The Indian National Congress (INC) was formed on 28 December 1885 in Bombay, now called Mumbai. It was one of the first major political organisations that brought Indians from different parts of the country together. Its main aim was to raise the problems of Indians before the British government and ask for changes. Before the Congress was formed, many Indians were unhappy with British rule. They had little say in government decisions. Indians also had limited chances to get important government jobs. Many educated Indians wanted the British government to listen to their problems. Some political groups had already started raising these issues in different parts of India. However, these groups mostly worked in their own regions. There was a need for one organisation where leaders from different parts of the country could meet and discuss common problems. This need led to the formation of the Indian National Congress.

Allan Octavian Hume played a major role in setting it up, and Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee became its first president. Other leaders, such as Dadabhai Naoroji and Pherozeshah Mehta, also helped this organisation to grow. The Congress did not demand complete independence when it was first formed. In its early years, it asked the British government to make changes in its rules and give Indians a greater role in running the country. Over time, it became a major part of India’s freedom struggle.

History and Foundation of the Indian National Congress

The Indian National Congress (INC) was founded on December 28, 1885, when 72 delegates from different parts of India gathered in Bombay (now Mumbai) for its first session. Prominent participants included Dadabhai Naoroji, Surendranath Banerjee, Badruddin Tyabji, Pherozeshah Mehta, W. C. Bonnerjee, S. Ramaswami Mudaliar, S. Subramania Iyer, and Romesh Chunder Dutt. Allan Octavian Hume, a retired British civil servant, played a significant role in establishing the organisation. W. C. Bonnerjee presided over the first session, which marked an important step towards organised political representation and the development of India's national movement. Over time, the Congress became a major platform for political debate, constitutional reforms, and the struggle for independence from British rule.

Why Did Indians Want a National Organisation?

During British East India Company rule, the British government made most major decisions about India. Indians had very little power to take part in these decisions. They also faced unfair treatment in many areas of public life. Educated Indians began to question these conditions. They wanted more Indians to get government jobs and take part in law-making. They also wanted the government to listen to Indian people’s problems. Newspapers, schools and colleges helped spread these ideas. People started discussing freedom, equal rights and better government. Many educated Indians believed that they could raise their demands more effectively by working together.

Political Groups Before 1885

Before the Indian National Congress was formed, several political groups worked in different parts of India. These included the Indian Association in Bengal, the Bombay Presidency Association and the Madras Mahajan Sabha. These groups raised questions about government policies and demanded more rights for Indian people. They also helped people understand political issues. However, most of these groups worked mainly in their own regions. There was no single organisation that could bring their leaders together at an all-India level. The Indian National Congress filled this gap. It gave Indian leaders a common place to meet, share ideas, and discuss their demands.

Who Founded the Indian National Congress in 1885?

Allan Octavian Hume, also known as A. O. Hume. He played the main role in organising the Indian National Congress. He was a retired British civil servant who had worked in India. Hume wanted educated Indians to have a common platform where they could discuss public problems and present their demands to the British government. He worked with Indian leaders to organise the Congress's first meeting. However, Hume was not the only person behind its formation. Indian leaders had already started political groups and were raising questions about British rule. Their work helped create the conditions for a national organisation.

Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee, Dadabhai Naoroji and other Indian leaders also played important roles in the early Congress. Some historians have argued that Hume wanted the Congress to provide a peaceful way for Indians to express their anger against British rule. This idea is often called the “safety valve theory.” However, historians have different views about this explanation. The Congress became an organisation where Indian leaders could raise their demands together. As the years passed, it grew into a major part of the Indian freedom movement.

First Session of the Indian National Congress

The first session of the Indian National Congress was held from 28 to 31 December 1885. It took place at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College in Bombay, now Mumbai. The meeting was first planned for Poona, now known as Pune. However, it was shifted to Bombay after an outbreak of cholera in Poona. A total of 72 delegates attended the first session. They came from different parts of British India. Many were lawyers, teachers, journalists, and other educated people. Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee was the first president of the Congress. A. O. Hume helped organise the meeting and served as its general secretary.

Main Founders and Leaders of the Indian National Congress

Several leaders helped establish and develop the Indian National Congress. They raised public issues, demanded changes in British policies, and encouraged Indians to take part in political activities.

Allan Octavian Hume (A.O. Hume)

A. O. Hume was a retired British civil servant who played a leading role in forming the Indian National Congress in 1885. He believed that educated Indians needed an organisation where they could discuss their problems and present their demands to the British government. Hume helped bring Indian leaders from different regions together. He also helped arrange the first Congress session in Bombay. He served as the first general secretary of the Congress. His work helped the organisation begin its activities and connect with political leaders across India.

Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee

Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee was the first president of the Indian National Congress. He was a lawyer from Calcutta, now called Kolkata. He presided over the first Congress session in December 1885. During this meeting, leaders discussed the problems faced by Indians and asked for changes in government policies. Bonnerjee also became the Congress president for a second time in 1892, when the session was held in Allahabad. His role was important because he helped lead the newly formed organisation during its early years. The Congress was still small, and its leaders were working to bring people from different regions onto one platform.

Dadabhai Naoroji

Dadabhai Naoroji was one of the leading early Indian nationalists. He spoke about the economic problems caused by British rule. He explained that a large amount of India’s wealth was going to Britain instead of being used for India’s development. He called this the “drain of wealth” theory. Naoroji believed that this transfer of wealth was one reason why many Indians remained poor. He also wrote a book about poverty and un-British rule in India. In this book, he mentioned how the British made India poor. He demanded more Indian representation in the government. He served as Congress president in 1886, 1893, and 1906. In 1892, he became the first Indian elected to the British House of Commons. His work helped Indians understand how British economic policies affected their lives.

Pherozeshah Mehta

Pherozeshah Mehta was a lawyer and political leader from Bombay. He worked to give Indians a greater voice in government. Before the Congress was formed, Mehta was associated with the Bombay Presidency Association. This group raised public issues and demanded changes in British administration. Mehta supported better representation for Indians in government bodies. He also worked on issues related to public services and local administration. He helped connect the political work taking place in Bombay with the wider national movement.

Surendranath Banerjee

Surendranath Banerjee was an Indian leader who worked to spread political awareness among educated Indians. In 1876, he helped establish the Indian Association in Calcutta with Anand Mohan Bose. The association aimed to bring Indians together and raise demands related to government jobs and political rights. Banerjee travelled and spoke to people about public issues. He wanted Indians from different regions to understand their common problems. His work helped prepare the ground for the formation of the Congress.

Badruddin Tyabji

Badruddin Tyabji was a lawyer and political leader from Bombay. He supported the idea that Indians from different religious and social backgrounds should work together. In 1887, he became the first Muslim president of the Indian National Congress. He presided over its third session, held in Madras, now Chennai. Tyabji believed that Indians should work together to demand political reforms. His leadership showed that the Congress aimed to bring people from different communities onto a common platform. He also supported peaceful methods to raise demands before the British government.

Gopal Krishna Gokhale

Gopal Krishna Gokhale was an important Congress leader who became active after the organisation was formed. He was not one of its founders in 1885. Gokhale believed that Indians needed more opportunities to take part in government. He supported education, administrative reforms, and the use of peaceful methods to bring changes. He became Congress president in 1905 at the Banaras session. Gokhale belonged to the moderate group of Congress leaders. These leaders believed that petitions, meetings, and discussions could help persuade the British government to introduce reforms. His work helped shape the Congress during the early twentieth century.

Main Objectives of the Indian National Congress

When the Congress was formed in 1885, it mainly wanted changes in the way the British government ran India. Its early leaders did not demand complete independence.

Bring Indians Together

The Congress wanted leaders from different regions to meet and discuss common problems. Before its formation, many political groups worked separately. The Congress helped them share ideas and raise their demands together. This helped people develop a stronger sense of belonging to one country.

Give Indians a Greater Role in Government

The Congress wanted more Indians to take part in government decisions. Its leaders asked for changes in legislative councils and more opportunities for Indians to work in senior government positions. They believed that Indians should have a say in decisions that affected their own lives.

Raise Economic Problems

Early Congress leaders discussed poverty, taxes, and the effects of British economic policies. Dadabhai Naoroji explained how wealth was moving from India to Britain. His ideas helped people understand the economic effects of colonial rule. The Congress wanted the British government to pay more attention to India’s economic needs.

Use Peaceful Methods to Demand Change

The early Congress mainly used petitions, meetings, speeches, and written resolutions to raise its demands. Its leaders hoped that the British government would listen to their arguments and introduce reforms. This method was later known as the moderate approach. The Congress changed its methods as the freedom movement developed.

Important Resolutions of the First Congress Session

The first Congress session passed nine resolutions. These resolutions covered government administration, legislative councils, and the civil services. The Congress asked for a Royal Commission to examine how India was being governed. It also wanted changes in legislative councils so that Indians could have a greater role in making decisions. The leaders raised concerns about the Indian Civil Service. They wanted Indians to have better opportunities to enter government service. They also asked for changes in the India Council, which advised the British government on Indian affairs.

These demands did not call for an end to British rule. Instead, they asked the government to make its system more open to Indian participation. The resolutions were important because they brought different political demands together in one place. They also helped the Congress develop a clear way to present public concerns.

How did the Congress Grow After 1885?

The Indian National Congress gradually became larger after its first session. In 1886, its second session was held in Calcutta under Dadabhai Naoroji. The number of delegates increased from 72 in the first session to 434 in the second. In 1887, the third session took place in Madras under Badruddin Tyabji. These meetings helped the Congress build connections with more political workers across India. In its early years, the Congress mainly followed peaceful methods to demand reforms. However, some leaders later felt that stronger action was needed.

The partition of Bengal in 1905 led to widespread protests. The Swadeshi movement encouraged Indians to use Indian-made goods and boycott certain British goods. Differences between moderate leaders and leaders who wanted a stronger approach became more visible. These differences led to the Surat split in 1907. Later, under Mahatma Gandhi, the Congress became a major part of the freedom struggle. It took part in movements such as the Non-Cooperation Movement, the Civil Disobedience Movement and the Quit India Movement. In 1929, the Congress adopted the goal of complete independence at its Lahore session under Jawaharlal Nehru’s presidency. These changes show how the Congress developed from a small political organisation into a major force in India’s struggle for freedom.

Conclusion

The Indian National Congress was founded on 28 December 1885 in Bombay. A. O. Hume played a leading role in organising it, while Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee became its first president. Dadabhai Naoroji, Pherozeshah Mehta, and other leaders also helped the organisation grow. At first, the Congress asked for more Indian participation in government, better opportunities in public services, and changes in British policies. It mainly used peaceful methods to present these demands. Over time, the Congress grew and became a major part of the Indian freedom movement. Its foundation brought political leaders from different regions together and helped build the wider movement that eventually led to India’s independence in 1947.