the movement difficult.
Source: The Limits of Civil Disobedience, Chapter 2
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The examiner expects two clearly distinct reasons, one per community. For dalits, the key idea is political empowerment vs. social integration—they distrusted Congress's agenda and wanted separate electorates. For Muslims, the key idea is alienation and fear of minority identity being lost after communal tensions grew. Mention Ambedkar and the communal riots briefly to show contextual awareness. Do not mix up the two groups' reasons.