CHAPTER 5

FOUNDATION OF THE INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS: THE REALITY

Arora IAS Short Notes

India Struggle for Independence(1857-1947) Notes

Revision Notes or Short Notes

 

Part-1

Emergence of the Indian National Congress:

• Process of Political Awakening: Initiated in the 1860s and 1870s, gained momentum in the late 1870s and early 1880s.
• Year 1885 as a Turning Point: Signified the culmination of nationalist efforts, marked by the emergence of the Indian National Congress (INC).
• Role of Political Indians: Modern intellectuals shifted from narrow group interests to national representation, forming a ‘national party.’
• Reaction of British Officialdom: Viewed nationalist activities with suspicion, apprehended disloyalty, sedition, and potential agitations.
• Mild Demands with Subversive Implications: Indian demands for import duty preservation, Afghan and Burma policy, arms rights, press freedom, etc., seemed mild but undermined colonial hegemony.
• Creation of Younger Nationalist Associations:
  • Bengal: Indian Association formed in 1876 under Surendranath Banerjea and Anand Mohan Bose.
  • Madras: Madras Mahajan Sabha established in 1884 by M. Viraraghavachariar, G. Subramaniya Iyer, P. Ananda Charlu, and others.
  • Bombay: Bombay Presidency Association founded in 1885 by K.T. Telang and Pherozeshah Mehta.
• Role of Nationalist Newspapers: Major newspapers like The Hindu, Tribune, Bengalee, Mahraua, and Kesari emerged, shaping political discourse.
• Calls for All-India Political Organization: Urgency increased post-1883, intensified political activity and campaigns.
• Coordination and Agitations: Indian movements around cotton duties, Indianization of services, opposition to the Afghan war, press freedom, Arms Act, and other issues highlighted the need for coordinated efforts.
• National Fund and International Appeal: Indians sought to raise funds and garner British support through coordinated efforts, including appeals to British voters and public speeches in Britain.

These developments underscored the necessity for an all-India political organization, leading to the founding of the Indian National Congress in 1885.

 

Part-2

Founding of the Indian National Congress

• December 28, 1885:A meeting was held in Bombay by Indian political workers.
• Objective:To achieve certain basic political tasks for India. These tasks required a unified organization on an all-India basis.
• Success of the Congress: Determined by the extent to which these objectives were achieved in the initial years.

Part-3

The Making of an Indian Nation: The Role of the Indian National Congress

Challenges to National Unity

• British View:India as a mere geographical expression, not a nation (diversity of races, creeds).

Indian National Congress and Nation-Building

• Goal:Promote national unity and create an “Indian people.”
• Recognized historical forces for unity, but needed to foster subjective awareness.
• National unity as a major objective and achievement.

Examples of Nation-Building Efforts

• 1891 Congress Session:Ananda Charlu called the Congress a “mighty nationalizer.”
• First Congress President W.C. Bannerji:“Fuller development and consolidation of…sentiments of national unity” as a key aim.
• Russian traveller I.P. Minayeff:Growth of national feeling and Indian unity as a key expectation from Congress leaders.
• Indu Prakash (Bombay) on the first Congress session:Creating a national feeling and binding people together.

Addressing India’s Diversity

• Rotating Congress sessions across regions.
• Presidents from regions other than the session location.
• 1888 rule:No resolutions opposed by an overwhelming majority of Hindu or Muslim delegates.
• 1889 minority clause:Ensuring proportional representation for religious minorities in councils (recognized India’s heterogeneity).
• Secular Congress:Building a secular nation.

 

Part-4

The Early Indian National Congress: Building a Political Nation

 

Creating a Common Political Platform

• Goal:Unite political workers across India under a common program.
• Focus:Shared grievances against British rule, not social reforms.
• Reason:Dadabhai Naoroji (1885 Congress President) argued a national congress should focus on issues impacting the entire nation.
• New Political Landscape:Introduction of modern participatory politics to India.
• Educating and Mobilizing the Public:Arousing, training, and organizing public opinion as a central task.
• Initial Focus:Politicizing and unifying educated Indians first, then expanding to other groups.
• Model:Anti-Corn Law League (British movement for free trade in grain).

Challenges and Long-Term Strategy

• Building Confidence:Leaders and people needed to believe in their ability to oppose British rule.
• Gradual Politicization:A long period of educating and mobilizing the public was necessary.
• Focus on Process:Critics missed the point that early methods (petitions, memorials) aimed to politicize the people, not just address grievances.
• Ranade’s Perspective (1891):These efforts, though seemingly passive, were educating the public in new political thinking.

Key Figures

• Dadabhai Naoroji (1885 Congress President)
• G. Ranade (Political leader)
• Gokhale (Politician)

 

Part-5

Building a National Movement in India: The Importance of Leadership and Democracy (1885)

 

Founding the Indian National Congress (March 1885):

• Goal:Create a common all-India national-political leadership (Gramsci’s “headquarters”)
• Reasoning:Organization is key for effective political action. Leaders need to be unified and share a common vision.

Objectives of the Congress (as per circular and W.C. Bonnerji):

• Enable national leaders to meet and overcome prejudices (race, creed, province).
• Promote personal connections and friendships among leaders.

Key Points:

• National leadership is essential for a national movement (regardless of its social-ideological makeup).
• Early nationalists aimed to internalize and indigenize political democracy.
• The Congress was modeled after a Parliament:
  • Sovereignty of the people (Dadabhai Naoroji).
  • Democratic proceedings (debate, discussion, voting).

The Congress and Democracy:

• It, not the colonial state, indigenized and popularized parliamentary democracy in India.

The Congress and Civil Liberties:

• Maintained and fought to extend civil liberties (freedom of press, speech).
• Opposed restrictions on these freedoms.
• Fought for separation of judicial and executive powers.
• Opposed racial discrimination.

Part-6

Developing India’s Anti-Colonial Ideology (1870s-1880s)

 

Challenges:

• No pre-existing anti-colonial ideology available.
• Needed to understand colonialism and create a response.

The Role of Early Nationalists:

• Learners and Teachers: Developed their own ideology through experience and study.
• Key Questions:
  • Are British interests aligned with India’s?
  • Who is the enemy: British bureaucrats, government, or the colonial system itself?
  • Can India fight the British Empire?
  • How should the fight be waged?

Learning Through Mistakes:

• Early 20th century: Misunderstood the nature of the colonial state (a common mistake).
• Importance of independent thinking: “Cut and dried” formulas are unhelpful.

Focus on Ideology:

• No mass movements, but a strong ideological struggle against British rule.
• Importance of understanding colonialism before actively resisting it.
• Success:Early Congress leaders effectively built an “anti-colonial struggle about colonialism.”

 

Part-7

The Early National Movement in India: Goals and Achievements

 Foundational Objectives (1880s):

• Establish a secular and democratic national movement (key concept)
• Politicize and educate the Indian people
• Form an all-India leadership group (headquarters for the movement)
• Develop and spread an anti-colonial nationalist ideology

Success of the Early National Movement:

• Grew from a small organization in the 1880s to a significant mass movement by the 20th century (achievement)

Leaders’ quotes:

• • Dadabhai Naoroji (January 1905): Highlighted the positive aspects of growing discontent within the movement, suggesting it is a sign of progress and evolution. Left open the question of whether the revolution would be peaceful or violent, depending on British actions.
  • Gopal Krishna Gokhale (1907): Acknowledged the limitations of their time and the challenges they faced. Emphasized the role of future generations in achieving success and viewed present failures as a necessary step towards future accomplishments.

Key Figures:

• Dadabhai Naoroji (leader)
• E. Wacha (leader)
• Gopal Krishna Gokhale (leader)

 

Part-8

Role of A.O. Hume in the Formation of Congress

• Hume served as the chief organizer of the Congress.
• Founders included Dadabhai Naoroji, Justice Ranade, Pherozeshah Mehta, G. Subramaniya Iyer, and Surendranath Banerjea.
• Limited political figures in the 1880s; tradition of open opposition not established.
• Cooperation with Hume to avoid early official hostility.
• Hume’s status as a retired British civil servant less likely to provoke suspicion.
• Gokhale acknowledged Hume’s role as crucial in Congress’s inception.
• Hume acted as a lightning conductor, deflecting suspicion away from the movement.
• Congress leaders’ strategy proved successful, allowing the organization to flourish.