Sample Material of Our IAS Mains History Study Kit
Subject: History (Optional)
Topic: Indian National Congress
Although the All India National Congress was established in 1885, prior to it several provincial and regional political organisations had already become functional in the political field. Chief amongst them were the Land Holders Society (1837), British India Society (1843) and British Indian Association (1851) in Bengal, Native Association (1852) in Madras and Bombay Association (1852) in Bombay. The credit for establishing such an association abroad goes to Dadabhai Naoroji. In 1866, he set up the East India Association in London. He came to be known as the ‘Grand Old Man of India’. He was made President of the Indian National Congress twice.
The Pune Public Conference was established on 2 April, 1870. Its most prominent members were Ganesha Vasudeva Joshi, S.H. Sathe. S.H. Chiplunkar and Mahadev Govind Ranade. Similarly, in Calcutta the Indian League was established on 25 September, 1875. Its main members were the editors of Amrit Bazar Patrika Sister Kumar Ghosh, Shambhuchand Mukherjee, Kali Mohan Das and Jogesh Chandra Dutt. On 26 July 1876, another organisation called the Indian Association was established in Bengal. Its prominent leaders were Anand Mohan Bose and Surendranath Banerjee. In this association the majority consisted of the English educated middle class Indians. The Mahajan Sabha was established in Madras on 16 May, 1884. Its leaders were P. Rangayya Naidu, V. Raghavachari and Anandacharlu.
In December 1883, 200 representatives attended the National Conference of the Indian Association held in Calcutta. Its second Conference was held in Calcutta on 25 December, 1885. These were important steps in the direction of founding an all India political organisation. On 1 March, 1883 in an open letter, Hume had appealed to the students of Calcutta University to set up an organisation in India. At the beginning of 1884 he had himself started talking of such names as Antarang Mandal and Hamari Party. In 1885, he spoke of his own party as the Indian National Union. In December, the same party came to be known as the Indian National Congress. According to some scholars, it is quite possible that it was Ripon who advised Hume to form an organisation of educated Indians. Therefore, some scholars consider it as a manifestation of national consciousness.
The first President of the Congress Sir Wyomesh Chandra Banerjee /clearly stated its objectives as : i) to increase the feeling of camaraderie among the active workers spread out in different parts of the country for the national good, ii) to instill feelings of national unity and remove disparities in the name of caste, religion or region, iii) to focus the attention of Indian educated class on the socio-political problems that might arise in the future, and iv) to decide on the policy for national uplift for the next year.
Indian National Congress (1885)
Aims and Objectives of Congress
1. Promotion of friendship amongst the countrymen
2. Development and consolidation of feeling of national unity irre- spective of
race, caste, religion or provinces
3. Formulation of popular demands and presentation before the Gov-ernment
through petitions.
4. Training and organization of public opinion.
5. Consolidation of sentiments of national unity
6. Recording of the opinions of educated classes on pressing problems
7. Laying down lines for future course of action in public interest
Methods of Work
Early Congressmen had faith in peaceful and constitutional agitation. Prayers & petitions were the instruments. Congress sessions lasted only for three days a year. had no machinery to carry on the work in the interval. They believed in the goodness of the British nation and believed that all would be well if the British could be acquainted with the true slate of affairs in India. Deputations of Indians were sent to inform the British public. In 1889, a British Committee of INC was founded.