Indian National Congress

Indian National Congress (INC), often called the Congress Party, is one of the oldest and most influential political parties in India. Founded in 1885, it was the principal leader of the Indian independence movement and has played a major role in shaping modern India.

History

The INC was founded on 28 December 1885 by Allan Octavian Hume, along with Dadabhai Naoroji and Dinshaw Wacha, in Bombay (now Mumbai).

Pre-Independence Era

• The party served as a platform for nationalist leaders like Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, and Annie Besant.
• After 1920, under Mahatma Gandhi's leadership, the INC spearheaded mass movements like:
• Non-Cooperation Movement (1920)
• Civil Disobedience Movement (1930)
• Quit India Movement (1942)

• Played a major role in negotiations for Indian independence from British India.

Post-Independence

After 1947, the INC became the dominant political force in India, governing at the central level for most of the period until the late 1980s.

Key Leaders

• Jawaharlal Nehru – India’s first Prime Minister (1947–1964)
• Indira Gandhi – First woman Prime Minister (1966–1977, 1980–1984)
• Rajiv Gandhi – PM (1984–1989)
• Sonia Gandhi – Longest-serving party president
• Rahul Gandhi – Former party president and MP
• Mallikarjun Kharge – Current party president (as of 2024)

Party Symbol and Ideology

• Symbol: The hand (open palm)
• Ideology: Centre-left, Social democracy, Secularism, Democratic socialism
• The INC supports:

 - Welfare state policies
 - Minority rights
 - Democratic governance
 - Economic reforms with a human face

Electoral History

• Dominated Indian politics for four decades after independence.
• Faced major defeats in 1977 (post-Emergency), 1996, 2014, and 2019.
• As of 2024, the INC is the principal opposition party in Parliament and leads the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A.) against the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Wings and Organizations

• Indian Youth Congress (Youth wing)
• National Students' Union of India (NSUI)
• All India Mahila Congress – Women’s wing
• Seva Dal – Volunteer wing
• Congress Working Committee – Highest decision-making body

Criticism and Challenges

• Accusations of dynastic politics
• Electoral decline post-2014
• Internal leadership crisis and factionalism
• Accused of policy paralysis during UPA-II (2009–2014)

Contributions

• Instrumental in framing the Constitution of India
• Led reforms such as:

 - Green Revolution
 - Bank Nationalization
 - Right to Information Act
 - MNREGA

• Helped institutionalize democracy, secularism, and federalism in India

See Also

• Indian politics
• Bharatiya Janata Party
• Jawaharlal Nehru
• Indira Gandhi
• Indian Independence Movement