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The sessions of the Indian National Congress are important because they reflect the evolution of Indian nationalism.
IMPORTANT PHASES:
FOUNDATION ↓ MODERATE POLITICS ↓ SWADESHI AND ASSERTIVE NATIONALISM ↓ HOME RULE AND NATIONAL UNITY ↓ GANDHIAN MASS POLITICS ↓ PURN A SWARAJ ↓ SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC RIGHTS ↓ FINAL STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE.
1885 — BOMBAY President: W.C. Bonnerjee → First Session of INC.
1905 — BENARES President: Gopal Krishna Gokhale → Important session during the beginning of the Swadeshi period.
1906 — CALCUTTA President: Dadabhai Naoroji → Swaraj, Swadeshi, Boycott and National Education gained major importance.
1907 — SURAT President: Rash Behari Ghosh → Split between Moderates and Assertive Nationalists.
1916 — LUCKNOW President: Ambica Charan Mazumdar → Congress reunification. → Lucknow Pact.
1917 — CALCUTTA President: Annie Besant → First woman President of INC.
1920 — NAGPUR President: C. Vijayaraghavachariar → Non-Cooperation programme adopted. → Congress reorganised.
1924 — BELGAUM President: Mahatma Gandhi → Only INC session presided over by Gandhi.
1925 — KANPUR President: Sarojini Naidu → First Indian woman President of INC.
1927 — MADRAS President: M.A. Ansari → Demand for complete independence gained momentum. → Decision to boycott Simon Commission.
1929 — LAHORE President: Jawaharlal Nehru → Purna Swaraj adopted.
1931 — KARACHI President: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel → Fundamental Rights resolution. → National Economic Programme.
1938 — HARIPURA President: Subhas Chandra Bose → Planning and economic development emphasised.
1939 — TRIPURI President: Subhas Chandra Bose → Major conflict within Congress leadership.
1940 — RAMGARH President: Maulana Abul Kalam Azad → Important session during the Second World War period.
1946 — MEERUT President: J.B. Kripalani → Last regular Congress session before Independence.
PLACE:
Bombay.
PRESIDENT:
Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee.
SIGNIFICANCE:
MASTER MAP:
POLITICAL ASSOCIATIONS ↓ ALL-INDIA POLITICAL PLATFORM ↓ INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS ↓ BOMBAY SESSION, 1885.
PRESIDENT:
Dadabhai Naoroji.
SIGNIFICANCE:
IMPORTANT FACT:
Dadabhai Naoroji was the first Parsi President of the Congress.
PRESIDENT:
Badruddin Tyabji.
SIGNIFICANCE:
PRESIDENT:
George Yule.
IMPORTANT FACT:
→ First English/European President of the INC.
PRESIDENT:
Dadabhai Naoroji.
IMPORTANT SIGNIFICANCE:
The session represented a major phase in the Swadeshi-era national movement.
IMPORTANT IDEAS:
MASTER MAP:
PARTITION OF BENGAL ↓ SWADESHI MOVEMENT ↓ CALCUTTA SESSION, 1906 ↓ SWARAJ + SWADESHI + BOYCOTT + NATIONAL EDUCATION.
PRESIDENT:
Rash Behari Ghosh.
IMPORTANT EVENT:
Split between:
MODERATES VS ASSERTIVE NATIONALISTS.
CAUSES INCLUDED:
RESULT:
SURAT SPLIT ↓ WEAKENING OF CONGRESS UNITY ↓ SEPARATION OF MODERATES AND ASSERTIVE NATIONALISTS.
PRESIDENT:
Ambica Charan Mazumdar.
TWO MAJOR SIGNIFICANCES:
MODERATES + ASSERTIVE NATIONALISTS ↓ CONGRESS UNITY.
CONGRESS + MUSLIM LEAGUE ↓ LUCKNOW PACT.
SIGNIFICANCE:
ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT SESSIONS FOR POLITICAL UNITY DURING THE PRE-GANDHIAN PHASE.
PRESIDENT:
Annie Besant.
IMPORTANT FACT:
→ First woman President of the Indian National Congress.
CONTEXT:
SIGNIFICANCE:
Demonstrated the increasing importance of Home Rule politics.
PRESIDENT:
Motilal Nehru.
CONTEXT:
SIGNIFICANCE:
The session reflected growing nationalist anger against colonial repression.
PRESIDENT:
Lala Lajpat Rai.
IMPORTANT SIGNIFICANCE:
→ Approval of the Non-Cooperation programme.
This was followed by:
NAGPUR SESSION, 1920 ↓ Further organisational adoption and restructuring.
PRESIDENT:
C. Vijayaraghavachariar.
IMPORTANT DECISIONS:
SIGNIFICANCE:
MARKED THE TRANSFORMATION OF CONGRESS INTO A BROADER MASS POLITICAL ORGANISATION.
PRESIDENT:
Chittaranjan Das.
CONTEXT:
Non-Cooperation Movement had been withdrawn.
IMPORTANT ISSUE:
Debate regarding:
COUNCIL ENTRY VS BOYCOTT OF COUNCILS.
RESULT:
The disagreement later contributed to the formation of the Swaraj Party.
PRESIDENT:
Mahatma Gandhi.
IMPORTANT FACT:
→ The only Congress session presided over by Gandhi.
SIGNIFICANCE:
PRESIDENT:
Sarojini Naidu.
IMPORTANT FACT:
→ First Indian woman President of the Congress.
IMPORTANT DISTINCTION:
ANNIE BESANT → First woman President.
SAROJINI NAIDU → First Indian woman President.
PRESIDENT:
M.A. Ansari.
IMPORTANT SIGNIFICANCE:
MAP:
SIMON COMMISSION ↓ NO INDIAN MEMBER ↓ NATIONALIST OPPOSITION ↓ MADRAS SESSION ↓ BOYCOTT.
PRESIDENT:
Motilal Nehru.
IMPORTANT CONTEXT:
SIGNIFICANCE:
Reflected increasing radicalisation within Congress politics.
PRESIDENT:
Jawaharlal Nehru.
MOST IMPORTANT DECISION:
PURNA SWARAJ (COMPLETE INDEPENDENCE).
IMPORTANT CONSEQUENCES:
MASTER MAP:
NEHRU REPORT ↓ DEBATE ON DOMINION STATUS ↓ LAHORE SESSION ↓ PURNA SWARAJ ↓ INDEPENDENCE DAY ↓ CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE.
PRESIDENT:
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
IMPORTANT RESOLUTIONS:
Fundamental Rights.
National Economic Programme.
IMPORTANT IDEAS INCLUDED:
SIGNIFICANCE:
LINKED POLITICAL INDEPENDENCE WITH SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE.
PRESIDENT:
Jawaharlal Nehru.
IMPORTANT FACT:
→ First Congress session held in a rural area.
SIGNIFICANCE:
PRESIDENT:
Subhas Chandra Bose.
IMPORTANT SIGNIFICANCE:
IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENT:
The National Planning Committee was established in this broader political phase.
MASTER MAP:
HARIPURA ↓ ECONOMIC PLANNING ↓ INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT ↓ PREPARATION FOR POST-INDEPENDENCE INDIA.
PRESIDENT:
Subhas Chandra Bose.
IMPORTANT EVENT:
Serious differences emerged between:
SUBHAS CHANDRA BOSE VS THE GANDHIAN CONGRESS LEADERSHIP.
CONSEQUENCE:
SIGNIFICANCE:
REPRESENTED A MAJOR INTERNAL CRISIS WITHIN THE CONGRESS ON LEADERSHIP AND POLITICAL STRATEGY.
PRESIDENT:
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.
CONTEXT:
SIGNIFICANCE:
The Congress continued to demand freedom while debating its political strategy during wartime.
PRESIDENT:
J.B. Kripalani.
SIGNIFICANCE:
→ Last regular Congress session before Independence.
CONTEXT:
BOMBAY SPECIAL SESSION, 1918 → Important special Congress session.
CALCUTTA SPECIAL SESSION, 1920 → Non-Cooperation programme approved.
DELHI SPECIAL SESSION, 1923 → Maulana Abul Kalam Azad presided.
IMPORTANT REVISION:
SPECIAL SESSIONS MUST NOT BE CONFUSED WITH REGULAR ANNUAL SESSIONS.
FIRST PRESIDENT
→ W.C. Bonnerjee. → Bombay, 1885.
FIRST MUSLIM PRESIDENT
→ Badruddin Tyabji. → Madras, 1887.
FIRST ENGLISH / EUROPEAN PRESIDENT
→ George Yule. → Allahabad, 1888.
FIRST WOMAN PRESIDENT
→ Annie Besant. → Calcutta, 1917.
FIRST INDIAN WOMAN PRESIDENT
→ Sarojini Naidu. → Kanpur, 1925.
ONLY SESSION PRESIDED OVER BY GANDHI
→ Belgaum, 1924.
1885 BOMBAY ↓ INC FOUNDED.
1906 CALCUTTA ↓ Swaraj + Swadeshi + Boycott + National Education.
1907 SURAT ↓ Congress Split.
1916 LUCKNOW ↓ Congress Reunification + Lucknow Pact.
1917 CALCUTTA ↓ Annie Besant.
1920 CALCUTTA SPECIAL ↓ Non-Cooperation Approved.
1920 NAGPUR ↓ Congress Reorganisation + Mass Politics.
1924 BELGAUM ↓ Gandhi Presides.
1925 KANPUR ↓ Sarojini Naidu.
1927 MADRAS ↓ Simon Commission Boycott.
1929 LAHORE ↓ Purna Swaraj.
1931 KARACHI ↓ Fundamental Rights + Economic Programme.
1936 FAIZPUR ↓ First Rural Session.
1938 HARIPURA ↓ Planning Emphasised.
1939 TRIPURI ↓ Bose–Congress Leadership Conflict.
1940 RAMGARH ↓ Wartime Political Strategy.
1946 MEERUT ↓ Last Regular Session Before Independence.
TRAP 1:
First Congress Session → Calcutta.
WRONG.
First Session:
→ Bombay, 1885.
TRAP 2:
First Woman President → Sarojini Naidu.
WRONG.
First Woman President:
→ Annie Besant.
First Indian Woman President:
→ Sarojini Naidu.
TRAP 3:
Gandhi presided over several Congress sessions.
WRONG.
Only one session:
→ Belgaum, 1924.
TRAP 4:
Purna Swaraj was adopted at Karachi.
WRONG.
→ Lahore Session, 1929.
TRAP 5:
Fundamental Rights Resolution was adopted at Lahore.
WRONG.
→ Karachi Session, 1931.
TRAP 6:
Simon Commission Boycott was associated with Lahore Session.
WRONG.
→ Madras Session, 1927.
TRAP 7:
Surat Session resulted in Congress reunification.
WRONG.
→ Surat, 1907 = Split.
→ Lucknow, 1916 = Reunification.
1885 BOMBAY → First INC Session.
1906 CALCUTTA → Swaraj + Swadeshi + Boycott.
1907 SURAT → Split.
1916 LUCKNOW → Reunification + Lucknow Pact.
1917 CALCUTTA → Annie Besant.
1920 NAGPUR → Non-Cooperation + Reorganisation.
1924 BELGAUM → Gandhi.
1925 KANPUR → Sarojini Naidu.
1927 MADRAS → Simon Boycott.
1929 LAHORE → Purna Swaraj.
1931 KARACHI → Fundamental Rights.
1936 FAIZPUR → First Rural Session.
1938 HARIPURA → Subhas Bose + Planning.
1939 TRIPURI → Congress Crisis.
1946 MEERUT → Last Regular Session Before Independence.
The important sessions of the Indian National Congress reflect the evolution of Indian nationalism from an elite constitutional movement to mass politics, complete independence, socio-economic justice and the final struggle for freedom.
