Foundation of Indian National Congress 1885, Founders, Leaders

The Foundation of Indian National Congress (INC) in 1885 stands as a cornerstone in India's fight for independence and has played a crucial role in shaping the country's political landscape. Before its inception, several socio-political movements and organisations laid the groundwork for the formation of the Indian National Congress.

Till 1947,  there were numerous INC sessions (annual and special INC sessions)  to discuss the political situation in the country and to pass resolutions on important issues. These INC sessions served as platforms for inclusive and collective decision-making and planning for the course of India's struggle for freedom.

Foundation of Indian National Congress Background

The formation of the Indian National Congress (INC) in 1885 was the result of growing political awareness and opposition to colonial policies in nineteenth-century India. The following are the major reasons for the formation of the INC:

• Political Awakening: As modern education and political awareness increased, an educated Indian class emerged, demanding greater participation in administration and public affairs.
• Economic Exploitation: British economic policies, such as high taxes and discriminatory trade practices, sparked widespread discontent and prompted educated Indians to question colonial economic exploitation.
• Rise of Political Associations: Organisations such as the Indian Association, Poona Sarvajanik Sabha, and Madras Mahajana Sabha provided forums for political debate and nationalist mobilisation.
• Role of Press and Literature: Newspapers such as Amrita Bazar Patrika, The Hindu, and Kesari were instrumental in spreading nationalist ideas and criticising colonial policies.
• Ilbert Bill Controversy: The 1883 controversy exposed racial discrimination in colonial administration and raised Indian political consciousness, emphasising the importance of organised constitutional activism.
• Need for an All-India Platform: Growing regional political activities created the need for a common national organisation to coordinate demands and develop a unified political voice.

Indian National Congress History

Indian National Congress (INC) emerged in 1885 as India's first organised all-India political movement, transforming localised anti-colonial discontent into a structured national struggle for self-governance and civil rights.

Precursor of Indian National Congress

Several political organisations laid the foundation for the Indian National Congress (INC) before its establishment in 1885. The most immediate precursor was the Indian Association, founded in 1876 by Surendranath Banerjee and Ananda Mohan Bose.

• Role of Indian Association: It sought to unite Indians across regional and social divisions and promote political awareness.
  • In 1883, the Indian Association organised the Indian National Conference, which is widely regarded as the direct predecessor of the INC.
• Indian National Union: Formed in 1884, it held a convention in Pune that was later merged to create the first session of the INC.
• Earlier Organisations: Earlier organisations also played an important role, including the East India Association, founded by Dadabhai Naoroji in London in 1866, and the British Indian Association, established in Calcutta in 1851 to demand administrative reforms.

Indian National Congress Founders

The Indian National Congress was founded on December 28, 1885, by retired British civil servant Allan Octavian Hume, prominent Indian nationalist leaders Dadabhai Naoroji, and Dinshaw Edulji Wacha.

INC Inaugural Session

The historic inaugural session took place on December 28, 1885, at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College, Bombay, and was attended by 72 delegates. Originally planned by the Indian National Union to meet in Poona, the venue was shifted to Bombay due to a severe cholera outbreak.

• First Indian National Congress President: W. C. Bonnerjee served as the first president of the Indian National Congress during its inaugural session held in Bombay in December 1885.

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Indian National Congress Objectives

The aims and objectives of the Congress were defined very clearly by W. C. Bonnerjee. He described the objectives as:

• Promotion of unity and solidarity amongst the countrymen
• Eradication of all possible prejudices relating to race, creed or provinces
• Consolidation of sentiments of national unity
• Recording of the opinions of educated classes on pressing problems of the day
• Laying down lines for future courses of action in the public interest

Indian National Congress Leaders

The Indian National Congress was led by prominent nationalists such as Dadabhai Naoroji, Surendranath Banerjee, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who shaped India’s nationalist movement through constitutional methods, mass mobilisation, revolutionary ideas and civil disobedience.

Theories Related to Foundation of Indian National Congress

The Indian National Congress holds a crucial place in India's history, and as a result, contemporary opinions and subsequent historians have often pondered the factors that led to its establishment. Even a hundred years after its inception, this matter remains a subject of ongoing discussion among historians.

Safety Valve Theory

The theory posits that Hume founded the Congress with the expectation that it would function as a "safety valve" for the escalating discontent among Indians. This notion was endorsed by extremist leaders, including Lala Lajpat Rai.

Conspiracy Theory

Rajani Palme Dutt is credited with originating the Conspiracy Theory, which emerged from the 'safety valve' concept. According to Dutt, the INC was born from a conspiracy to quash a popular uprising in India, and he believed that the bourgeois (middle-class) leaders of India were also involved in this scheme.

Lightning Conductor Theory

Gopal Krishna Gokhale proposed the "lightning conductor theory," suggesting that the INC was an expression of politically conscious Indians' aspiration to form a national entity representing their political and economic demands. Modern Indian historians believe that the early Congress leaders utilized Hume as a "lightning conductor" to act as a catalyst, uniting nationalist forces, even if the facade of a "safety valve" was maintained.

Important Indian National Congress (INC) Sessions

Initially, the Congress lacked strong cohesion, regular membership, or a central office, and its views were mild and moderate. But ultimately led to the realisation of India's aspirations for freedom, sovereignty, and self-reliance within about sixty years. The following are the significant INC sessions, their Presidents, and outcomes:

Foundation of Indian National Congress Significance

The foundation of the Indian National Congress is significant because it created the first united platform to demand constitutional reforms and eventually led India's independence movement.

• First All-India Organisation: Before the INC, political organisations were local and restricted to specific regions. The INC rallied the entire country for a common cause.
• Training for Leaders: It served as a leadership development school for Indians, teaching them about political awareness, public speaking, and democratic governance.
  • Leaders such as Dadabhai Naoroji and Surendranath Banerjee advocated common political interests.
• Exposed Economic Exploitation: Congress leaders systematically analysed colonial economic policies and connected poverty with British exploitation, giving economic nationalism an important place in the freedom struggle.
  • Dadabhai Naoroji's Drain Theory highlighted the transfer of Indian wealth to Britain.
• Constitutional Agitation: Early Congress leaders relied on petitions, resolutions, representations and constitutional methods to demand greater Indian participation in administration and legislative bodies.
  • Congress repeatedly demanded expansion of legislative councils and simultaneous civil service examinations.
• Laid Foundations for Mass Nationalism: Although initially limited to educated elites, Congress established an organisational framework that was later transformed into a mass movement under Mahatma Gandhi.
  • The Non-Cooperation Movement (1920) mobilised millions across India.
• Shift to Independence: Although the INC began by politely requesting minor reforms, its foundation laid the groundwork for later mass movements led by leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, which eventually led to India's independence in 1947.

Indian National Congress Limitations

The Indian National Congress played a central role in India’s freedom struggle, but it faced several limitations, including limited representation, internal divisions, moderate methods, and organisational constraints.

• Limited Mass Base: Initially, the Congress remained largely an elite organisation dominated by educated professionals, lawyers and landlords, with limited participation from peasants, workers and women.
• Moderate Approach: Early Congress leaders relied heavily on petitions, resolutions and constitutional methods, which often failed to secure immediate political concessions from the British government.
• Limited Representation: The Congress struggled to adequately represent diverse social groups, including Dalits, Muslims, tribal communities and princely-state subjects, creating gaps in its national appeal.
• Factionalism and Internal Differences: Ideological disagreements between Moderates and Extremists weakened organisational unity, culminating in the Surat Split of 1907 and temporarily weakening nationalist politics.
• Communal Representation Challenges: Congress faced difficulties in addressing competing communal political interests, particularly after the Muslim League's formation in 1906, contributing to growing Hindu-Muslim political divisions.

Indian National Congress UPSC PYQs

Q1: Evaluate the contribution of the Moderates in formulating a national ideology and creating a public consciousness in late 19th-century India.  (UPSC Mains 2022)

Q2: Consider the following statements: (UPSC Prelims 2015)

1. The first woman President of the Indian National Congress was Sarojini Naidu.
2. The first Muslim President of the Indian National Congress was Badruddin Tyabji.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans: (b)

Q3: The 1929 Session of the Indian National Congress is of significance in the history of the Freedom Movement because (UPSC Prelims 2014)

(a) Attainment of Self-Government was declared as the objective of the Congress

(b) Attainment of Poorna Swaraj was adopted as the goal of the Congress

(c) Non-Cooperation Movement was launched

(d) Decision to participate in the Round Table Conference in London was taken

Ans: (b)

Q4: Annie Besant was (UPSC Prelims 2013) 

1. Responsible for starting the Home Rule Movement
2. The founder of the Theosophical Society
3. Once the President of the Indian National Congress

Select the correct statement/statements using the codes given below:

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 and 3

(c) 1 and 3

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Ans: (c)

Q5: The Lahore Session of the Indian National Congress (1929) is very important in history because (UPSC Prelims 2012)

1. The Congress passed a resolution demanding complete independence
2. The rift between the extremists and moderates was resolved in that Session
3. A resolution was passed rejecting the two-nation theory in that Session

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 and 3

(c) 1 and 3

(d) None of the above

Ans: (a)