B.A (III) Paper VIII

Rise of National Awakening and formation of Indian National Congress

E-Content Prepared by:

Aparajita Dept. of Political Science, G.J.College, Rambagh, Bihta, Patna Indian National Movement

• How it started? • How Congress was formed? • Role of Indian National Congress in India’s Independence. • Role of Moderates and Extremists. • Split in INC. Beginning of Indian National Movement

- National Movement was the outcome of the exploitative colonial policy of the Britishers. Eg. East India Company economically exploited every sections in India, tax on peasants, soldiers, merchant, army, divide and rule policy and overall economy was exploited. -Britishers exploited India’s economy and sent money to Britain (Drain Theory). - Revolutions in other countries like French Revolution inspired people of India for revolutionary movements in India - First war of Independence in India( Revolt of 1857) was the outrage against the British empire. • Economic exploitation increases after the first war of independence • Merchants: tax policies • Drain Theory • Zamindars were also not happy. • National movements started. • Indian National Congress was formed. Why was INC formed?

• To present the demands of different sections of Indian people in front of britishers. • Small political organisations and associations were made locally before the formation of the Indian National Congress to present the problems of the local people. • But there was few problems. - Local in character, could not represent India as a whole. - Dominated by rich and wealthy class, no mass participation. • Land Holder’s Association • East India Association(Dada Bhai Naoroji) • Poona Sarvajanik Sabha (Mahadev Govind Rana) - A need was for a bigger party as Britishers overheard the demands of the local parties. An all India level party was required. • Some of the demands of local association were: - Administrative reforms (Associations of Indians with the government). - Educational reforms. Indian National Congress

• All India level party • Aims and Objectives - In the initial years the aim was not independence of India but had certain demands. - To initiate a nationalist movement. - To politically educate the people. - To bring about unity among the people. - To aware people against the anti-colonial propaganda. Some important facts of the INC

• Indian National Congress was formed in the year 1885 at the time of Lord Dufferin. • First session was held in Bombay (now Mumbai) which was attended by 72 people which further increased to 1000 in just few months. • The first president was W.C. Bonnerjee. • The first muslim president was Badruddin Tyabji. • The first female president was Annie Besant. • The first Indian female president was Sarojini Naidu. • The last session of the INC was held in Jaipur in 1948. • The first Britisher to become the president of the Indian National Congress was George Yule. Two Factions of the INC

Moderates and Extremists (Naram dal and Garam Dal) - They differed in their ideologies. - They differed in their thoughts. - Their way of working was also different. - The difference in their methods led to split in the INC later. Moderates -can’t fight with the britishers as Indians are not in that position and situation to challenge them. -Constitutional agitation Petitions, meetings, prayers, believed in requests. - Important leaders were Dada Bhai Naoroji, Feroz Shah Mehta and W.C. Banerjee. - Have to remain under the supervision of the britishers and work through request and petitions. - They wanted constitutional reforms. - Indians should be allowed in administrations under british government Extremists - They hated Britishers. - They wanted Swaraj (self independence). - Important leaders: Lal, Bal, Pal Moderates

• Dominated since 1885-1902. • They had few demands: - To reduce the land revenue. - Reduction in army expenditure and money to be used for the poor people of India. - Abolition of salt tax. - It can be seen that their demands were such that directed impacted the common people of India. - Moderates actually exposed the exploitative face of britishers in India and started the national movement. - Dada Bhai Naoroji (Grand old man of India) wrote a book “ Poverty and Unbritish Rule in India”. - In this book he has discussed about the “Drain Theory” in which he discussed about the flow of money from India to Britain. to be continued in next class….