Moderate Phase (1885–1905)
Important Organisations Before Congress
| Organisation | Place | Year | Founder(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landholders’ Society | Calcutta | 1837 | Dwarkanath Tagore |
| British India Society | London | 1839 | William Adam |
| British Indian Association (Merger of 1 & 2) | Calcutta | 1851 | Devendranath Tagore |
| Madras Native Association | Madras | 1852 | C.Y. Mudaliar |
| Bombay Association | Bombay | 1852 | Jagannath Shankar Sheth |
| East India Association | London | 1866 | Dadabhai Naoroji |
| Poona Sarvajanik Sabha | Poona | 1870 | S.H. Chiplunkar, G.V. Joshi, M.G. Ranade |
| Indian Society | London | 1872 | Anand Mohan Bose |
| Indian League | Calcutta | 1875 | Shishir Kumar Ghosh |
| Indian Association | Calcutta | 1876 | Surendranath Banerjee & Anand Mohan Bose |
| Indian National Conference | Calcutta | 1883 | Surendranath Banerjee & Anand Mohan Bose |
| Madras Mahajan Sabha | Madras | 1884 | P. Rangaiah Naidu, V. Raghavachari, Anand Charlu, G. Subramania Iyer |
| Bombay Presidency Association | Bombay | 1885 | Pherozeshah Mehta, K.T. Telang & Badruddin Tyabji |
Indian National Congress (I.N.C.) : Bombay, 1885, A.O. Hume
Formation
- Indian National Union was founded in 1884 by A.O. Hume, a retired ICS officer, in collaboration with several Indian leaders.
- A conference was initially proposed at Poona in December 1885.
- Due to an outbreak of cholera, the venue was shifted to Bombay.
- The organisation was subsequently renamed as the Indian National Congress (INC).
First Session
- Held at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College, Bombay.
- Presided over by W.C. Bonnerjee, a distinguished lawyer from Calcutta.
- 72 delegates from different parts of India attended the inaugural session.
Growth of the Congress
- From 1885 onwards, the Congress held annual sessions.
- Membership gradually expanded among the educated middle class.
- The early phase of the national movement remained constitutional, peaceful, and moderate.
Important Congress Sessions
| Year | Place | Key Importance |
|---|---|---|
| 1885 | Bombay | First Session held at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College; attended by 72 delegates. |
| 1886 | Calcutta | Participation increased to 436 delegates. |
| 1887 | Madras | Badruddin Tyabji became the first Muslim President of INC. |
| 1888 | Allahabad | George Yule became the first English President of the Congress. |
| 1889 | Bombay | Congress representation expanded to almost all parts of British India. |
| 1892 | Calcutta | Decision taken to organise a Congress Session in London. |
| 1895 | Poona | Demand raised for representative institutions, though largely for the educated class. |
| 1896 | Madras | Social Reform accepted as an important objective. |
| 1907 | Surat | Historic Surat Split between Moderates and Extremists. |
| 1908 | Madras | Adoption of the Congress Constitution. |
| 1916 | Lucknow | Lucknow Pact with the Muslim League; Gandhi attended the session. |
| 1917 | Calcutta | Annie Besant became the first woman President of the INC. |
| 1920 | Nagpur | Gandhian Programme incorporated into the Congress Constitution. |
| 1921 | Ahmedabad | Hasrat Mohani demanded Complete Independence (Poorna Swaraj). |
| 1922 | Gaya | Formation of the Swaraj Party. |
| 1924 | Belgaum | Mahatma Gandhi became Congress President (his only presidency). |
| 1925 | Kanpur | Sarojini Naidu became the first Indian woman President of the INC. |
| 1927 | Madras | Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhas Chandra Bose moved the resolution demanding Complete Independence, adopted for the first time. |
| 1928 | Calcutta | Convening of the First All India Youth Congress. |
| 1929 | Lahore | Poorna Swaraj Resolution adopted; 26 January 1930 declared Independence Day. |
| 1931 | Karachi | Resolution on Fundamental Rights and National Economic Programme adopted. |
| 1934 | Bombay | Formation of the Congress Socialist Party (CSP). |
| 1936 | Lucknow | Congress expressed support for Socialism through democratic methods. |
| 1937 | Faizpur | Demand for a Constituent Assembly reiterated. |
| 1938 | Haripura | Poorna Swaraj demand extended to include Princely States. |
| 1939 | Tripuri | Subhas Chandra Bose resigned after differences with Gandhi; Dr. Rajendra Prasad later became Congress President. |
Moderate Approach
Nature
- The first two decades of Congress history are known as the Age of Moderates.
- Leaders relied on petitions, resolutions, memoranda, and constitutional methods.
Objective
- Sought administrative reforms rather than complete independence.
- Believed in the justice and liberal values of British rule.
Achievement
- Passage of the Indian Councils Act, 1892.
- Enabled limited participation of Indians in the legislative councils, though with restricted authority.
Prominent Moderate Leaders
- Dadabhai Naoroji
- A.O. Hume
- Badruddin Tyabji
- M.G. Ranade
- W.C. Bonnerjee
- Pherozeshah Mehta
- Surendranath Banerjee
- C. Sankaran Nair
- Madan Mohan Malaviya
- V.S. Srinivasa Sastri
- Tej Bahadur Sapru
- Gopal Krishna Gokhale
- Anand Mohan Bose
- D.E. Wacha
- Lal Mohan Ghosh
- Mohan Lal
- P. Anand Charlu
- C.Y. Chintamani
- R.C. Dutt
- G. Subramania Iyer
- K.T. Telang
- Madhusudan Das
- Rahimtulla Sayani
Select Opinions about INC
Lord Dufferin (1884–88)
- Described the INC as representing only a small minority of Indians.
Lord Curzon (1899–1905)
- Remarked that the Congress was declining, expressing hope for its eventual disappearance.
Aurobindo Ghosh
- Criticised the organisation as a “begging institution”, dependent on appeals rather than assertive action.
Bal Gangadhar Tilak
- Asserted that the distinction between petitioning and claiming rights must be clearly understood.
Bipin Chandra Pal
- Compared the functioning of the early Congress to “playing with bubbles,” indicating its limited effectiveness.