Why is it in the news?
1.The Congress celebrated 139th foundation day and kick started Lok Sabha election campaign with a mega rally in Nagpur.
2.The Congress president Mr. Mallikarjun Kharge said that the objective of Indian National Congress was public welfare and progress of the people of India.
3.The Congress believes in an India that is based upon parliamentary democracy, equality and opportunities for all without any discrimination and the preservation of political, economic and social rights enshrined in the constitution of India.
Introduction
1.Congress spearheaded the freedom movement after its foundation in 1885.
2.In its initial phase from 1885 to 1905, Congress fought for Indianisation of services, constitutional reforms, self government, separation of judiciary from executives, development of agricultural banks, betterment of the condition of workers and an urge for freedom of speech, the press and to make association and stoppage of syphoning of national resources of India to Britain.
3.In the second phase from 1905 to 1919, Congress adopted belligerent policies of swadeshi and boycott on account of partition of Bengal.
4.In the third phase starting from 1919 to 1947, Gandhi ji launched Non-cooperation movement in 1920, Civil disobedience movement in 1930 and Quit India Movement in 1942. Thus, Gandhi ji made congress a mass movement, awakened people and finally forced the British to Quit India in 1947.
Why was Congress founded in 1885?
1.One of the reasons assigned for the foundation of Congress was that it was started by A.O. Hume under the guidance and direction of viceroy Lord Dufferin in order to provide a peaceful safety valve or constitutional outlet for the rising discontent among the masses. It is asserted that India was on the boil. Discontentment was brewing up. So, by founding the Congress, the revolutionary spirit of the Indian people was suppressed.
2.It is suggested that Britishers took lessons from the Revolts of 1857. They pinpointed that one of the reasons for the Revolts of 1857 was that there was no connectivity between Indian Natives and the British ruling class. Just after the Revolts, Sir Sayyed Ahmad Khan brought out a leaflet showing that the 1857 Revolts occurred because no mechanism was developed by Britishers to know the aspirations of Native Indians. This distanciation between the ruling class and the ruled subjects was the main cause of the upheaval. Taking lessons from the Revolts of 1857, the noted historian R. Palme Dutt said that the Britishers brought Congress into existence for safeguarding British rule against the rising forces of popular unrest and anti-British feeling.
3.Another theory is that the foundation of Indian National Congress was not a sudden event. It was the culmination of the process of political awakening that was taking place in the year of 1870s and in 1880s.
Rise of Nationalism
The foundation of Congress took place because of the genesis of Nationalism of India in the second half of the 19th century. The foreign domination caused National sentiments among the people. The British rule caused a clash of interest between the Indian interest and the British interest. The British converted India into a colony to subserve the interest of the mother country. Every section of the Indian society got frustrated over British rule. The peasants had to suffer because of the heavy land revenue tax. Artisans were ruined because of the foreign competition. The Indian intelligentsia discovered that the British rule was making Indians economically backward. The British Government and its officials stifled freedom of press and expression. Only zamindars, the landlords and the native princess were hands in gloves with Britishers because their interests coincided with the British interest.
Social and religious movements
The religious and social movements launched by Ram Mohan Roy, Dayanand Saraswati, Swami Vivekanand, Sir Sayyed Ahmad Khan, Dada Bhai Nauroji, Justice Ranade instilled a sense of nationalism among Indians.
Foundations of different organisations before Congress
1.Ram Mohan Roy was the first Indian leader to start agitation for political reform in India. Through his strenuous efforts, he got the Sati system abolished in India.
2.Many public associations were started in different parts of India by wealthy and awakened Indians.
3.In 1866, Dada Bhai Nauroji organised the East India Association in London to discuss the Indian question and to awaken the British public about the problems of native Indians. He was the first Indian to get elected to the British Parliament.
4.The British association in Bengal was formed to safeguard the interest of zamindars. Similarly, the Bombay association and Madras native association were formed. But these associations lost touch its anti-British sentiments and instead became reactionary.
5.Surendranath Banerjee and Anand Mohan Bose founded the Indian association in July 1876. Its aim was the unification of Indian people under a common political programme.
6.Justice Ranade constituted Poona Sarvajanik Sabha in 1870.
7.M. Vir Raghavachari, G. Subramanya Iyer and Anand Charlu formed the Madras Mahajan Sabha in 1884.
8.Firoz Shah Mehta, K.T. Telang, Baddruddin Tayyabji formed the Bombay presidency association in 1885.
9.All these associations were formed to fight against British rule and its exploitative nature. However, their scope was limited and could not become an all India organisation.
10.Against this background Indian National Congress was founded in 1885 at Bombay. Its first president was W.C. Banerjee. 72 delegates participated in the foundation ceremony. The founder A.O. Hume became the first general secretary of the Congress.
Conclusion
1.Thus, the Congress was founded on account of the National feeling arising out of foreign domination. As it has been observed that several organisations were formed by prominent Indians to conduct political activities but they lacked all India character.
2.A.O. Hume succeeded in establishing the Indian National Congress because he had tacit support of the then viceroy Lord Dufferin. According to G.K. Gokhale, No Indian could have succeeded in establishing an organisation of all India character because of the distrust between the British rulers and the native Indians and would have suppressed the movement. That’s why stalwarts like Dada Bhai Nauroji, Firoz Shah Mehta, Justice Ranade, G Subhramanya Iyer and Surendranath Banerjee cooperated with A.O. Hume so that the British Government should not have become suspicious and attacked the congress in its initial stage of formation. Had A.O. Hume not formed the Congress, others would have formed an organisation of All India Character to fight back Britishers for political, economic and social rights.
