Formation of the Congress and Safety Valve Theory

Congress was to play an important role in the struggle of India’s independence and was formed at a national convention held in Bombay in December 1885 under the presidency of W. C. Banerjee. A. O. Hume was crucially involved in this process. Congress men were mostly form Bombay and Calcutta like Firozshah Mehta, Badruddin tyabji, Manmohan and Lalmohan Ghosh most of them had studied for ICS (now civil services exam) or law in London. They came together under Dadabhai Naroji. Those who did not join civil services took initiative in starting local associations. These were middle class rather than zamindar led associations. Most important were Poona Sarvajanik Sabha, Indian association, and Madras Mahajan Sabha. There were various attempt at bringing together of such groups at an all India scale but only the attempt launched by Allan Octavian Hume succeeded permanently. And 72 self-appointed delegated met in the first session of Indian national Congress in December 1885.

Involvement of A.O. Hume

Hume’s involvement gave rise to a lot of conspiracies relating to origin of Congress. Controversy was created by W. C. Banerjee statement that Hume was acting under Lord Dufferin. R. P. Dutt analysed that the Congress was formed under a British viceroy to act as a safety valve against popular discontent. This theory originated from William Wedderburn ‘s biography of Hume published in 1913. He wrote that in 1878 Hume came across seven volumes of secret reports showing discontent among the lower classes and conspiracy to overthrow British rule. He met Lord Dufferin and they decided to form an organisation with educated Indians serving as a safety valve by opening up a communication between rulers and the ruled preventing mass revolution.

The imperialist historians discredited Congress as being a creation of the British. Marxist historians used it to build up a conspiracy theory. R. P. Dutt argued that Congress was born out of a conspiracy of the British to end any possibilities of an uprising and bourgeois leaders were a part of it. This conspiracy theory is discredited by opening of Dufferin s private papers revealed that no one in ruling circles took Humes predictions of chaos seriously as Sumit Sarkar points out. This was also proved wrong as there was no evidence found of the existence of the seven volumes of secret report in any archives of either India or London. Dufferin criticised Congress as representing only a microscopic minority and this statement shuns the safety valve conspiracy theory. Historians like Bipan Chandra have called the seven volume report a fiction.

Hume was a political liberal and he visualised an all Indian organisation representing Indian interests and would act as her majesty’s opposition. The idea of a national organisation had existed for long. Hume only took advantage of the situation and realised it and his influence was exaggerated.

Vernacular Press Act

Groups of educated Indians were already active in the three presidencies and established new associations which began fighting for civil liberties and organised countrywide agitation on various issues. They raised the demand for Indianisation of civil services and against Lord Laytton’s expensive afghan adventure, the cost of which was met by Indian revenue. They launched a campaign against the Vernacular Press Act of 1878. Organised protests against plantation labour and inland emigration act. However, all of these and many more demands raised by these associations were not fulfilled and this convinced regional leaders about the need of an all India organisation. There were various attempts made for such an organisation but mutual jealousies made these impossible. There was a need for a mediator who could fulfill this need. Hume was ideal for this role as his supra regional identity made him acceptable to all regional leaders.

The Indian national Congress born in December 1885 tried to eliminate these regional differences. The first Congress declared it objective as being development and consolidation of sentiments of national unity.

Congress met every year for 3 days and dispersed the assembly after passing resolutions on political, economic and administrative issues. Principle grievances were to reform supreme and local legislative councils to give greater representation by including members elected by local bodies, universities, chamber of commerce etc. So, immediate perspective wasn’t self governance or democracy. In 1905 Gokhale presidential addressal made clear that reforms were demanded for the proportion that was qualified by education to represent the whole population.

Drain of wealth

In administrative reforms they wanted Indianization of services through simultaneous examinations in England and India. It was a blow against racism, and drain of wealth and to make administration more responsive to Indians. The economic issues were bound to Indian poverty due to drain of wealth. Repeated resolutions passed to enquire the growing poverty and famines, demanding cuts in home charges and military expenditure, more funds for technical education to promote Indian industry and end unfair tariffs and excise duties.

Extension of permanent settlement was also related to drain of wealth as over assessment of revenue was responsible for peasant poverty.But we know Congress demands for reforms didn’t just concern the educated and landed classes but other also is because they passed resolution on salt tax, treatment of Indian coolies abroad, and resolutions criticising forest laws passed every year between 1891 and 1895.they launched a campaign against the indentured labour in Assam plantation areas.

However, from the very beginning Congress had some weaknesses it was criticised on the basis that its methods and style of functioning. In political behaviour Congress in its early career was never a radical organisation as culture of open opposition to government had not yet taken roots. Congress worked through constitutional ways. This also explains the need to involve A. O. Hume as his association would assuage official suspicion which was important. Gokhale said that if the founder of the Congress had not been an English man the authorities would have found a way to suppress it. Congress politics in the first 20 years was referred to as moderate politics. They did not demand equality but equated liberty with class privileges and wanted gradual and piecemeal reforms.

Role of extremists

Extremists described their politics as mendicancy. They also worked in a discontinued manner with large intervals in between meeting only for 3 days a year. Most members were moderates who were part time politicians. There were some local associations that met occasionally to select Congress delegates and pass resolution on immediate grievances. This may be because the members were anglicised in their personal lives and professionally were successful men. Extremists had ambivalent attitude towards English men with criticism of some specific policies but general admiration and belief on providential nature of British rule. They believed that British rule was destined to bring in modernisation. They developed an elitist lifestyle and so they were very at times of the lower class also as they feared it’s rebellious nature.