Indian Congress Party (Formation and Early Years): In March 1883, A.O. Hume, a retired ICS officer and agricultural secretary to the government of India issued an open letter to the graduates of Calcutta University to form a political association like the future Congress Party that could work for the social, economical and political regeneration of India. This open advice was accepted by the younger generation of the Calcutta University. In December 1884 (First Session of Indian National Union), the president was A.O. Hume. It was decided to hold annual session every year in December. In 1885, it was decided to hold the session in Pune but it could not be held there because of the spread of Cholera. Thus, at the invitation of Poona Sarvjanik Sabha, it was decided that the session would be held in Gokulpal Tejpal Sanskrit College in Bombay. It was at that session that Dadabhai Naoroji proposed to change its name to Indian National Congress popularly came to be known as Congress Political Party. First Session Thus, the first session of the Indian National Congress was held on 28th December 1885 in Gokulpal Tejpal Collage, Bombay which was attended by 12 delegates including two Muslim members. The first president was W.C. Banerjee who was a famous barrister from Calcutta. Second Session The second session was held in 1886 in Calcutta which was attended by 436 delegates including 33 Muslims. Governor General Lord Dufferin held the garden tea party for the delegates of second session at Calcutta. But he soon turned hostile and described it as a microscopic minority. Third Session The third session was held in Madras in 1887 and the president was Syed Badruddin Tayabji. He was the first Muslim president of the Congress. Sir Badruddin Tayabj was also the president of Anjuman-i-Islam in Bombay. This session was attended by 607 delegates including 156 Muslims. Fourth Session The fourth session was held in 1888 in Allahabad. Though the bureaucracy tried to disrupt the session, the land was provided by Raja Lakhmeshwar Singh of Darbhanga. The president of this session was George Yule who was a European businessman from Calcutta. Fifth Session The fifth session was held in Bombay in 1889 and the president was the British MP William Weddenburn. He is popularly known as the true Indian in European grab. Other Important Sessions The 1893 session was held in Lahore. The president was Dada Bhai Naoroji. The 1894 session was held in Madras and the president was Alfred Webb who was a member of the House of Commons. The 1905 session was held in Varanasi. The president was Gopal Krishan Gohkale. It was from this platform that the word Swaraj was adopted for the first time in 1905. Though it was Bal Gangadhar Tilak who gave the slogan of Swaraj in 1897: “Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it.” 1906 Session The 1906 Session was held in Calcutta and the president was Dada Bhai Naoroji. It was at that session that Dada Bhai Naoroji declared: “I want Swaraj the like of which exist in England. I don’t want favor but only justice.” In this session, there were vital differences between moderates and extremists on the issue of boycott and national education. It was only through the intervention of Dada Bhai Naoroji that the Indian National Congress adopted four resolutions: 1. Swaraj 2. Swadeshi 3. Boycott 4. National Education The issues of boycott and national education led to the first split in Congress in 1907 between moderates and extremists. The moderates were led by Gopal Krishan Gohkale, Firoz Shah Mehta and Bal Gangadhar Tilak. Mahatma Gandhi had called Mehta as Himalayas, Tilak Ganga and Gohkale as Indian Ocean. 1907 Session The 1907 session was held in Surat with Ras Bihar Ghosh as the president. 1915 Session The 1915 session was held in Bombay with Satyendra Nath Sinha as the president. In 1909, he was the first Indian to be included in the executive council of the governor general. 1916 Session The 1916 session was held in Lucknow and the president of this session was A.C. Majumdar. It was the only joint session of INC and Muslim League, 1917 Session The 1917 session was held in Calcutta. The president of this session was Annie Besant. She was the first woman president of the Indian National Congress. 1919 Session The 1919 session was held in Amritsar. The president of this session was Moti Lal Nehru. This session took place in the backdrop of Jalianwala Bagh massacre. 1920 Session The 1920 session was held in Calcutta. The president of this session was Lala Lajpat Rai. It was in this session that Mahatma Gandhi moved his non-cooperation resolution. 1922 Session This session was held in Gaya and the president was Deshbandhu C.R. Das who was the political guide of Subash Chandra Bose. C.R. Das founded Swaraj Party and became its president. Moti Lal Nehru became its general secretary. 1923 session The 1923 session was held in Delhi and the president was Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. He was the youngest president of the Congress. Maulana Abul Kalam led the compromise between the Congress and the Swaraj Party. 1924, 1925 and 1927 Session The 1924 session was held in Belgaum and the president was Mahatma Gandhi. The 1925 session was held in Bombay and the president was Sarojni Naidu. The 1927 session was held at Delhi and the president was M.A. Ansari. It was in this session that the Congress decided to boycott the Simon Commission. 1929 Session This session was held in Lahore on the left band of River Ravi and the president of this session was Jawaharlal Nehru. It was in this session that the complete independence resolution was passed and the Congress decided to celebrate 26th January 1930 as the Independence Day. 1931, 1934, 1936, 1937 and 1938 Session The 1931 session was held in Karachi with the president as Sardar Patel. This session is known for economic policy resolution and the 19 Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles. The 1934 session was held in Patna with Dr. Rajendra Prasad as the president. The Congress demanded for the first time the establishment of Constituent Assembly to form the Constitution of India. The 1936 session was held in Faizabad with the president Jawaharlal Nehru. This session passed the socialist pattern of society resolution. The 1937 session was held in Wardha. It was in this session that the Congress passed the resolution of the Wardha System of Education (Gandhian System of Education). The 1938 session was held in Haripura with the president Subash Chandra Bose. The 1939 session was held in Tripuri and the president was again Subash Chandra Bose, Bose defeated the official nominee Dr. Pattabhisitaramayya who was backed by Mahatma Gandhi. He wrote the first official history of the Congress Party. 1942 Session The 1942 session was held in Bombay and the president was Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. On 8th August 1942, Nehru moved Quit India Resolution at Azad Maidan in Bombay. The 9th August was celebrated as Quit India Day (Kranti Diwas and Aruna Asif Ali on 9th August 1942 unfurled the tricolor. Aruna Asif Ali was awarded Bharat Ratna. Origin of Congress W.C. Banerjee has written that if A.O. Hume is the father of INC, then Dufferin should be considered as the grandfather of the Congress because it was he who persuaded to stay in India and work for the upliftment of the Indians. Gopal Krishan Gokhale and Lala Lajpat Rai agree with this view. Nand Lal Chatterjee has written that the Congress was the byproduct of Russophobia. In the late 19th century, war seemed imminent between the British and the Russian empire over the issue of Panjdeh. The British government wanted to enlist the support of the Indian leadership. Colonel Alcott and Raghunath Roy has written that the Theosophical Society as responsible for the creation of the Congress political Party because it was the society which enabled the Indians to think, act and work together.