Congress Form
There was a great difference of opinion among scholars regarding the nature of Congress. Although Madrasi, Marathi and Parsis had as much hand in its formation and development as Bengalis, but some people called it the Bengali Congress. Some people called it Hindu Congress. Some called it an institution of only educated Indians and rejected its national character. Whereas according to some scholars, looking at the organization and objectives of the Congress proves that the Congress was born as a national institution. The representatives who attended the first session of the Congress were from different religions, classes, sects and provinces.
Impact of Congress on various fields
Influence on the elite intelligentsia: Even though Congress was founded by A. O. It was done by the imperialist powers under the leadership of Hume, but the intelligentsia of India came forward to handle it. Intellectual Indian leaders like Dadabhai Naoroji, Surendranath Banerjee, Umesh Chandra Banerjee, Ferozeshah Mehta, Justice Mahadev Govind Ranade, Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya etc. actively supported the Congress.
Influence on Britishers living in India: By AD 1907, many eminent Englishmen had joined the Congress in some form or the other. a. O. Moderate Anglo-Indians such as Hume, William Wedderburn, Sir Henry Cotton, Andriel Yule and Norton also joined the Congress.
Impact on the general public: Educated representatives of various religious communities and castes living in British-India participated in the annual sessions of the Congress. These people expressed a feeling of mutual affection and trust. This was the reason that after the establishment of Congress, the high ideals of national consciousness, national unity and public service developed rapidly in the country. The high ideals of the Congress of that period reveal its national character. Initially, the popularity of the Congress was limited to the educated class, but later due to the demand for political rights by it, the attention of the common people also started getting attracted towards it.
Influence on different religions: The first session of the Congress was presided over by Umesh Chandra Banerjee, who was a Hindu. The second session was presided over by Dadabhai Naoroji who was a Parsi and the third session was presided over by Badruddin Tyabji, who was a Muslim. The fourth session of the Congress was presided over by the famous English businessman George Yule, who was a Christian. This sequence continued even further. In this way, by making leaders of different religions the president of the Congress, this institution developed into an institution of national broadness, not an institution with the influence of any one religion.
Influence on Muslims: Initially, the number of Muslim representatives in the Congress was small, but gradually their number increased. Sir Syed Ahmed tried his best to keep the Muslims away from the Congress. He formed the United Patriotic Association, an organization of British royalists, and the Mohammedan Education Congress for Muslims. Barring these few people, the Congress was a purely representative body and its representatives represented national ideas. 1248 delegates attended the fourth congress of the Congress, out of which 221 were Muslims and 220 Christians.
Influence on princely people: The Congress had assumed a national form in British-India, yet until the Haripura session of AD 1938, the Congress kept the princely states completely separate from their jurisdiction. Due to this there was no special effect on the people of princely-India in the period from AD 1885 to 1938.
Influence on Imperialists: Congress was formed by the efforts of the imperialists. Yet many imperialist Britishers looked at the Congress with hatred from the very beginning.
In May 1886 Sir Henry Maine wrote a letter to Dufferin and made serious remarks against Hume - 'There is a wicked man named Hume who was beheaded by Lord Ripon, and about whom it is known that he was an Indian. Home Rule is one of the main instigators of the movement. This is a very clever, but somewhat headstrong, arrogant and moral minded person…. Who doesn't care about the truth. '
In December 1886, Lord Dufferin organized a reception in Calcutta for the representatives of the Congress, but when the demands of the Congress came to the fore, he met Congress Secretary A.K. O. Hume was deeply annoyed. Dufferin expressed his displeasure against Hume in very fierce words.
Impact on the people of England: In AD 1890, the Congress sent a delegation to England, which campaigned for the Congress among the residents of England, Wales and Scotland. After the visit of this delegation, a committee of members of the British Parliament was formed whose purpose was to consider Indian problems. To attract British public opinion, a newspaper called India was published in London. Due to these propaganda activities, the people of England also started taking interest in the work of Congress. In AD 1890, Lord Lansdowne himself accepted that the Congress was a powerful responsible political organization of the country.
Thus it can be said that the Congress was certainly a national institution since its inception. In this a person of every class, religion, caste could be a member of the society. Its influence was not limited to any one corner of India but was nationwide. Initially, it got less support from the general public, but over time the national form of the Congress expanded and its popularity started increasing. Congress started making efforts for the political, economic and social progress of the whole country through constitutional measures.
In the second session of the Congress, Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya said- 'The Indian people have got a tongue through this great institution, through which we ask England to accept our political rights.' It was the result of the initial work of the Congress that strong public opinion developed in the country.
Sir Henry Cotton has written- The members of Congress did not succeed in bringing about a change in government policy under any circumstances, but they certainly succeeded in developing the history of their country and in building the character of the countrymen. Received.'
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the birth of the Congress was an unprecedented event in the political history of India. It was born at a time when the British Empire was at the height of its success. It was not easy to challenge his power, yet the Congress acquired a broad national character within a few years.