The Congress ministries resigned in the seven provinces in 1939 as a protest against Viceroy Lord Linlithgow's action of declaring India to be a belligerent in the Second World War without consulting the Indian people. This was a pivotal event that fueled India's push for autonomy and marked a turning point in the nationalist struggle. The reasons given in options (a), (b), and (c) are not the correct reasons for the resignation of the Congress ministries in 1939.