Who was the first Indian to be elected to the leadership of the Communist International (Comintern) and to play a prominent role in its activities?

Introduction / Context:
The Communist International, often called the Comintern, was an international communist organisation that sought to coordinate communist parties around the world in the early twentieth century. Indians also participated in its activities, and one Indian revolutionary achieved a high position within the organisation. This question asks you to identify the first Indian to be elected to the leadership of the Communist International and to play an important role in it.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- The options include four well known Indian political figures: Jawaharlal Nehru, P. C. Joshi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and M. N. Roy.
- The question is specifically about leadership within the Communist International, not general national politics in India.
- The learner is expected to know the association of M. N. Roy with international communist movements.
- It is assumed that Nehru and Patel were leading figures in the Indian National Congress and not in the leadership of the Comintern.

Concept / Approach:
Manabendra Nath Roy, commonly known as M. N. Roy, was an Indian revolutionary who became an important figure in international communism. He participated in the early years of the Communist International, contributed to its ideological debates and held positions within its leadership. Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel were central to the Indian National Congress and the freedom movement, while P. C. Joshi was a leader of the Communist Party of India but did not hold early Comintern leadership roles in the same way as M. N. Roy. The approach is to associate the Comintern specifically with M. N. Roy.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify which of the listed individuals is most closely associated with international communist movements rather than mainstream Indian nationalism. Step 2: Recognise that M. N. Roy was an Indian communist thinker and revolutionary who went abroad, participated in the Mexican Revolution and then became involved with the Communist International. Step 3: Recall that he was among the early leaders in the Comintern and contributed to formulating its policies on colonial and national questions. Step 4: Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel were prominent leaders of the Indian National Congress and later independent India, but not leaders of the Comintern. Step 5: P. C. Joshi was a leading figure in the Communist Party of India, especially in later decades, but he was not the first Indian elected to the leadership of the Comintern. Step 6: Therefore, the correct answer is M. N. Roy.

Verification / Alternative check:
Historical accounts of the global communist movement and biographies of M. N. Roy highlight his role in the early years of the Communist International. They describe his membership in the executive and his participation in congresses and debates on colonial policy. In contrast, Nehru and Patel are documented as Congress leaders focused primarily on Indian nationalism, and P. C. Joshi is remembered as a later leader of the Communist Party of India. This clear distinction confirms that M. N. Roy was the first Indian to be in Comintern leadership.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A, Jawaharlal Nehru, is wrong because although Nehru had socialist sympathies and attended some international conferences, he was not a leader of the Communist International.

Option B, P. C. Joshi, is wrong because his leadership was mainly within the Communist Party of India, and there is no record of him being the first Indian elected to the leadership of the Comintern.

Option C, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, is wrong because he was a key leader in the Indian National Congress and later served as Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of India, not as a leader of the Communist International.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes associate any leader with socialist leanings or connections to left movements with international communist institutions without distinguishing specific roles. Another common pitfall is to overlook figures like M. N. Roy who were very influential internationally but less prominent in standard narratives of the Indian freedom struggle compared to Nehru and Patel. To avoid such mistakes, it is helpful to remember that the early international communist movement had a distinct set of leaders and that M. N. Roy is a key Indian name in that context.

Final Answer:
The first Indian to be elected to the leadership of the Communist International and to play a prominent role in it was M. N. Roy.