With reference to Indian freedom struggle, Usha Mehta is well-known for

The correct answer is A. Usha Mehta, a law student in Bombay, ran the underground Congress Radio from August to November 1942, after the Quit India Movement was launched. It broadcast banned news, nationalist messages and calls for resistance until the police tracked it down and she was arrested. She was sentenced to four years and released in 1946.

• B is wrong: The Second Round Table Conference (1931) was attended by Gandhi, Sarojini Naidu and Madan Mohan Malaviya. Usha Mehta was a child at the time.
• C is wrong: The Indian National Army was led by Subhas Chandra Bose. Lakshmi Swaminathan led the Rani of Jhansi Regiment, not Usha Mehta.
• D is wrong: The Interim Government of 1946 under Nehru was formed through the Cabinet Mission Plan. Usha Mehta had no role in it.

The core concept is the underground press and radio as tools of mass mobilisation when the colonial state had shut down open political activity. For Mains, this fits well with questions on the role of women and the media in the freedom struggle.

Trap: Aspirants often confuse Usha Mehta with Aruna Asaf Ali, who also was active in 1942 but hoisted the flag at Gowalia Tank, or with the Rani of Jhansi Regiment.