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Indian National Congress (INC)
Allan Octavian Hume – Founder of Indian National Congress
- The Indian National Congress Leaders from different parts of India attended a meeting which was held in December 1884 in Theosophical Society in Adayar presided over by Allan Octavian Hume, a retired English ICS officer.
- It was attended by Dadabhai Naoroji, K.T. Telang, Surendranath Banerjee and other prominent leaders apart from G. Subramaniam, Rangaiah and Anandacharlu from Madras.
- The formation of a political organisation that would work on an all India basis was discussed and the idea of forming the Indian National Congress emerged in this meeting.
- The Indian National Congress was formed on 28 December 1885 in Bombay.
- WC. Bannerjee, who was elected the first president.
- Out of a total of 72 delegates of first INC meeting 22 members were from Madras.
- Though the activities of the INC then revolved around petitions and memoranda, from the very beginning they did a lot of work to ensure that grievances of all sections of society were covered.
- The second session of the Indian National Congress was held in Calcutta in 1886, with Dadabhai Naoroji in the Chair.
- The third session was held at Makkis Garden, now known as the Thousand lights, in Madras in 1887 with Bakruddin Tyabji as president.
- In Third meeting Out of the 607 all India delegates of 362 were from Madras Presidency.
Aims of the Indian National Congress
- Greater representation and expansion of legislative councils,
- More facilities for the spread of Education,
- Freedom of press
- Holding of Indian Civil Service (I.C.S) examination in India,
- Reduction of military expenditure
- Taxation should be made lighter.
- More Indians should be employed on higher posts
- Indian Council at London should be abolished.