Indian National Congress History - General Knowledge of Modern India

The Indian National Congress was established in Bombay from 28 to 30 December 1885 when 72 members from different Presidencies and Provinces of India gathered in Bombay. Alan Octavian Hume, a retired British officer from India, was instrumental in the formation of the Congress. He established contact with some important leaders from all over India and got their cooperation in the formation of Congress.

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Dadabhai Nairoji, Kashinath Triambak Tailang, Ferozeshah Mehta, S. Subramaniam Iyer, M. Veeraraghavachari, NG Chandravarkar, Rahmatullah M. Sayani, and Vyomesh Chandra Banerjee were some of the important leaders who attended the first session of the Congress held at the Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College. Important leader Surendra Nath Banerjee did not participate in this as he had organized the National Conference in Calcutta around the same time.

The importance of the formation of the first national political organization in India was realized. About a week after the end of the session, the Calcutta newspaper The Indian Mirror wrote that "The First National Congress held in Bombay marked a new chapter in the history of British rule in India. 28 December 1885 i.e. the day it was formed, will be recognized as an important day for the progress of the residents of India. It is the centerpiece of the future Parliament of our country which will work for the betterment of our countrymen. It was a day when for the first time we could meet our brothers from Madras, Bombay, North Western Frontier Province and Punjab under the roof of Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College. From the date of this convention, we will be able to see the rate of national development of India increasing rapidly in future”.

The first president of Congress was Vyomesh Chandra Banerjee. The purpose of the formation of the Congress, as stated by it, was to bring together leaders from different parts of the country to discuss the important problems facing the country, removing as far as possible the barriers of caste, religion and region. The Congress passed nine resolutions, demanding changes in British policies and reforms in administration.

Aims and Objectives of the Indian National Congress

To encourage friendship among countrymen
To develop the spirit of national unity by rising above caste, religion, caste and provincial discrimination.
Presenting popular demands to the government through petitions.
To inculcate the spirit of national integration.
To prepare the roadmap for future public interest programmes.
Organize and train public opinion.
To know the opinion of the educated class on complex problems.

Indian National Congress session

Year - Location - President
1985 - Bombay - W.C.Banerjee
1882 - Allahabad - W.C.Banerjee
1886 - Calcutta - Dadabhai Naoroji
1887 - Madras - Badruddin Tyabji
1888 - Allahabad - George Yule (First English President)
1889 - Bombay - Sir William Bederburn
1890 - Calcutta - Sir Ferozeshah Mehta
1893 - Lahore - Dadabhai Naoroji
1895 - Poona - Surendranath Banerjee
1902 - Ahmedabad - Surendranath Banerjee
1905 - Banaras - Gopalkrishna Gokhale
1906 - Calcutta - Dadabhai Naoroji
1907 - Surat - Rasbihari Ghosh
1908 - Madras - Rash Behari Ghosh
1909 - Lahore - MM Malviya
1916 - Lucknow - A.C. Majumdar
1917 - Calcutta - Annie Besant
1919 - Amritsar - Motilal Nehru
1920 - Calcutta (Special Session) - Lala Lajpat Rai
1921 - Ahmedabad - CR Das
1922 - Gaya - CR Das
1923 - Delhi (Special Session) - Abdul Kalam Azad (youngest president)
1924 - Belgaum - Mahatma Gandhi
1925 - Kanpur - Sarojini Naidu (first Indian woman president)
1928 - Calcutta - Motilal Nehru
1929 - Lahore - J.L.Nehru
1931 - Karachi (here the Fundamental Rights Resolution and the National Economic Program were passed) - Vallabhbhai Patel
1932 - Delhi - session banned
1933 - Calcutta - session banned
1934 - Bombay - Rajendra Prasad
1936 - Lucknow - J.L.Nehru
1937 - Faizpur - J.L.Nehru (1st time in the village convention)
1938 - Haripura - SC Bose (National Organizing Committee was formed under the chairmanship of Jawaharlal Nehru)
1939 - Tripuri - SC Bose was re-elected but resigned due to Gandhiji's performance (because Gandhiji had supported Pattabhisitaramaiah) followed by Rajendra Prasad as president
1940 - Ramgarh - Abdul Kalam Azad
1946 - Meerut - Acharya J.B.Kriplani
1948 - Jaipur - Dr. Pattabhisitaramaiah

Indian National Congress History - General Knowledge of Modern India