Indian National Congress Sessions Before Independence
The Indian National Congress (INC), founded in 1885, emerged as a pivotal platform for the Indian independence movement against British colonial rule. Throughout its existence, the INC held a series of sessions that significantly shaped the political landscape of India, fostering national unity and articulating the aspirations of the Indian populace. These sessions served not only as deliberative gatherings but also as vital instruments for negotiating India’s path to sovereignty.
The early sessions of the INC, such as the pivotal gatherings in Lucknow (1916) and Calcutta (1920), marked a shift towards a more radical approach in response to British repression. The Lucknow session was notable for the formal collaboration between the INC and the All-India Muslim League, signifying a critical moment in Hindu-Muslim unity against colonial rule. Meanwhile, the Calcutta session underscored the incipient call for self-governance, emphasizing the necessity of a collective struggle for independence.
The 1920s and 1930s ushered in a period of increased political activism, exemplified by the session in Karachi in 1931. This assembly adopted the Karachi Resolution, which asserted fundamental rights and economic goals, showcasing the INC’s commitment to social justice alongside political freedom. These sessions became forums for discussing national issues, including the rights of marginalized communities, thus broadening the INC’s appeal.
Moreover, the sessions of the late 1930s, particularly the Bombay session in 1934 and the Tripuri session in 1939, reflected an escalating demand for complete independence. The latter witnessed the election of Subhas Chandra Bose as president, embodying a more radical shift within the INC, advocating for immediate and total self-rule.
Important Social Reforms Acts Of British India
List of Indian National Congress Sessions
| Year | Location | President | Importance |
| 1885 | Bombay | W C Bonnerjee | 72 social reformers, journalists, and lawyers convened at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College in Bombay for the INC’s inaugural session. |
| 1886 | Calcutta | Dadabhai Naoroji | Merger of INC and National Conference Decided to set up Provincial Congress Committees across the country. |
| 1887 | Madras | Syed Badruddin Tyabji | Appeal made to Muslims to join hands with other national leaders |
| 1888 | Allahabad | George Yule | First English president |
| 1889 | Bombay | Sir William Wedderburn | INC’s British Committee was founded in Britain. |
| 1890 | Calcutta | Feroz Shah Mehta | The first woman to graduate from Calcutta University, Kadambini Ganguly, spoke at the Congress in 1890. |
| 1891 | Nagpur | P. Ananda Charlu | – |
| 1892 | Allahabad | W C Bonnerjee | Congress criticized the Indian Councils Act of 1892 |
| 1893 | Lahore | Dadabhai Naoroji | – |
| 1894 | Madras | Alfred Webb | – |
| 1895 | Poona | Surendranath Banerjee | – |
| 1896 | Calcutta | Rahimtullah M. Sayani | National song ‘Vande Mataram’ sung for the first time. Passed a resolution blaming the British for the famine that had devastated many parts of India. |
| 1897 | Amravati | C. Sankaran Nair | Congress slammed the British for the arrest of Bal Gangadhar Tilak. |
| 1898 | Madras | Ananda Mohan Bose | – |
| 1899 | Lucknow | Romesh Chandra Dutt | Congress demanded that the British government should stop the ‘drain of wealth’ from India to England. |
| 1900 | Lahore | N G Chandavarkar | – |
| 1901 | Calcutta | Dinshaw E. Wacha | For the first time, Mahatma Gandhi appeared on the Congress platform. |
| 1902 | Ahmedabad | Surendranath Banerjee | – |
| 1903 | Madras | Lal Mohan Ghosh | – |
| 1904 | Bombay | Sir Henry Cotton | Congress expressed strong disapproval of Lord Curzon‘s misuse of Indian revenues for his aggressive policy in Tibet and vehemently protested the Curzon administration’s plan to partition Bengal. |
| 1905 | Benaras | Gopal Krishna Gokhale | Expressed resentment against the partition of Bengal. Formal proclamation of Swadeshi movement against government. |
| 1906 | Calcutta | Dadabhai Naoroji | The word ‘Swaraj’ was mentioned for the first time. Adopted four resolutions on: Swaraj (Self Government), Boycott Movement, Swadeshi & National Education. |
| 1907 | Surat | Rash Behari Ghosh | Split in Congress- Moderates & Extremist |
| 1908 | Madras | Rash Behari Ghosh | – |
| 1909 | Lahore | Madan Mohan Malaviya | Congress opposed the Indian Councils Act of 1909′s proposal to create separate electorates based on religion. |
| 1910 | Allahabad | Sir William Wedderburn | – |
| 1911 | Calcutta | Bishan Narayan Dhar | ‘Jana Gana Mana’ sung for the first time |
| 1912 | Bankipore (Patna) | Raghunath Narasinha Mudholkar | – |
| 1913 | Karachi | Syed Mohammed | – |
| 1914 | Madras | Bhupendra Nath Basu | Congress demanded that Indians be allowed to have higher positions in the army. |
| 1915 | Bombay | Satyendra Prasanna Sinha | – |
| 1916 | Lucknow | Ambica Charan Mazumdar | Lucknow Pact – joint session with the Muslim League |
| 1917 | Calcutta | Annie Besant (1847 – 1933) | First woman president of the INC |
| 1918 | Bombay And Delhi | Syed Hasan Imam (Bombay) And Madan Mohan Malaviya (Delhi) | Congress expressed disappointment with the Montague-Chelmsford Reform. It called for the Indian people to have a Declaration of Rights. |
| 1919 | Amritsar | Motilal Nehru | Jallianwala Bagh massacre strongly condemned |
| 1920 (Special Session) | Calcutta | Lala Lajpat Rai | INC approved the Non-Cooperation Movement (NCM). |
| 1920 | Nagpur | C Vijayaraghavachariar | – |
| 1921 | Ahmedabad | Hakim Ajmal Khan (acting President For C R Das) | Gandhiji was declared the only executive authority of the Congress and given full AICC authority. |
| 1922 | Gaya | C R Das | Intense debate on the issue of council entry led to CR Das and others breaking away from INC and forming the Swaraj party. |
| 1923 (Special Session) | Delhi | Maulana Abul Kalam Azad | The session’s main decision was to allow Congressmen to contest elections and suspend the propaganda against council entry. |
| 1923 | Kakinada | Maulana Mohammad Ali, | This annual session aimed to send a message of Hindu-Muslim unity during the Non-Cooperation and Khilafat movements. |
| 1924 | Belgaum | M K Gandhi | The Only INC session presided over by Mahatma Gandhi. |
| 1925 | Kanpur | Sarojini Naidu (1879 – 1949) | First Indian woman president |
| 1926 | Guwahati | S Srinivasa Iyengar | – |
| 1927 | Madras | M A Ansari | Congress resolved to boycott the Simon Commission. |
| 1928 | Calcutta | Motilal Nehru | AThe first All India Youth Congress was formed. Resolution to adopt the Motilal Nehru report’s suggestion to grant Dominion Status to India within two years. |
| 1929 | Lahore | Jawaharlal Nehru | Resolution for ‘Poorna Swaraj.’ Civil Disobedience movement for complete independence to be launched, 26 January to be observed as ‘Independence Day’. |
| 1930 | No Session | – | – |
| 1931 | Karachi | Vallabhbhai Patel | Resolution on fundamental rights and national economic progress. Gandhi-Irwin pact endorsed. Gandhi nominated to represent INC in the second round table conference |
| 1932 | Delhi | Amrit Ranchhorddas Seth | – |
| 1933 | Calcutta | Malaviya Was Elected But Mrs Nellie Sengupta Presided | – |
| 1934 | Bombay | Rajendra Prasad | Wearing a Khadi was established as a rule for elected members. |
| 1936 | Lucknow | Jawaharlal Nehru | Urged Congressman to adopt Socialism. |
| 1937 | Faizpur | Jawaharlal Nehru | The first Congress Session in a rural area. |
| 1938 | Haripura | Subhas Chandra Bose | National planning committee set up under Nehru. Rejcted the federal structure given by GoI 1935. |
| 1939 | Tripuri | Subhas Chandra Bose | Bose was elected but had to resign since Gandhi supported Pattabhi Sitaramayya. Instead, Rajendra Prasad was appointed |
| 1940 | Ramgarh | Abul Kalam Azad | – |
| 1941-45 | – | – | No session because of arrest |
| 1946 | Meerut | Acharya Kripalani | Last INC session before Independence. |
Difference Between Non Co-Operation Movement And Civil Disobedience Movement
Facts about the Indian National Congress Sessions
- The national word was added in the name of Congress in the Nagpur session of Congress (1891).
- Bankim Chandra Chatterjee sang the song “Vande-Mataram”, which he composed in the Calcutta session of the Congress of 1896.
- Dada Bhai Nauroji mentioned Swaraj for the first time in his speech in the Calcutta session of Congress (1906).
- The first partition of the Congress took place in the Surat Session of the Congress (1907). Ras Bihari Bose presided over this session.
- The National Anthem “Jan Gan Man” composed by Ravindranath Tagore was sung for the first time in the Calcutta session of Congress (1911).
- The divided faction of the Congress united in the Congress session of Lucknow (1916), and the Lucknow agreement held between the Congress and the Muslim League. The first joint session of the Congress and the Muslim League took place in Lucknow (1916).
- Ambika Charan Mazumdar chaired the Lucknow session of the Congress (1916).
- Non-cooperation was proposed by Gandhiji at the 1920 Calcutta Congress session, which was presided over by Lala Lajpat Rai.
- The goal of achieving self-government with constitutional methods was changed to the goal of achieving Swaraj in non-violent and proper ways in the Nagpur session of Congress (1920).
- C.R. Das was elected the president of the Ahmedabad session of Congress (1921) but due to his being in jail, Hakim Ajmal Khan chaired the session.
- All India Khadi Board was established at the Kakinada Conference held in 1923.
- For the first time in the Guwahati Conference of Congress in 1926, Congress workers needed to wear khadi.
- It was decided for the first time in the Lahore session of Congress (1929) to celebrate January 26 as Independence Day each year.
- Proposals related to national economic programs and fundamental rights passed in the Karachi Convention of Congress (1931). The Karachi proposal passed at this conference was a document of the fundamental political and economic policies of the Congress.
- In the Lucknow session of Congress (1936), President Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru first interpreted communism in scientific and economic terms.
- The Congress session of 1938 took place in the village named Haripura, which was headed by Subhash Chandra Bose.
- Subhash Chandra Bose once again was elected to the post of President in the 1939 Tripuri Session of the Congress, Subhash Chandra Bose resigned from the presidency due to Gandhi’s opposition to the defeat of Candidate Pattabhi Sita Ramaiya proposed by Gandhiji. For the remaining session, Dr. Rajendra Prasad was appointed as the Chairman.
- The resolution of personal satyagraha passed in the Raigarh session of Congress(1940).
- Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the president of the Indian National Congress at the time of India’s independence.
- Mrs. Anni Besant (1917) was the first woman president of Congress.
- Mrs. Sarojini Naidu was the first Indian woman president of Congress (1925).
- Mahatma Gandhi chaired the Belgaun session of Congress (1924).
- The first Muslim president of the Congress was Badruddin Tayyabji. (1887).
- The first British president of Congress was George Yule (1797).
- Most of the time Dada Bhai Nauroji and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru chaired the Congress.
- Maulana Abul Kalam Azad received the honor of being the youngest president of Congress.
Also refer :
