Dr. B.R. Ambedkar did not support the Quit India Movement of 1942. At the time, he was serving as the Labour Member in the Viceroy’s Executive Council. He believed that the movement was “irresponsible” and “untimely,” especially during World War II and feared that a British withdrawal without constitutional safeguards would leave the Depressed Classes vulnerable to majority dominance. ANSWER: (B) B. R. Ambedkar
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Ambedkar’s opposition was rooted in his political priority: the rights of the Dalits. He argued that the “Quit India” call ignored the internal social inequalities of Indian society. Other groups that stayed away included the Muslim League (who wanted “Divide and Quit”), the Hindu Mahasabha and the Communist Party of India (after the USSR joined the Allies). While Gandhi, Nehru and Patel were jailed for launching the movement, Ambedkar continued to work within the government to secure labor reforms and prepare the legal groundwork for the future Scheduled Castes’ representation in a free India.