Volume : 3 | Issue : 6 | June 2014 • ISSN No 2277 - 8160 Research Paper History Emergence and Development of the Indian National Congress Madan Mohan Assistant Professor in History of Sponsored Teachers` Training College Mandal Deshbandhu Road,Purulia-723101(W.B.) ABSTRACT The National Congress was founded in 1885 by Allan Octavian Hume. The Indian National Congress abbreviated INC and commonly known as the Congress is one of the two major political parties in India. It is the largest and oldest democratically-opening political parties in the world.The party`s modern liberal platform is largely considered to be on the Centre left of the Indian political spectrum.Next time the Indian National Congress became pivotal participant in the Indian Independence Movement. After independence in 1947, the congress has won an outright majority on six occasions and has led the ruling coalition a further four times, heading and central government for a total of 49 years. KEYWORDS : Safety Valve Theory of Hume, Early Congress, Rise of Extremism, Surat Split-1907, Gandhi`s National Movement. Introduction: Many Indians were playing to establish an all India tion in the making. They made a modest beginning in this direction organization of nationalist political workers. But the credit for or- close contacts and friendly relations among the people from different ganizing the first meeting of the Indian National Congress goes to parts of the country. The economic and political demands of the mod- A.O. Hume who was a retired English Civil Servant. His view that the erates were structured with a view to unify the Indian people on the emergence of educated class should be accepted as a political reality basis of a common political program. and that timely step should be taken to provide the right channel to the expression of the grievances of this class. He believed that efforts Rise of Extremism:The closing decade of the 19th` century and the must be made to satisfy the ambitions of this class. Lord Rippon also early years of the 20th` century witnessed the emergence of a new shared with his views. Hume strenuously consolidated the network of and younger group within the Indian National Congress which was contacts which he established. In Mumbai, he met and discussed with sharply critical of the ideology and the methods of the old leader- the leaders who were influential in the presidency, the program of ships. These `angry young men ‘advocated the adaptation of swaraj political action to be adopted by the educated Indians. as the goal of the congress to be achieved by more self-reliant and independent methods. The new group came to be called the extrem- Review of Related Literature: ist party. They opposed the idealizing of the western culture by the 1. Loksabha Congress Manifesto Indian National Congress (2014).Here liberals and considered it cultural capitulation to the British rulers. The congress emphasis on voice and aspirations of the people and now militant nationalist leaders emphasized that it would only bring about vision for the country. 2. History of India-the post-colonial period. Em- an inferiority complex among the Indians and repress their national phasis on Demography, polities in India.3. Md. Ayub Mallick-Idelogy pride and self-confidence so vital to the struggle for freedom. of the Indian National Congress: Political Economy of Socialism and socialistic Pattern of Society.4. History of the Indian National Congress The leading extremists such as Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia.Here emphasis on the Gan- Bipin Chandra Pal, Aurobindo Ghosh were all products of English edu- dhi`s rise to power. cation and were immensely influenced by western thought, literature and personalities. The political mendicancy of the moderates received Safety Valve Theory of Hume: One of the main aims of Hume is a big jolt and let to the growth and ascendancy of political extrem- facilitating the establishment of the National Congress to offer an out- ism. Till Mahatma Gandhi arrived on the political soil of India. The ex- let `a Safety Valve Theory’ to the rising popular dissatisfaction against tremists dominated the Indian National Congress. The philosophy of the British rule. He says that safety valve for the escape of great and political extremism, which was greatly influenced by the writings of growing forces generated by our own action was urgently needed Bankim Chandra and his spiritual nationalism was a reaction against and no more efficacious safety valve than our congress movement the policy of extreme softness that was followed by the moderates to- could possibly be devised. The safety valve theory is however a small wards the British Govt. in India. For Aurobindo, nationalism was not a part of the truth. More than anything else, the national congress rep- mere political or economic cry; it was rather the innermost hunger of resented the urge of the politically conscious Indians to set upa na- his soul for the rebirth in him and through men like him, the whole tional organization. To work for their political and economic advance- India, the ancient culture of the Hindustan and its pristine purity and ment. nobility. Indian Nationalism was given a spiritual orientation by the nationalists at a highly opportune and critical period in the history of The Indian leaders who cooperated with Hume is starting this Na- India. tional Congress, were patriotic men of high character who willingly accepted Hume`s help as they did not want to arouse official hostility Surat split-1907:In 1907, a split occurred in the congress between towards their efforts at such an early stage of political activity. In 1885 the moderates and the extremists. The split was inevitable as the The Indian National Congress was established. It was presided over by moderates, though steadily disillusioned with the British govern- Womesh Chandra Banerjee of Bengal and attended by 72 delegates. ment, did not accept the ideology and the methods of the new na- The national movement was to grow and the country and its people tionalists. There was much public debate and disagreement between were to know no rest till freedom was won. the Moderates and extremists. While the latter wanted to extend the mass movement to Bengal as well as to the other parts of the coun- Early Congress: During the early early years, the moderates plead- try, the Moderates wanted to confine the movement to Bengal and ed for introduction of policies, which would transform India eco- even their to limit it to Swadeshi and Boycott. In 1906, the moderates nomically, socially and politically. The means chosen by them to the leaders opposed Tilak`s candidature for the preside ship of the Indian ends were very well within the constitutional limits. In this time, the National Congress. Finally, Dadabhai Naoroji was elevated to the chair. educated middle class dominated the congress. Early congressmen Dadabhai electrified the nationalist ranks by openly declaring in his had an absolute faith in the effectiveness of peaceful constitutional presidential. agitation. The National Congress took pride in the British connection and regarded the British Govt. not as an antagonist, but as an ally. The Address that the goal of the Indian National Movement was self-Gov- moderate congress leaders were aware of the fact that India was a na- ernment or Swaraj like that of the United Kingdom or the colonies. GJRA - GLOBAL JOURNAL FOR RESEARCH ANALYSIS X 95 Volume : 3 | Issue : 6 | June 2014 • ISSN No 2277 - 8160 But the differences dividing the two wings of the nationalist’s move- The non-cooperation movement spread among the masses and ment could not keep pace with events. They were not able to see that to the countryside. The peasantry of UP, Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, and their outlook and methods, which had served a real purpose in the Malabar responded to the non-cooperation movement. The trage- past, were no longer adequate. To placate the moderate nationalists, dy of Chauri Chaura and Gandhi`s Imprisonment put an end to the it announced constitutional concessions through the Indian Councils non-co-operation movement itself for some time. An unfortunate act of 1909, which are known as the Morley- Minto Reforms of 1909. development after the calling of of the non-co-operation movement In 1911, the government also announced the cancellation of the par- was the growth of communal tension and the occurrence of commu- tition of Bengal. Western and Eastern Bengals were to be reunited, nal riots. The growth of communal tendencies hindered the national- while a new province consisting of Bihar and Orissa was to be creat- ist movement. This side tracked the attention of people from the need ed. At the same time the seat of the central govt. was shifted from for complete independence from foreign rule. Calcutta to Delhi. The partition of Bengal and the launch of Swadeshi and the Boycott of foreign goods movement in 1906 heightened and The civil disobedience Movement began with the famous Dandi brought about a split between the Moderates and Extremists. The March on 12March1930. In this place, Gandhi and his followers made suppression of the Home Rule Movement in 1916 by Tilak and Annie salt in violation of the salt laws. This act was a symbol of the Indian Besant furthered the spirit of freedom among the people in India. The s Refusal to live under the British- made laws and also under British suppression of the Home Rule Movement had only resulted in fur- rule. In May 1934, the entire civil dis obedience movement was called thering the course of the struggle, for freedom in India. The Lucknow off.