KAS -MODERN INDIA TALENT ACADEMY
MODERN INDIA | MODULE 2 INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS
FORMATION OF INC
The Indian National Congress was formed at a national convention held at Bombay in December 1885. A.O. Hume, a former British civil servant and a political liberal is considered as the founder of INC. He toured across India, met various political leaders and persuaded them to meet at this national conference. He is also known as the father of Indian National Congress. Initially, it was decided to meet at Poona and Poona Sarvajanik Sabha offered to host this event. But because of a plague outbreak, venue was shifted from Pune to Bombay. The first session of INC was held from December 28 to 31, at Gokul Das Tejpal Sanskrit College, Bombay. It was attended by 72 delegates from different parts of the country. Prominent among them were: A.O.Hume (Simla), Dadabhai Naoroji, K.T.Telang, Pherozeshah Mehta, D.E. Wacha, B.M.Malabari, N. G. Chandavarkar (from Bombay), G.G.Agarkar, W.S. Apta (from Poona), W.C.Bonnerjee, Narendra Nath Sen (from Calcutta), G.Subrahmaniya Iyer, M. Viraraghavachariar, P.R. Naidu (from Madras) etc. Majority of them from Bombay. A.O. Hume was the first person to address this session. Dadabhai Naoroji suggested the name „Congress‟ for this organization, which he adopted from North American history. They decided to hold congress session in every year at different parts of the country and to choose a president to lead the organization for a year. The president should be from a region other than the one where the session was being held. W.C. Bonnerjee, a barrister from Calcutta became the first president of Congress. A.O. Hume served as the General Secretary of Congress till he left for England in 1894. The major objectives of Congress, as listed by W.C. Bonnerjee were: o Promoting personal relationship among the leaders of the country by eradicating all kinds of prejudices – based on race, creed or provincial o Fuller development and consolidation of sentiments of national unity o To lay down the future course of political action
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Total nine resolutions were presented in the first session of INC, and the first Resolution demanding the appointment of Royal Commission for India was presented by G. Subrahmaniya Iyer. The President made it clear that Congress was not going to be “the nest of conspirators and disloyalists”; they were “thoroughly loyal and consistent well wishers of British empire.” The main demand raised by the congress can be summarized as this: “the basis of the government should be widened and the (Indian) people should have their proper and legitimate share in it.”
Important Persons at the time of Congress Formation
British Monarch : Queen Victoria British Prime Minister : Lord Salisbury Viceroy of India : Lord Dufferin Governor of Bombay : Lord Reay
ALLAN OCTAVIAN HUME
Allan Octavian Hume was born in 1829 at Scotland, Britain. He arrived in India in 1849 to serve in the Bengal Civil Service. He was the administrator of Ittawah during the revolt of 1857. His concerns about the attitudes of the British began after the Great Revolt of 1857 when many of the promises made to India by Queen Victoria‟s Government were not kept or only half-heartedly implemented. He wrote a book called Awakening that predicted an even bloodier uprising if ways were not found to give India self-government. He later became the Secretary of Agriculture and Commerce Department, in 1870s but removed from that post because of his criticisms of the Government. Hume retired from the civil service in 1882.
In 1883 he wrote an open letter to the graduates of Calcutta University, calling upon them to form their own national political movement. In that letter he said: “if even fifty men could be not found with sufficient power to sacrifice and willing to devote rest of their lives, then there was no hope for India”.
A.O. Hume addressed a Theosophical Society Convention in Madras in 1884. It is said that seed for the founding of Congress was sown at this convention. After the convention, 17 men met at the house of Dewan Bahadur Raghunatha Rao in Mylapore to chart out a plan for the formation of an Indian political movement to speak for the people of India. They are known as Mylapore 17.
In the same year, he founded an organisation called Indian National Union. One year later, it became Indian National Congress. Indian National Union is also known as Predecessor of INC or the first name of INC.
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A.O. Hume was a renowned ornithologist. Hume wrote extensively over the birds in Indian subcontinent. He started the quarterly journal Stray Feathers, the first journal of ornithology in India. Because of his vast contributions, he is known as „father of Indian ornithology‟ and „Pope of South Asian ornithology‟.
He also founded a local vernacular newspaper, 'Lokmitra‟.
His books include: My Scrap Book, List of the Birds of India, The Nests and Eggs of Indian Birds , Game Birds of India, Burmah and Ceylon , Agricultural Reform in India, Stray Feathers (11-volumes)
He wrote a poem titled An Old Man’s Hope in 1886. It was republished in Annie Besant‟s New India newspaper during Home Rule Movement. The starting lines are:
“Sons of Ind, why sit ye idle, Wait ye for some Deva's aid? Buckle to, be up and doing! Nations by themselves are made!”
INDIAN ASSOCIATION AND INDIAN NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Indian Association was established under the leadership of Surendra Nath Banerjee and Anand Mohan Bose in 1876. They actively attempted to form a strong public opinion against the unjust policies of the British Government The Indian Association organised All-India National Conferences twice in 1883 and 1885, both at Calcutta. Since the second Indian National Conference was being held at Calcutta during the same period when the first Congress session was meeting in Bombay (1885 December), Surendra Nath Banerjee could not attend the Congress. There were only 4 delegates from Calcutta because of this.
TWO THEORIES ON ORIGIN OF CONGRESS
Safety Valve Theory
According to Safety Valve Theory, the then Viceroy Lord Dufferin deputed a retired civil servant A.O. Hume to form a pan-Indian organization that could vent the growing frustration of the people on a platform overseeable and controllable by the government. A large number of British in India such as Sir William Wedderburn, George Yule and Charles Bradlaugh supported A O Hume in this endeavour. This theory originated from William Wedderburn‟ s biography of Hume published in 1913( Hume died in 1912). He wrote that in 1878 Hume came across seven volumes of secret reports showing discontent among the lower classes and conspiracy to overthrow British rule.
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He met Lord Dufferin and they together decided to form an organization with educated Indians serving as a safety valve against the popular discontent. This theory has been discarded now. The Secret Report mentioned in Wedderburn‟s book, according to historians, was a fiction constructed by the author to portray him as a British patriot. As the official correspondence reveals, Dufferin and the then Bombay Governor Lord Reay were suspicious and disapproved of the proposed meeting of Congress in 1885. Dufferin criticised Congress as representing only a microscopic minority and this statement shuns the safety valve conspiracy theory. The safety Valve theory says that INC was created by British to thwart any threat to British rule. But it is culmination of long political process rather than a random act of an individual or groups.
Lightning Conductor Theory
Lightning Conductor theory says that Indian leaders used A.O. Hume to escape from the suspicion and hostility of British rulers. The presence of Hume gave a legitimacy and protection to Indian Members of the Congress. In Gopalaksrishna Gokhale‟s words, ““No Indian could have started the Indian National Congress . . . if an Indian had . . . come forward to start such a movement embracing all India, the officials in India would not have allowed the movement to come into existence. If the founder of the Congress had not been a great Englishman and a distinguished ex-official, such was the distrust of political agitation in those days that the authorities would have at once found some way or the other to suppress the movement.” (1913)
Safety Valve theory – Proposed by William Wedderburn in his biography of A.O. Hume, 1913 (PSC answer: Lala Lajpat Rai, in his book Young India) Lightning rod theory – Proposed by Gopalakrishna Gokhale
OPINIONS ABOUT CONGRESS
Holiday recreation : B.G.Tilak Begging Institute : Aurobindo Ghosh Three day Thamasha: Ashinikumar Dutt Mouthpiece of a Microscopic Minority : Lord Dufferin Congress should distinguish between begging and claiming rights: B.G.Tilak Indians could not achieve success if we croak once in a year: B.G.Tilak Congress playing with bubbles: Bipin Chandra Pal Congress is in reality a civil war without arms: Sayyed Ahmmed Khan English knowing upper class affair : Jawaharlal Nehru (on early Congress)
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DEMANDS OF EARLY CONGRESS
Administrative reform by appointing more Indians in higher posts in civil services (Indianisation of civil services) Include Indians in Viceroy‟s executive Council. Enlarge and empower legislative council with more Indian members. Reduce Military expenditure Abolish India Council of Secretary of State for India Repeal discriminatory laws against Indians
Opposition to Congress
Sayyed Ahmmed Khan, an influential Muslim religious reformer opposed the participation of Muslims in the congress and given a call for a boycott of Congress. He believed that the organization is anti-British and it will negatively affect the Muslim interests. He founded United Patriotic Association in 1888 which included Muslims as well as Hindu members, all of whom were opposed to the Congress. It aimed to develop close ties between the Muslim community and the British Raj. In 1893 he formed the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental Defence Association of Upper India, confining its membership to Muslims and Englishmen.
IMPORTANT CONGRESS SESSIONS
1885 Bombay (President – W.C.Bonnerjee)
First Congress Session. It was attended by 72 delegates, majority of them from Bombay itself. W.C. Bonnerjee was the first President of INC. He was also the first person to be the President of INC twice (1885 Bombay and 1892 Allahabad)
1886 Calcutta (President – Dadabhai Naoroji)
Second Congress session. It was attended by 434 delegates. Dadabhai Naoroji is the second President of INC and first Parsi president. He was the first person to be the President of INC three times (1886 Calcutta, 1893 Lahore and 1906 Calcutta) Congress decided to set up Provincial Congress Committees across the country
1887 Madras (President – Badruddin Tyabji)
Attended by 607 delegates. First South Indian city to host a congress session was Madras. Badruddin Tyabji was the first Muslim president of INC.
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1888 Allahabad (President: George Yule)
It was attended by 1248 delegates George Yule was the first Foreigner/European/White President of INC.
1889 Bombay (President: William Wedderburn)
Attended by 1889 delegates William Wedderburn was the second foreigner President of INC He was the only foreigner to be the President of INC twice (1889 Bombay and 1910 Allahabad) First Congress session attended by Women
William Wedderburn
William Wedderburn arrived in India in 1860 as a member of the Indian Civil Service. He started his career as Assistant Collector, Dharwar, and retired in 1887 as Chief Secretary, Bombay Presidency. He later became a Member of British Parliament. He wrote the biography of A.O.Hume, when he died in 1912. William Wedderburn was the first Chairman of British Committee formed in 1889. He was the first Chairman of Indian Parliamentary Committee, from 1893 to 1900
British Committee
British Committee was the branch of Indian National Congress which started functioning in London, in 1889. William Wedderburn served as its first Chairman until his death in 1918. William Digby was its Secretary. British Committee published a journal named India from 1890 onwards.
Indian Parliamentary Committee
William Wedderburn and W.S. Caine set up Indian Parliamentary Committee in British Parliament in 1893 to agitate for Indian political reforms.
1890 Calcutta (President –Pherozshah Mehta)
Pherosh Shah Mehta was the second Parsi president of INC. A woman addressed Congress for the first time in this session. Kadambini Ganguly was the first woman to address a Congress session.
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Kadambini Ganguli and Chandramukhi Basu were the first women graduates in India. They graduated from Calcutta University in 1878. Kadambini Ganguli and Anandi Gopal Joshi are the first women physicians in India (1886). Kadambini was the first woman to get medical degree from India. Anandi Gopal Joshi got medical degree from USA.
1891 Nagpur Session (President – P.Ananda Charlu)
Ananda Charlu was the first South Indian President of INC (from Madras). The term „national‟ was added to the name of Congress.
1896 Calcutta (President – Rahimathullah M Sayani)
Vande Mataram was first sung in a Congress session. It was sung by Rabindra Natha Tagore Congress officially accepted the drain of wealth theory in this session Congress also passed a resolution blaming the British for the famine that had devastated many parts of India. Rahimathullah Sayani was the second Muslim President of INC
1897 Amaraoti (Maharashtra) (President- Chettur Shankaran Nair)
Chettur Shankaran Nair is the only malayalee president of INC He is also the first malayalee to be a member of Viceroy‟s Executive Council
Chettur Shanakaran Nair (1857-1934)
Chettur Sankaran Nair became a member of the Viceroy's Executive Council in 1915 with the charge of the Education portfolio. He resigned from Executive Council in protest to Jallian Walla Bagh massacre. In 1928 he was appointed as the President of the Indian Central Committee to co- operate with the Simon Commission. The Committee prepared a well-argued report asking for Dominion Status for India. When the Viceregal announcement came granting Dominion Status as the ultimate goal for India, Sir Sankaran Nair retired from active politics. Gandhi and Anarchy was his famous book published in 1922. It severely criticizes Gandhi‟s non-cooperation movement.
1898 Madras ( President – Anandamohan Bose)
Social reform was set as the main goal of Congress
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1899 Lucknow ( President – R C Dutt)
First Party Constitution was framed for Congress Congress demanded that the British government put a stop to the 'drain of wealth'€from India to England that had been taking place as a result of colonial rule.
1901 Calcutta (president – D E Wacha)
First Congress session attended by Mahatma Gandhi He moved a resolution on South Africa in this session
1904 Bombay (President – Henry Cotton)
Congress protested the violation of rules by Lord Curzon as he used revenues from India for his forward policy in Tibet. Henry Cotton was the third foreigner President and first foreigner president in 20th century.
1905 Benares Session (President – Gopalakrishna Gokhale)
The divisions between the moderates led by Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Surendranath Banerjea and the extremists led by Bal Gangadhar Tilak came to the fore in this session. While Tilak and Lala Lajpat Rai wanted the Congress to boycott the visit of the Prince of Wales in protest against the Bengal Partition, the moderates opposed any such move.
1906 Calcutta (President –Dadabhai Naoroji)
Congress declared Swaraj or Self Government as its ultimate goal. This declaration was made by President Dadabhai Naoroji. Naoroji was 81 year old at that time and the oldest President of INC till date. Four resolutions were passed at this session: These were on self-government, boycott, swadeshi and national education.
1907 Surat (President – Rashbehari Ghosh)
The 23rd Session of the Congress was held at the bank of the Tapti river, in Surat. The Congress was split into: Moderates and Extremists. The session was marred with violence and eventually suspended. Extremists left Congress. Surat Split was the first split in the history of Congress.
Mancheri Session of 1920 is known as Surat of Kerala. Here Moderates wing led by Annie Besant and followers staged walked out from 5th Malabar District Political Conference. The conference held at Kalkoni Maidan, Manjeri, on April 28 and 29, 1920, under the chairmanship of S. Kasturiranga Iyengar, Editor of The Hindu. Page | 8
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1911 Calcutta (President– B N Dar)
Jana Gana Mana was first sung in this session of Congress (December 27, 1911) Congress welcomed the British Monarch, George V, who was visiting India for the first time.
1896 Calcutta Session 1911 Calcutta Session President : Rahimathullah Sayani President: Bishan Narayan Dar Vande Matharam was first sung Jana Gana Mana was first sung Sung by: Rabindra Natha Tagore Sung by: Saraladevi Chaudharani Written by : Bankim Chandra Written by: Rabindra Natha Tagore Chattarjee Taken from the novel: Anantha Math Later published in Thathwabodhini Magazine Background of the novel: Sannyasi Published under the title: Bharatha Revolt, 1763 Vidhatha Raga: Desh Raga: Shankarabharanam Music composed by: In the earlier Music composed by: Captain Ram Singh version, Jadunath Bhattacharya; Thakur (he composed music of Kadam present music was given by Pandit Kadam Badaye Ja also) Ravishankar Translated to English: Aurobindo Translated to English: Rabindra Natha Ghosh Tagore (Morning song of India) Translated to Tamil: Subrahmaniya Translated to Malayalam: Kuttippurath Bharati Keshavan Nair Duration: 52 Seconds Duration for shorter version: 20 seconds Constituent Assembly adopted Jana Gana Mana and Vande Mataram as national anthem and national song respectively on 24 January 1950. The declaration in this regard was made by Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the President of the Constituent Assembly.
1912 Bankipur (President – R.N. Mudholkar)
Bankipur Session was the first congress session attended by Jawaharlal Nehru
1916 Lucknow (President – A C Majumdar)
The moderates and extremists reunited in this session Congress and the All India Muslim League decided to cooperate and signed a pact called Lucknow Pact. The League also held its session in the same city, Lucknow, that year. Mahatma Gandhi met Jawaharlal Nehru for the first time Rajkumar Shukla invited Gandhi to Champaran at this session.
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1917 Calcutta Session (President – Annie Besant)
Annie Besant was the first woman to be the president of INC. She was also the first foreigner woman president of INC. Ireland was her native place.
1918 Delhi Session (President – Madan Mohan Malaviya)
First Congress Session held in Delhi
1920 Calcutta Special Session (President – Lala Lajpat Rai)
Congress decided to launch Non-cooperation movement
1920 Nagpur Session (President – C Vijayaraghavachariyar)
Congress was given new organizational structure Congress decided to set up Provincial Committees on linguistic basis Congress subscription was fixed at 4 annas and minimum age for membership was reduced to 18. A 15-member Congress Working Committee was constituted. Congress changed its goal from „attainment of self government by constitutional means’ to „attainment of swaraj by peaceful and legitimate manner.’
1921 Ahammedabad (President – CR Das, Hakkim Ajmal Khan)
Chitharanjan Das was chosen as the President of INC in 1921. Since he was in jail, Hakim Ajmal Khan was elected as President in the absence of C.R. Das. Hakkim Ajmal Khan was the first Acting President of INC. He is the only person to have been appointed president of the Indian National Congress, the Muslim League and the All India Khilafat Committee.
Moulana Hasrat Mohani was the first person to propose that Swaraj should be defined as complete independence, free from foreign control in 1921 while presiding over a Muslim League Session in 1921.
1923 Delhi Special Session (President – Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad)
Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad became the president of INC for the first time Azad was the youngest president of INC, at the age of 35. Congress decided to set up All India Khadi Board
1924 Belgaum Congress Session (President –Mahatma Gandhi)
Belgaum session is the only Congress session Gandhi served as the President. Belgaum is in Karnataka.
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1925 Kanpur Session (President – Sarojini Naidu)
Sarojini Naidu became the second woman and first Indian woman to preside over the Congress Hindi was made the official language of INC.
1926 Guwahati (President – S Srinivasa Iyyengar)
Khadi was made compulsory for congress workers in this session
1927 Madras Session (President – M A Ansari)
Congress decided to boycott Simon Commission A resolution was passed which lay down that the declaration of fundamental rights should be the basis of future constitution of India
1928 Calcutta (President – Motilal Nehru)
Congress demanded Dominion status to be given within one year.
1929 Lahore Session (President – Jawaharlal Nehru)
Congress passed Poorna Swaraj Resolution demanding complete independence. Congress decided to celebrate January 26, 1930 as Poorna Swaraj day (or First Independence day) Poorna Swaraj resolution was drafted by Jawaharlal Nehru. „Declaration of Independence‟ pledge was prepared by Mahatma Gandhi. On December 31, 1929 Jawaharlal Nehru hoisted tricolor flag on the Banks of river Ravi, at Lahore. J.L. Nehru was the youngest person to be the president of INC in a regular session. (Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad became the president in a special session)
1931 Karachi (President – Sardar Vallabhai Patel)
Congress passed a resolution on fundamental rights and economic policy. The fundamental rights were defined by Congress for the first time. This resolution was drafted by Jawaharlal Nehru. Congress endorsed Gandhi-Irwin Pact signed in 1931. Congress also decided to send Gandhi as the sole representative of INC in the Second Round Table Conference to be held in London.
1933 Calcutta (President – Nellie Sengupta)
Nellie sengupta was the third woman, second foreigner woman and first British woman to be the president of INC. Her original name was Edith Ellen Gray. Page | 11
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1937 Faizpur (President – Jawaharlal Nehru)
This session is known as the first village session of congress. It was the first Congress session held in a village. Faizpur is in Maharashtra
1938 Haripura, Gujarat (President – Subhas Chandra Bose)
Subhas Chandra Bose became the president of INC for the first time in this session While delivering the presidential address, he advocated the introduction of Roman script for Hindi language
1939 Tripuri, Madhya Pradesh (President – Subhas Chandra Bose)
In the 52nd Session of Congress, Subhash announced his candidature for the President. But Gandhi put forwarded the candidature of Pattabhi Sitharamaiyyah. An election was held for the post of President, for the first time in Congress Subhas Chandra Bose defeated Pattabhi Sitharamiyyah, the nominee of Gandhi. Subhas Chandra Bose was the first elected President of INC. But he couldn‟t continue for long. When he resigned in the same year itself, Rajendra Prasad served as the President for the rest of the term.
1940 Ramgarh, Jharkhand (President – Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad)
Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad was elected president for the second time He served as the President of INC till 1946, making him the President who hold the office for the longest continuous term. Congress passed a resolution offering the British Government support in ongoing Second World War, if a provisional National Government is setup at Centre.
1946 Meerut (President –J B Kripalani)
J B Kripalani was the President of INC at the time of Indian Independence.
J B Kripalani
J B Kripalani was the first person to address the Constituent Assembly He was the first person to introduce a no-confidence motion in Parliament. It was against Nehru Government in 1963. He left Congress in 1951 and formed another political party, Kissan Mazdoor Praja Party. It later merged with Socialist Party to form Praja Socialist Party. He was the Principal of Gujarat Vidyapeet, founded by Mahatma Gandhi (1920-27) His autobiography is My Times. His wife Suchetha Kripalani is the first woman Chief Minister in India (Uttar Pradesh)
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1948 Jaipur Session (President –Pattabhi Sitharamaiyyah)
It was the first Congress session in independent India It was in this session, Congress appointed JVP Committee to look into the matter of linguistic reorganization of Indian states. The committee consisted of Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhai Patel and Pattabhi Sitharamiyyah
Pattabhi Sitharamaiyyah
Pattabhi Sitharamiyyah is also known as „the official historian of Indian National Congress‟ He is the author of the book „History of Congress.‟ Dr. Rajendra Prasad wrote introduction for this book published in 1935. The diary he maintained during the jail time was published later as „Feathers and stones‟ He established Andhra Bank in Machilipatnam in 1923 which is currently one of the major commercial banks of India. He also started Andhra Insurance Company and Bhagyalakshmi Bank.
1955 Avadi, Madras (President- U N Dhebar)
Congress adopted a resolution to establish socialist pattern of society
1959 Delhi Session (President – Indira Gandhi)
Indira Gandhi was the first woman President of INC after Independence.
1985 Bombay
Rajiv Gandhi became the President of INC He was the President of INC in its birth centenary
1998 New Delhi Special Session
Sonia Gandhi became the President of INC She is the longest serving president of the Congress party, having held the office for 19 years from 1998 to 2017. She joined the party as a primary member at the 1997 plenary session.
2017 Delhi
Rahul Gandhi became the 87th President of INC and 16th president of the Congress since Independence
President Pre Independence Post Independence Oldest Dadabhai Naoroji Sitaram Kesari Youngest Abdul Kalam Azad Rajiv Gandhi Longest continuous term Abdul Kalam Azad Sonia Gnadhi City hosted most number Calcutta Delhi of sessions Page | 13
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FOREIGNER PRESIDENTS OF INC
1) George Yule (1887 Allahabad) 2) William Wedderburn (1889 Bombay, 1910 Allahabad) 3) Alfred Web (1894 Madras) 4) Henry Cotton (1904 Bombay) 5) Annie Besant ( 1917 Calcutta) 6) Nellie Sengupta ( 1933 Calcutta)
INC RECORDS
First President: W C Bonnerjee Second President: Dadabhai Naoroji First acting President: Hakkim Ajmal Khan First elected President: Subhas Chandra Bose First Parsi president: Dadabhai Naoroji Second Parsi President: Pherozshah Mehta First Muslim President: Badruddin Tyabji Second Muslim President: Rahmathullah Sayani First South Indian President: P Ananda Charlu Second South Indian president: C Shankaran Nair First European president: George Yule Second European president: William Wedderburn First woman President: Annie Besant Second woman president: Sarojini Naidu
INC FACTS
President of Congress in the 100th anniversary of INC : Rajiv Gandhi President of Congress in the 125th anniversary of INC: Sonia Gandhi First President of INC in 20th century: N G Chandavarkar First Foreigner President of INC in 20th century: Henry Cotton Congress officially adopted tricolor flag in: 1931 First person to visit Kerala while serving as INC President: Rajendra Prasad First Congress President appeared in coin: Jawaharlal Nehru First Congress president appeared in stamp: Mahatma Gandhi First Congress President to receive Bharat Ratna: Jawaharlal Nehru Seva Dal, the grassroot organization of Congress was founded on January 1, 1924. Sarojini Naidu proposed the formation of Seva Dal. Jawaharlal Nehru was the first President of Seva Dal, then known as Hindustani Seva Dal. Seven Indian Prime Ministers have been elected from the party and six others had been former members. Hand became the election symbol of congress in 1978. The party that used hand as the election symbol in first general election was Forward Bloc (Ruikar). Page | 14
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MAJOR SPLITS IN CONGRESS PARTY
INC
Moderates (Naram Da1) First Split 1907 ______(Surat Split)
Extremists (Garam Dal)
Lucknow 1916 Extremists under B.G.Tilak returned Session of to Congress INC
Second 1918 Moderates under S.N.Bannerji left Spilt congress and founded Indian National Liberal Foundation.
1948 INC reconstituted as a Political Party
1951-52 First General election (Yoked oxen congress party symbol)
Congress (O) Under K.Kamaraj, Nijalingappa etc First Split After 1969 Independence Congress (R) Under Indira Gandhi
Congress (I) Under Indira Gandhi Second major Split after 1978 Independence Congress (U) Under Devaraj Urs
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KERALA PRADESH CONGRESS COMMITTEE
The Malabar District Congress Committee was constituted by INC in 1910. Kunhirama Menon was its first secretary. It was the first Congress committee appointed by Congress in the Kerala region. The main purpose of the meetings of the District Congress Committee was mostly to elect a few delegates to attend the sessions of the Indian National Congress In 1916 the Malabar District Congress Committee was reorganised with K. P. Raman Menon as president and K. P. Kesava Menon as secretary. When Home Rule League was started in 1916 under the leadership of Annie Besant, a branch of the Home Rule League was formed in Calicut with Mr. Manjeri Rama Iyyer as president and K.P. Kesava Menon as secretary. A Provincial Conference of the District Congress was held at Calicut in 1913 under the Chairmanship of C. Vijayaraghavachariar helped to create political awareness among people of Malabar.
Malabar District Political Conferences From 1916 onwards annual political conferences of the District Congress Committee were held in Malabar to get the people informed of national politics. The first Malabar district political conference held in 1916 at Palakkad under the presidentship of Dr. Annie Besant. K P Kesava Menon put forth the resolution that India be given complete independence in this conference. The second district political conference was held at Calicut in 1917 under the presidency of Sri. C.P. Ramaswami Iyyer. Issues like post war reforms, self Government for India, the Arms act, Elementary education, Tenancy question etc. were discussed in this session. The third Malabar district political conference held in 1918 at Thalassery under the presidency of Mr. Azad Alikhan Bahadur and The fourth Malabar district political conference held at Vadakara in 1919 under the presidency of K.P. Raman Menon. The fifth and last Political conference marked ashift in the history of independence movement in Kerala. For the first time in Kerala, in this conference the split between the 'Moderates' and the 'Extremists' came to the forefront. An important resolution passed in the conference declared that India was ready for self government and that the Montagu-Chelmsford reforms were unsatisfactory. Dr. Besant and her wing vehemently opposed the resolution. The resolution was passed by a huge majority. Mrs. Besant and her followers staged a walkout. This incident is also known as Surat of Kerala.
Formation of KPCC The Nagpur session of the Indian National Congress decided to constitute provincial Congress committee on linguistic basis
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The Kerala Provincial Congress Committee was formed on January 12, 1921 at Calicut. K. Madhavan Nair was the first Secretary of KPCC. U. Gopalamenon was the first Joint Secretary. When Madhavan Nair was arrested in Khilafat movement, K P Keshava Menon became the leader. There were 5 districts under the jurisdiction of KPCC: Travancore, Thalassery, Kozhikkode, Palakkad and Kochi. Its headquarters was Calicut. The membership was restricted to 100, as fixed by Gandhi in his article published in Young India magazine. A.K. Pillai was the District Secretary of Travancore and Moothedath Narayana Menon was the District Secretary of Cochin.
ALL KERALA POLITICAL CONFERENCE
The first All Kerala Political Conference, under the aegis of the KPCC, held at Ottappalam in April 1921. It was the first representative gathering of Congressmen from Malabar, Travancore and Cochin. It was inaugurated by the then All India Congress Committee president T. Prakasam. The four-day conference was held near the Ottappalam railway station from April 23, 1921. Special conferences of tenants, farmers, students, the Khilafat movement and Samastha Kerala Ulama were also held. The conference gave its full support to the decision on non-cooperation adopted by the Indian National Congress in Kerala The second Conference was held on May 6, 1923 under the chairmanship of Sarojini Naidu.
In the 1923 Kakinada Session of Congress, KPCC urged Congress to support in their struggle against untouchability and social evils. In the session, T.K. Madhavan, a delegate from Kerala, in a memorandum explained the grievances of the untouchables to the national leaders and the press. Kakinada session of the Congress passed a resolution on the initiative of T.K. Madhavan to take proper steps for the eradication of untouchability in the Country Till 1938 the KPCC was organized as all Kerala organization. But the 1938 Haripura Session of Congress decided not to involve in struggle for self government in princely states. Congress leaders in Travancore floated new organization named Travancore State Congress in 1938 with Pattom Thanu Pillai as its first President and P S Nataraja Pillai as its first secretary. They continued agitation for responsible government in Travancore. In Cochin, Congress supporters formed Kochi Rajya Prajamandalam in 1941 under the leadership of V.R. Krishnan Ezhuthachan. Travancore State Congress and Kochi Rajya Prajamandalam merged with Indian National Congress after independence, in 1948. Page | 17