BASICS
In an effort to reach all regions, it was decided to rotate the Congress session among different parts of the country. The President was to belong to a region other than where the Congress session was being
held.
1885- BOMBAY SESSION - WC BANERJEE
The Indian Association organised an All-India National Conference and gave a call for another one in December 1885. Surendranath Banerjea, who was involved in the All-India National Conference, could not for that reason attend the founding session of the National Congress in 1885.
1888- ALLAHABAD SESSION- GEORGE YULE
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 overwhelming majority of Hindu or Muslim delegates objected.
1905- BANARAS SESSION - GK GOKHALE
The Indian National Congress took up the Swadeshi call and the Banaras Session, 1905, presided over by G.K. Gokhale,supporter the Swadeshi and Boycott Movement for Bengal
1906- CALCUTTA SESSION - DADABAI NAOROJI
The Calcutta Session of INC was held under the Presidentship of Dada Bhai Naroji.The session was held in the background of Anti Partition Movement and Swadeshi Movement.
In this session INC has passed four resolutions namely-
Swadeshi
Swaraj
Boycott
National Education.
Swaraj was declared as the goal of the Congress at its session held in 1906 at calcutta session
1928- CALCUTTA SESSION - M.NEHRU
The Nehru report confined itself to British India, as it envisaged the future
link up of British India with the Princely states on a federal basis.
o Nehru report was approved in the Calcutta session of Congress, December 1928. But the younger sections of Congress led by Jawahar Lal Nehru and Subhash Bose were opposed the report as they were not statisfied with the dominion status as the goal of Congress. Instead they demanded complete
independence as a goal of Congress.
1929- LAHORE SESSION - J.NEHRU
The Lahore session of the Congress gave voice to the new militant spirit. It passed a resolution
declaring Poorna Swaraj (Complete Independence) to be Congress objective. On 31st December 1929
newly adopted tricolor flag was hoisted. 26th January fixed as first Independence Day, which was to be celebrated every year. Launching of civil disobedience movement was also announced here, however it did not draw up a programme of struggle as it was left to Gandhi ji.
1931 - KARACHI SESSION- VALLABHBHAI PATEL
The Congress met at Karachi on 29 March 1931 to endorse the Gandhi-Irwin or Delhi Pact.
The session became memorable for its resolution on
Fundamental Rights and
the National Economic Programme.
http://glimpsesofhistory.com/karachi-session-inc-1931/
1937- Faizpur- J.L.Nehru
1. first session in a village
2. The Faizpur Session of the Indian National Congress was held in December 1936.
3. Here a resolution to draw all India agrarian programme passed. It reiterated that the most important and urgent problem of country is appalling poverty, unemployment and indebtedness of farmers.
4. As an interim measure a 13 point programs was passed which suggested recognition of peasant unions. However, it was not associated with the establishment of All India Kisan Sabha, which was formed under presidentship of Swami Sahajanand Saraswati in the same year
Circumstances at the time of Election
As per the Congress, the act had more enemies than friends. In words of J L Nehru, it had all brakes not engine. The Federal provisions had already been condemned by all the political parties including the Congress and the Muslim League.
The Only parties to declare themselves in favor of the working of the Act of 1935, both in the provinces and the Central were —National Liberal Federation and Hindu Mahasabha.
In due course of time, the urge to fight the elections grew among them Congressmen. In 1936, When Congress met at Faizpur, the president of the session was Jawahar Lal Nehru. He said that
“there was no choice but to contest the elections as it would educate the masses on the political policies and economic programmes of the party”.
In the Faizpur session, there was a general opposition to the proposed federal portion, safeguards and Governor General’s overriding powers. So, the resolution of the congress was “not to submit to this constitution or to cooperate with it, but to combat it both inside and outside the legislatures so that it can be ended.”
But the provincial portion of the act was accepted. The Congress launched the Election campaign and in its manifesto the top thing was “A demand for the Constituent Assembly“.
In the same year 1936, Jinnah was elected president of the Muslim League. Thus the Muslim league which was up till now was in moribund state got a fresh lease of life. The Muslim league appointed a Central parliamentary board to direct the elections
1938-Haripura Session - SC. BOSE
First Published: October 25, 2011 | Last Updated:November 22, 2013
By 1938, Jawahar Lal Nehru and Subhash Chandra Bose had emerged as candid spokespersons of the Congress. By the same time, Congress had divided among two groups based upon the ideology. One was the conservative group and another was radical. During this period, Gandhi remained almost retired from the active politics and took the job of upliftment of the Harijans.
Babu Subash Chandra Bose was very critical to the ideology of compromise of Gandhi.
In the midst of the violence and non-violence, in the midst of new developments of the socialist ideology, in the midst of the subdued resentment against the Congress ministries which had become slow in their progress towards independence and in the midst of the conflict of ideologies, Congress met at Vitthal Nagar Haripua from 19th 21st February 1938. President of this Congress was Subhash Chandra Bose. He outlined his policy as follows:
” My term of office as the Congress President will be devoted to resist the unwanted federal scheme will all the peaceful and legitimate powers, including non violence and non cooperation if necessary and to strengthen the country’s determination to resist this scheme”.
Bose had the idea of developing the power of resistance among the people of India as to make the British Government abandon the idea of forcing the federal scheme down the throats of Indians.
But it was this 1938 Haripura session when the differences between Gandhi and Bose surfaced over their attitudes towards the Great Britain. Subhash Chandra Bose was against the plan of the British to drag India into the Second World War. He was aware of the political instability of Britain and wanted to take advantage of it, rather than wait for the British to grant independence. Which is evident from his statement : Britain’s Peril is India’s Opportunity.
In this session, under Bose, a resolution was passed.
As per Haripura resolution, Britain was given 6 months ultimatum to the British, failing to which there will be a revolt.
But this was something Gandhi could not digest. Subhash did not endorse the nonviolence and Satyagraha tactics of Gandhi to throw the British away. The result was that there was a great divide between Gandhi and Bose. Similarly, Nehru also fell apart from Bose.
This variance grew further when Subhash Chandra Bose organized National Planning Committee.
National Planning Committee was the Forerunner of India’s Planning Commission. The idea was to draw a comprehensive plan for economic development of India on the basis of Industrialization. It was against the Charkha policy of Gandhi.
1939- Tripuri Session -SC.BOSE
First Published: October 25, 2011 | Last Updated:November 22, 2013
The British Government was keen on Bose taking interest in the Axis Powers and the developing Gandhi Bose strife. In December 1938, Bose had a meeting with two representatives of the German Nazi Party. Here, Bose told the Nazis that the Hitler regime must stop insulting the Indians. In India, Nazis were not liked because of their deeds of extinguishing the democracy, eliminating the socialist ideas.
For the 1939 elections of the President of Congress, Subhash announced his candidature knowing that he would be opposed. By this time, Nehru was on a long holiday in Europe. When he returned in 1938, Gandhi suggested him to announce his name as a candidate. But he declined and suggested the name of Maulana Azad. But Maulana Azad withdrew his name and then new name came up was of Dr. Pattabhi Sitaramayya, an Andhra leader. But Subhash was not sure of his win. The result was declared on January 29, 1939 and Subhash secured 1580 Votes. Sitaramaya got 1377 votes, thus Subhash winning by a narrow but clear margin.
But the defeat of Sitaramayya was taken by Gandhi as a personal blow. He said ”
… I am glad of his (Subhash’s) victory….and since I was instrumental in inducing Dr. Pattabhi not to withdraw his name after Maulana Azad Sahib done so, the defeat is more mine than his….”.
Gandhi said that Bose was president in his own right. He should form his own working committee and run the congress. Gandhi said that
“…after all Subhash Babu is not the enemy of our country…he has suffered for it”. In His opinion, his is the most forward and boldest policy and programme….the minority can only wish him all the best”..
We see, that Gandhi in a characteristic way had declared a “personal” war against Bose. Actually, Gandhi meticulously started planning to destroy Subhash, who was now the most serious challenge to his ideology and superiority. Gandhi, whom we today cherish as Father of the Nation, planned his moves against Subhash with utmost care.
The constitution of Congress did not provide for the removal of the President and the delegates vote was something which could not be reversed. The Congress Working committee was still controlled by the followers of Gandhi. Thus , Subhash might reign but could not rule.
In March 1939, Congress met at annual session at Tripuri near Jabalpur.
Prior to this session, Bose fell ill (which may be a psychological reaction to the stress) just before February 20-21, when a meeting of Congress Working Committee was held in Wardha. Subhash was unable to reach and so sent a telegram to Patel to postpone the meeting of working committee till the annual session. He had also sent a telegram to Gandhi to nominate the working committee as his wish, but strangely Gandhi DID NOT SUGGEST any name.
But this telegram hurt the congressmen. They said that this demonstrates Subhash’s dictatorial ambition, who does not want the congress to do the normal business in his absence. The result was that Patel and other 11 members resigned from the Working Committee. Earlier, Bose had described the followers of Gandhi as of low intellectual level. The members of Congress wanted Subhash to apologize for the slur. He refused.
In this session, when Subhash was brought to the dais on stretcher, one of the congressmen fanned “Why don’t you check whether he has any onions under his armpits” (Onions when kept under armpits raise the temperature of the body).
Such was the disastrous division between Subhash and Gandhi & his followers. Next Month, Subhash resigned from Congress and now he was on an entirely different path. The place was filled by Dr. Rajendra Prasad.
