INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS (INC)
The establishment of the Indian National Congress (INC) in 1885 marked a pivotal moment in India’s struggle for independence and significantly influenced the development of the nation’s political framework.
- A.O. Hume, a retired British civil servant, was a key figure in shaping the idea of a national political organization for Indians.
- He collaborated with prominent Indian leaders to give the idea a concrete form.
- Hume was instrumental in organizing the first session of the Indian National Congress (INC) in Bombay in December 1885.
- His primary intention was likely to create a “safety valve” for the growing dissatisfaction among educated Indians under British rule.
- Initially, the INC meeting was planned to be held in Poona under the name Indian National Union.
- Due to a cholera outbreak in Poona, the venue was shifted to Bombay.
- The first session of the INC was held on Monday, 28 December 1885, at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College, Bombay.
Important INC Presidents
- W.C. Bonnerjee was the first President of the Indian National Congress in 1885, and the session was held in Bombay (Mumbai).
- Badruddin Tyabji, the first Muslim president, presided over the 1887 session in Madras (Chennai).
- Rahimtulla M. Sayani led the 1896 session in Calcutta (Kolkata), where “Vande Mataram” was sung for the first time.
- Gopal Krishna Gokhale presided over the session in 1905 at Benares (Varanasi), during the onset of the Swadeshi movement.
- Dadabhai Naoroji, at the 1906 session in Calcutta, openly demanded Swaraj (self-rule) for the first time.
- Rash Behari Ghosh was president during the 1907 session in Surat, which saw the historic split between Moderates and Extremists.
- In 1916, Ambica Charan Mazumdar chaired the session in Lucknow, where the Lucknow Pact was signed with the Muslim League.
- Annie Besant, the first woman to head the INC, presided over the 1917 session in Calcutta.
- Motilal Nehru led the 1919 session in Amritsar, held in the aftermath of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
- Mahatma Gandhi presided over the 1924 session in Belgaum (Karnataka)—his only time as INC president.
- In 1929, Jawaharlal Nehru chaired the session at Lahore, where the Congress declared Purna Swaraj (complete independence) as its goal.
- Vallabhbhai Patel presided over the 1931 session in Karachi, which adopted resolutions on fundamental rights and economic policies.
- Subhas Chandra Bose was elected president in 1938 at Haripura (Gujarat), where he emphasized modernization and planning.
- Bose was re-elected in 1939 at Tripuri (Madhya Pradesh) but soon resigned due to ideological differences with Gandhi's group.
- After Bose’s resignation, Rajendra Prasad took over as interim president in 1939.