Indian National Congress :Principles and Objectives

                              Introduction 

•  Indian National Congress was founded by a retired British civil servent A.O.Hume in December 1885
•  72 political workers participated in its first session held in Bombay. It was the first organisation which expressed of Indian nationalism on an all india scale. A.O.Hume played an important role in its formation.
• It was presided by W.C.Bonerjee 
• The aim of this organisation was to promote friendly relation with nationalists activists from different parts of country 
• The most important Liberal leaders, who dominated the Congress from 1885-1905 were the leaders of Indian National movement in its first phase 
• There were such distinguished figures among them as W.C.Banerjee, Anand Mohan Bose, A.C.Mazumdar , Rashid Bihari Ghosh , S.N.Banerjee .R.C.Dutt from Bengal province 
• Dadabhai Naroji, ferozshah Mehta, Ranade, G.K.Ghokle etc .from Bombay and other prominent Indian intelligentsia 
• 2nd session held at Calcutta by 486 members
• Principles and Objectives of congress 
• Development of close relationship between workers 
• Develop and consolidation of national unity among them instead of race, religion, caste, colour and creed 
• Congress supported social reforms including the promotion of education, women rights and the abolition of social evils
• Planing what we will do in the next year
• Congress passed resolutions formulating, for the first time, demands by National organization such as:
1. Abolition of the Indian council, simultaneously examination for the I.C.S and raising the age of candidates 
2. Seperation of judiciary with executive Council 
3. The repeal of the arms act
4. Appointment of Indian as in the army, high posts 
5. Reduction of military expenditure 

Thus, the demands of the first Congress initiated and directed by Liberal politicians, were limited to minor and administrative reforms

 

Indian liberals had utmost unlimited faith in the British rule in india

The liberals believed orderly progress and opposed to any revolutionary change

Indian people don't really like sudden changes and big revolutions and methods of struggle  

They desire to see some Indian members in the secretary of State's and council, and in viceroy's executive council 

The interests of people, should be discussed in administration mechanism 

Justice Ranade said'.

The Indian liberals looked to Britain for guiding the Indian people to overcome their social and cultural backwardness and for training them in the art of representative government.

 Surendranath Banerjee said in 1895

 to England We look for inspiration and guidance from England Must come the crowning mandate, which will Enfranchise our people. England is our political guide and further said we have great confidence in the justice and generosity of the English people. The Indian liberalists consider the interest of Britain and India allied rather than antagonistic.

 Dadabhai Naroji expressed the same liberal view when he said

" let us speak at like men and proclaim that We are loyal to the backbone that we understand the benefits English rule has conferred upon us"

Question arises, why it was founded at that time?

• A long lasting myth of the safety valve  around this question.
•  A powerful group of activists have been perpetuated on this myth. 

• But the myth has little basis on historical records 
• The myth is that India National Congress was started 
• by A.O.Hume and other political activities, under the viceroy of lord Dufferin 
• It is said that it was a way to prevent a big and violent revolution by giving people a peaceful way to express their growing discontent 
• This myth suggests that the Congress stopped a violent uprising from happening 

Different scholars see this myth in different spectrum

• Some scholars say, it shows congress was too friendly with the British.
• Others  use it to say Congress was never truly patriotic 
• Radicals described that congress has always been compromising 
• The extremists use it to prove that the Congress has been anti-nationals   from the very beginning 

All of them agree that the manner of its birth affected the principle character and future work of the Congress in a crucial manner.

          Radical nationalists under Lala Lajpat Rai used the safety valve to attach early nationalists, in his young India published in 1916

• He also argued that the Congress was a product of lord Dufferin's mindset
• He also argued that the Congress was started with the objective of saving British from danger, rather than winning political liberty for india 

M.S.Golwalkar, the RSS leader,used safety valve theory to criticize the Congress for it's secularism and therefore, patriotism 

Golwalkar also said that those who called themselves nationalists had ruined Hindu National unity by promoting ideas like democracy and suggesting that Hindu and Muslims had things in common.

  

  "Safety valve"

• The 'safety valve' theory is, however a small part of the truth and is totally inadequate misleading 
• It's believed that it was used as a way to outlet to the growing discontent among the educated Indians.
• C.F. Andrews and Giriji Mukharji totally bought into the safety valve idea in their book, "The Rise and Growth of the Congress in India" from 1938. They were cool with it because they thought it stopped unnecessary violence.
• Hume said he found proof in secret reports that there was a lot of anger and a big plan by the lower classes to violently kick out the British.
• Before we unravel the mystery of the seven volumes, let us briefly trace the history of its rise and growth.
• It was first mentioned in William Wedderburn's biography of A.O.Hume published in 1913