Moderate Phase (1885-1905) - Indian National Congress

Moderate Phase (1885-1905) - Indian National Congress

Important Organisations before Congress

Indian National Congress (I.N.C.): Formation and Background

Place & Year: Bombay, 1885

Founder: A.O. Hume

• The Indian National Union was formed in 1884 by A.O. Hume, an Englishman and a retired civil servant, in association with various national leaders who called for a conference in Pune in December 1885.

• The conference received the unanimous support of all Indian leaders, but the venue was shifted to Bombay for various reasons (esp. the outbreak of cholera in Pune).

• Further, the leaders decided to rename the Indian National Union as the Indian National Congress.

First Session of INC

• The first session of the Indian National Congress was held at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College in Bombay under the presidency of W.C. Bannerji, a veteran lawyer of Calcutta.

• It was attended by 72 delegates from all over India.

• From 1885 onwards, the INC met every year, and its cause spread rapidly among middle-class Indians.

Early Phase of INC

• With the foundation of the INC in 1885, the struggle for India's independence was launched in a small, hesitant, and mild but organized manner.

• The first two decades of the INC are described in history as those of moderate demands and a sense of confidence in British justice and generosity.

• Their aim was not to be aggressive in attaining independence lest the British suppress this.

• This resulted in the Indian Council Act of 1892, which allowed some members to be indirectly elected by Indians, but kept the official majority intact.

Moderate Leaders

• Dada Bhai Naoroji

• A.O. Hume

• Badruddin Tayebji

• M.G. Ranade

• W.C. Bannerji

• Ferozshah Mehta

• Surendra Nath Bannerji

• C. Shankaran Naiyar

• Madan Mohan Malviya

• V.S. Shrinivas Shastri

• Tej Bahadur Sapru

• Gopal Krishna Gokhale

• Anand Mohan Bose

• E. Dinesh Wacha

• Ras Bihari Ghosh

• Mohan Lai Ghosh

• P. Anand Charlu

• C.Y. Chintamani

• R.C. Dutt

• S. Subrahmanyam Aiyer

• K.T. Tailang

• Madhusudan Das

• Rahimtulla M. Sayani

Opinions about INC

• "INC represents only a microscopic minority." – Lord Dufferin (1884–88) (Contemporary Viceroy)

• "The Congress is tottering to its fall, and one of my great ambitions, while in India, is to assist it to a peaceful demise." – Lord Curzon (1899–1905) (Viceroy)

• "INC is a begging institute." – Aurobindo Ghosh (Extremist Leader)

• "INC should distinguish between begging and claiming the rights." – Bal Gangadhar Tilak (Extremist Leader)

• "INC playing with bubbles." – Bipin Chandra Pal (Extremist Leader)

Final Thoughts

The formation of early political organisations before the Indian National Congress (INC) laid the foundation for India's nationalist awakening. These groups, though regionally focused, played a crucial role in uniting educated Indians across the country.

The birth of the INC in 1885 marked a significant turning point in the political history of India, bringing together diverse leaders under one platform. Initially moderate in approach, the INC slowly evolved into a mass movement.

Leaders like Dadabhai Naoroji, W.C. Bannerji, and Gopal Krishna Gokhale shaped its early vision. Despite British criticism and internal differences, the Congress became the voice of Indian aspirations. This journey reflects the gradual but determined rise of organized resistance against colonial rule.