Introduction

The foundation of the Indian National Congress in 1885 was not a sudden event, or an
historical accident. It was the culmination of a process of political awakening that had its
beginning within the 1860s and 1870s and took a serious breakthrough within the late 1870s
and early 1880s. The year 1885 marked a turning point during this process. The modern
intellectuals interested in politics, who no longer saw themselves as spokesmen of narrow
group interests, but as representatives of national interest as a ̳national party, saw their efforts
bear fruit. The all-India nationalist body that they brought into being was to be the platform,
the organizer, the headquarters, the symbol of the new national spirit and politics.
Circumstances that led to the foundation of Indian National Congress
The Indian demands of those years were, no expansion in Afghanistan or Burma, the liberty
of the Press, reduction of military expenditure, higher expenditure on famine relief,
Indianization of the civil services, the proper of Indians to hitch the semi-military volunteer
corps, the proper of Indian judges to undertake Europeans in criminal cases, the appeal to
British voters to vote for a party which would listen to Indians look rather mild, especially
when considered separately.
The political thrust in the years between 1875 and 1885 was to create the young, and radical
nationalists, most of whom entered politics. They established new associations. The older
associations were too narrow. The Bombay Association and Madras Native Association had
become reactionary then the young nationalists of Bengal, led by Surendranath Banerjee and
Anand Mohan Bose, founded the Indian Association in 1876. M Veeraraghavachariar, G.
Subramaniya Iyer, P. Ananda Charlu et al. formed the Madras Mahajan Sabha in 1884. The
intellectuals like K.T. Telang and Pherozeshan Mehta broke away from leaders like Dadabhai
and Dinshaw formed the Bombay Presidency Association in 1885. Among the old
associations only the Poona Sarvajanik Sabha carried on as before.
In 1885, the formation of an all-India political organization had become an objective
necessity, and which was felt by nationalists all over the country. The Indian Association had
already in December 1883 organized an All-India National Conference and given another one
in December 1885 Since 1875, there had been a continuous campaign around cotton import
duties which Indians wanted to remain within the interests of the Indian textile industry. A
massive campaign had been organized during 1877-88 around the demand for the
Indianization of Government services. The Indians had opposed the Afghan adventure of
Lord Lytton and then compelled the British Government to contribute towards the Vernacular
Press Act. In 1881-82 they had organized a protest against the Plantation Labour and
therefore the Inland Emigration Act which condemned plantation labourers to serfdom. A
major agitation was organized during 1883 in favour of the Ilbert Bill which might enable
Indian magistrates to undertake Europeans. This bill was successfully thwarted by the
Europeans.
The Role of Allan Octavian Hume
It is said that the idea of all Indian Congress was conceived in a private meeting of seventeen
men after the Theosophical Convention held at Madras in December 1884. The Indian union
started by Hume after his retirement from the Civil Service is also supposed to have been
instrumental in convening the Congress. Hume ‘s pro-Indians attitude and his efforts towards
it are:
 i. Appeal to the Graduates of Calcutta University: - After retiring from the service,
Hume addressed an open letter to the graduates of the Calcutta University on 1 March
1883, appealing them to take the initiative in establishing an association which would
promote the mental, moral, social and political regeneration of the people of India.
find favour with his fellow British officers. Hume became a Secretary to the
Government of India in 1870.
ii. Hume ‘s Meeting with Indian Leaders: - Hume had prolonged talks with eminent
Indian nationalist leaders in Calcutta, Bombay, Poona and Madras. However, it was
on the Bombay leaders like William Wedderburn, Dadabhai Naoroji, etc that Hume
relied most for launching his new political movement in India. Hume and his friends
from Bombay and Poona drew up a plan for an Indian National Union.
iii. Hume ‘s Meeting with Lord Dufferin: - After holding consultations with the Indian
leaders in the country, Hume met Lord Dufferin at Shimla in May 1885. He briefed
the Viceroy about his proposed conference of representatives from all parts of India to
be held in Poona in December 1885. Lord Dufferin showed considerable interest in
Hume ‘s plan of an Indian National Union
First Session of Indian National Congress
Although there were several other conferences held in different parts of India during the latter
half of December 1885, the most important conference, which met during this fortnight, was
the First Indian National Congress from 28 to 30 December 1885. The venue of the Congress
was shifted from Poona to Bombay on account of an outbreak of cholera epidemic in Poona.
The first session of the Indian National Congress was held in the hall of the Gokuldas Tejpal
Sanskrit College, Bombay. It was a colourful gathering. The total number of delegates who
attended the session was about seventy-two, but they fairly represented the different regions
of India. Among the gathering eminent leaders were Dadabhai Naoroji, K.T. Telang,
Pherozeshah Mehta, D.E. Wacha. B.M. Malabari, and N.C Chandavarkar from Bombay;
M.G. Ranade and G.G. Agarkar from Poona; Dewan Raghunath Rao, P. Rangiah Naidu, P.
Ananda Department of History, S. N. Sinha College, Jehanabad, Bihar 5 Charlu and S.
Subramania Iyer from Madras; W.C. Bonnerjee and Narendra Nath Sen from Calcutta; Lala
Baijnath from Agra; and Allan Octavian Hume from Shimla.
Aims and Objectives of Congress
The men who met in Bombay on 28 December 1885 were inspired by these objectives and
hoped to initiate the method of achieving them. These objectives can be studied as under: -
i. The first major objective of the founders of the Indian national movement was to
promote the process, to weld Indians into a nation, to create an Indian people. It was
common for colonial administrators and ideologues to say that Indians couldn't be
untied or freed because they weren't a nation or nation but a geographical expression.
The Congress leaders recognized that objective historical forces were bringing the
Indian people together and that the people had to become aware of the objective
process and that for this it was necessary to promote the feeling of national unity and
nationalism among them. Thus, Among the basic aims and objectives of the Congress
laid down was that of the fuller development and consolidation of national unity
among the people of India.
ii. To reach out to the followers of all religions and to remove the fears of the minorities,
a rule was made at the 1888 session that no resolution was to be passed to which an
awesome majority of Hindu or Muslim delegates objected.
 iii. Make a standard platform around which political workers in several parts of the
country could gather and conduct their political activities, educating and mobilizing
people on an all-India basis.
iv. The politics of popular participation, agitation, mobilisation - was new to India. The
notion that politics was not yet familiar to the people. No modern movement was
possible till people realized this. On the idea of this realization, an informed and
determined political opinion had to be created. The arousal, training, organization and
consolidation of popular opinion was seen as a serious task by the Congress leaders.
All initial activity of the early nationalist was geared towards this end.
v. W.C. Bannerji, as the first Congress President, reiterated that one of the Congress
objectives was the eradication, of all possible race, creed, or provincial prejudices
amongst all lovers of our country, and the promotion of personal intimacy and
friendship amongst all the more earnest workers in our country ‘s cause in all parts of
the country. The early nationalist ledgers saw the internalization and indigenization of
political democracy as one of their main objectives.
vi. The essential objectives of the first nationalist leaders were to get the foundations of a
secular and democratic national movement, to politicize and politically educate the
people, to form the headquarters of the movement that’s, to make an all-India
leadership group, and to develop and propagate an anti-colonial nationalist ideology.

Resolutions
The first session of the Congress discussed and passed nine resolutions.
i. Appointment of a Royal Commission to inquire into the working of Indian
administration.
ii. Abolition of the Indian Council of the Secretary of State for India.
iii. Expansion and reform of the Imperial and local Legislative Councils, established
under the Indian Councils Act, 1861.
iv. Creation of Legislative Councils for the Northwest Province and Oudh and the
Punjab, and the creation of a standing Committee in the House of Commons to
consider formal protests.
v. Introduction of simultaneous Public Service Examinations in England and India and
raising of the age of candidates.
vi. Reduction of military expenditure.
vii. Protest against the annexation of Upper Burma and the proposed incorporation of it
with India.
viii. That all the resolutions were to be sent to political associations all over the country for
discussion and formulation of views.

British attitude towards the Congress

The British Government was hostile to the development of nationalist forces. Lord Dufferin
had looked with apprehension on the founding of the Indian National Congress. He had tried
to divert the movement by suggesting to Hume that the Congress should devote itself to
social rather than political affairs. However, the Congress leaders had refused to make the
change. The Indian National Congress began to publish popular pamphlets in Indian
languages and hold mass meetings to spread nationalist messages among the people. The
British could not tolerate this role of the Congress. The economic agitation initiated by the
nationalists exposed the real exploitative nature of the British imperialism. Under these
circumstances the British officials changed their attitude towards the Indian National
Congress and began publicly to criticize and condemn the Congress. The nationalists were
branded as ̳disloyal babus, and violent villains. The Congress was painted as a factory of
sedition and the Congressmen as disappointed candidates for office. To counteract the
growing influence of the Indian National Congress the British authorities adopted the policy
of ̳divide and rule‘. British authorities encouraged Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Raja Siva Prasad
and other pro-British Individuals to start an anti-Congress movement. A powerful attack was
launched on the nationalists in Western India with the arrest of Tilak and other leaders. In
1898 laws were enacted to suppress freedom of press and speech and increase the powers of
the police and magistrates. The government decided to promote private colleges run by
religious trusts. Modern secular education, which led to the spread of rational democratic and
nationalist ideas, was sought to be replaced by a system based on religious and moral
teaching. Even though based on Indian religions and glorification of Indian culture, this new
system was reactionary as it did not cultivate a forward looking and modern spirit among the
young. Right from its inception the Indian National Congress was looked upon by the British
authorities as a great menace to security of their Indian Empire.

Conclusion
The leaders who were responsible for the foundation of the Indian National congress all were
young nationalist intellectuals and started several associations, like the British Indian
Association, the Bombay Association, The Madras Native Association, the Bombay
Presidency Association etc. These Associations prepared the most fertile ground for the
foundation of the Indian National Congress. In addition to this, the British policy of
exploitation, the reign of Lord Lytton and Lord Ripon were instrumental for the foundation of
the Indian National Congress. A.O. Hume joined the East India Company ‘s Civil Service in
1849 and served in various provinces. He met some Indian leaders and consulted with them
regarding the national level organisation. A.O. Hume also met Lord Dufferin, the Viceroy at
Shimla and discussed with him about the organisation. These efforts of Hume triggered a
controversy that he was a stooge of Lord Dufferin. The Congress had several aims and
preparing all people for the national movement and devise methods and techniques for
furthering the activities of the Congress. The congress was one of the first political
foundation that led India towards its independence and guided the mases towards the same.
The congress still exists in the current times as one of the eminent political parties.