Indian National Congress (INC) – Key Facts and Sessions
1. Foundation of Congress (1885)
o Precursor: Indian National Union (1884) by A.O. Hume.
o INC founded in 1885 by A.O. Hume.
o First Session: 28–30 December 1885 at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College, Bombay.
o 72 delegates attended.
o Presided by W.C. Bonnerjee.
o A.O. Hume = First General Secretary.
o Dadabhai Naoroji suggested the name Indian National Congress.
o Viceroy: Lord Dufferin (mocked INC as "microscopic minority").
2. Early Sessions
o 2nd Session (1886, Calcutta): Presided by Dadabhai Naoroji.
o 3rd Session (1887, Madras): Presided by Badruddin Tyabji, first Muslim President.
(607 delegates).
o 4th Session (1888, Allahabad): Presided by George Yule, first European President.
o 1889: British Committee of INC established in London (Sir William Wedderburn).
Published journal India.
3. Opposition to INC
o 1888: United Indian Patriotic Association founded by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and
Shiv Prasad Singh (King of Banaras) to counter Congress.
o 1900: Lord Curzon said: "Congress is struggling and will fall; my aim is to destroy it."
4. Important Sessions and Leaders
o 1911 (Calcutta): Jana Gana Mana sung for the first time; later became the National
Anthem (1950).
o 1912 (Bankipur, Bihar): Presided by R.N. Mudholkar. A.O. Hume called Father of
Congress.
o 1915 (Bombay): 30th Session, attended by Lord Wellington (then Governor of
Bombay).
o 1916 (Lucknow): Joint session of INC & Muslim League → Lucknow Pact.
President: Ambika Charan Mazumdar.
Extremists re-joined Congress.
Tilak declared: “Swaraj is my birthright, and I shall have it.”
o 1917 (Calcutta): Presided by Annie Besant → first woman President of INC.
o 1919 (Amritsar): Last session attended by Bal Gangadhar Tilak.
o 1920 (Calcutta, Special Session): Presided by Lala Lajpat Rai → Resolution on Non-
Cooperation Movement.
o 1924 (Belgaum): Presided by Mahatma Gandhi → his only INC presidency.
o 1925 (Kanpur): Presided by Sarojini Naidu → first Indian woman President of INC.
o 1929 (Lahore): Presided by Jawaharlal Nehru → Resolution of Purna Swaraj
(Complete Independence).
o 1936 (Lucknow & Faizpur): Both presided by Nehru.
o 1938 (Haripura, Gujarat): Presided by Subhash Chandra Bose → Formed National
Planning Committee with Nehru as President.
o 1940–46: Maulana Abul Kalam Azad longest-serving President during crucial
independence years.
o 1947 (Meerut): J.B. Kripalani President at the time of Independence.
o 1948 (Jaipur): Dr. Pattabhi Sitaramayya presided over 55th Session.
5. Later Developments
o Gandhiji recommended dissolution of INC after Independence.
o 1950 (24 Jan): Jana Gana Mana adopted as National Anthem officially.
