Question

Which of the following statements about the Indian National Congress are correct? Select the correct answer from the codes given below.

1. Out of the 72 Indian representatives who participated in the first annual session of the Indian National Congress at Bombay, the majority of them were from the Bengal and Bihar provinces.
2. The second annual session of the Indian National Congress was held at Calcutta in 1886.
3. Surendranath Banerjee was not able to attend the founding session of the Indian National Congress in 1885.
4. The safety valve theory about the formation of the Indian National Congress was put forward mainly on the basis of the biography of A.O. Hume by Wedderburn.

• A. Only i and iv
• B. Only i, ii and iii
• C. Only ii, iii and iv
• D. All of the above

Answer 1

Answer:

C. Only ii, iii and iv

Analysis of the Indian National Congress (INC) Formation Facts

• First Session Composition (1885): The inaugural session of the INC was held at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College in Bombay. While 72 delegates attended, the assertion that the majority were from Bengal and Bihar is incorrect. The largest representation actually came from the Bombay Presidency itself (38 delegates), followed by Madras.
• Second Annual Session (1886): The second session was indeed held in Calcutta in December 1886. It was presided over by Dadabhai Naoroji. This session saw the merger of the Indian National Association, founded by Surendranath Banerjee, with the INC.
• Surendranath Banerjee's Absence: Surendranath Banerjee was a key leader of the Indian Association and was preoccupied with the second session of the National Conference, which was happening simultaneously in Calcutta. Consequently, he could not attend the founding session of the INC in Bombay in 1885.
• Safety Valve Theory: This theory posits that A.O. Hume organized the INC as a 'safety valve' to prevent a violent uprising against British rule by providing a platform for moderate political expression. The primary source for this theory is William Wedderburn's 1913 biography of A.O. Hume, specifically referencing Hume's access to secret police reports suggesting impending agrarian unrest.
• Historical Context: The INC was founded on December 28, 1885, by Allan Octavian Hume, a retired British civil servant, alongside Dadabhai Naoroji and Dinshaw Edulji Wacha. The first President was Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee.