Editing Indian National Congress (section)

== History ==
{{Main|History of the Indian National Congress}}

=== Foundation ===
{{See also|Indian independence movement}}
[[File:1st INC1885.jpg|thumb|left|alt= Leaders of the Congress Party gathered in 1885| First session of Indian National Congress, Bombay, 28–31 December 1885]]
[[File:Gopal krishan gokhale.jpg|left|thumb|192x192px|[[Gopal Krishna Gokhale]], a constitutional social reformer, moderate nationalist, and the president of the Indian National Congress in 1905]]
During the latter part of the 1870s, there were concerted efforts among Indians to establish a [[Indian subcontinent|pan-Indian]] organization for nationalist political influence.<ref name="Gehlot 1991 35">{{cite book | last=Gehlot | first=N.S. | title=The Congress Party in India: Policies, Culture, Performance | publisher=Deep & Deep Publications | year=1991 | isbn=978-81-7100-306-8 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=06HLD2_3Qj4C&pg=PA35 | page=35|quote=The activities of Mr. A.O. Hume were pro – Indian and full of patriotic spirit for the youths.}}</ref> In 1883, [[Allan Octavian Hume]], a retired British [[Indian Civil Service (British India)|Civil Servant]] also known for his pro-Indian activities, outlined his idea for a body representing Indian interests in an open letter to graduates of the [[University of Calcutta]].<ref name="Gehlot 1991 35"/> The aim was to obtain a greater share in government for educated Indians and to create a platform for civic and political dialogue between them and the [[British Raj]]. Hume initiated contact with prominent leaders in India and a notice convening the first meeting of the Indian National Union to be held in [[Poona]] the following December, was issued.<ref name=pattabhi>Sitaramayya, B. Pattabhi. 1935. The History of the Indian National Congress. Working Committee of the Congress. [https://archive.org/details/TheHistoryOfTheIndianNationalCongress Scanned version]</ref> However, due to a [[cholera]] outbreak in Poona it was moved to Bombay.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/historyoftheindi035503mbp/historyoftheindi035503mbp_djvu.txt |title=Full text of 'The History of the Indian National Congress' |publisher=The Working Committee of the Congress Madras |access-date=16 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/TheHistoryOfTheIndianNationalCongress|title=The History of the Indian National Congress (1885–1935)|author=Pattabhi Sita Ramaiah|date=1 November 2018|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> Subsequently, the first session of the Indian National Congress held in [[Bombay]] from 28 to 31 December 1885 at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College.<ref name="First Session">{{cite book |title=The Nehrus: Motilal and Jawaharlal: With a New Preface |chapter=Chapter Four Indian National Congress |date=6 December 2007 |publisher=Oxford Academic |page=45 |doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195693430.003.0004 |isbn=978-0-19-569343-0 |url=https://academic.oup.com/book/12151/chapter-abstract/161561532?redirectedFrom=fulltext |access-date=5 December 2023}}</ref> Hume organised the first meeting in Bombay with the approval of the [[Governor-General of India|Viceroy]] [[Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava|Lord Dufferin]]. He assumed office as the General Secretary, while [[Womesh Chunder Bonnerjee|Umesh Chandra Banerjee]] was appointed as the first president of Congress.<ref name="GS">{{cite web |url=https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/33772/1/11010545.pdf |title=Indian National Movement with Special Reference to Surendranath Banerjea and Lajpat Rai |access-date=29 November 2024}}</ref> Hume believed that while the British helped bring peace to India, they still had not solved the country’s economic problems.<ref name="Hume1885">{{Cite book |url=https://academic.oup.com/book/12151/chapter-abstract/161561532?redirectedFrom=fulltext&login=true |title=Four Chapter Four Indian National Congress |date=6 December 2007 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-569343-0 |chapter=Chapter Four Indian National Congress |doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195693430.003.0004 |access-date=29 November 2024}}</ref>

The first session was attended by 72 delegates, with the majority being lawyers, representing each province of India.<ref>{{cite news|last=Singh |first=Kanishka |url=https://www.indianexpress.com/article/india/here-is-a-list-of-past-presidents-of-indian-national-congress-4967084/lite/ |title=Indian National Congress: From 1885 till 2017, a brief history of past presidents |newspaper=The Indian Express |date=5 December 2017 |access-date=16 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://m.rediff.com/news/report/cong/20061228.htm |title=Sonia sings Vande Mataram at Congress function – Rediff.com India News |work=Rediff.com |date=28 December 2006 |access-date=16 August 2018}}</ref> Notable representatives included Scottish [[Imperial Civil Service|ICS]] officer [[William Wedderburn]], [[Dadabhai Naoroji]], [[Badruddin Tyabji]] and [[Pherozeshah Mehta]] of the Bombay Presidency Association, [[Ganesh Vasudeo Joshi]] of the [[Poona Sarvajanik Sabha]], social reformer and newspaper editor [[Gopal Ganesh Agarkar]], Justice [[Kashinath Trimbak Telang|K. T. Telang]], [[N. G. Chandavarkar]], [[Dinshaw Wacha]], [[Behramji Malabari]], journalist, and activist [[Gooty Kesava Pillai]], and [[P. Rangaiah Naidu]] of the [[Madras Mahajana Sabha]].<ref>{{cite book|pages=12–27 | title= The history of the Indian National Congress (1885–1935)|author=Sitaramayya, B. Pattabhi|publisher= Working Committee of the Congress|year=1935|url=https://archive.org/stream/historyoftheindi035503mbp#page/n41/mode/1up}}</ref><ref name="INC">{{cite book|first=Judith E.|last=Walsh|title=A Brief History of India|publisher=Infobase Publishing|isbn=978-1-4381-0825-4|page=[https://archive.org/details/briefhistoryofin0000wals/page/154 154]|year=2006|url=https://archive.org/details/briefhistoryofin0000wals/page/154}}</ref> Notably, there were no women present at this session.<ref name="GS" /> During the first session, the Indian delegates presented 9 resolutions to the British authorities including; India Council in London should be abolished, creation of legislative councils for the [[North-West Frontier Province]] (NWFP), [[Sindh]] and [[Awadh]], [[Indian Civil Service|Civil Services]] Reform, and Appointment of a commission to enquire into the working of the Indian Administration from 1858- till date.<ref name="Resolutions1885">{{cite journal | last=Moore | first=R. J. | title=Daniel Argov: Moderates and extremists in the Indian nationalist movement,1883–1920, with special reference to Surendranath Banerjea and Lajpat Raj. xix, 246 pp., 2 Plates. london: Asia Publishing House, [1968]. 45<i>s</i>. | journal=Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies | publisher=Cambridge University Press (CUP) | volume=32 | issue=1 | year=1969 | issn=0041-977X | doi=10.1017/s0041977x00094507 | pages=230}}</ref>

In its early years, Congress was an assembly for politically active individuals who sought reforms within the British Empire. However, there were two distinct factions within the party. One group was in favor of seeking complete independence from British rule, while the other aimed to bring about reforms within the existing system, with a focus on ''[[Indianisation]]''. This division marked the early phase of Congress, as different leaders and members had varied visions for the future of India, ranging from moderate reforms to a push for full sovereignty.<ref name="Roots">{{cite web |title=Indian National Congress |url=https://www.open.ac.uk/researchprojects/makingbritain/content/indian-national-congress |access-date=30 March 2022 |publisher=[[The Open University]]}}</ref> They primarily advocated for the 'Indianisation' of administrative services, emphasizing that India should be governed by Indians, with British collaboration. The majority of the founding members of Congress has been educated or lived in Britain. As a result, unrepresentative of the Indian masses at the time,<ref name="SissonWolpert1988">{{cite book|author1=Richard Sisson|author2=Stanley A. Wolpert|title=Congress and Indian Nationalism: The Pre-independence Phase|url={{Google books|QfOSxFVQa8IC|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|year=1988|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-06041-8|page=21|quote=Those fewer than 100 English-educated gentlemen of means and property, mostly lawyers and journalists, could hardly claim to 'represent' some 250 million illiterate impoverished peasants}}</ref> it functioned more as a stage for elite Indian ambitions than a political party for the first two decade of its existence.<ref name="SissonWolpert1988 2">{{cite book|author1=Richard Sisson|author2=Stanley A. Wolpert|title=Congress and Indian Nationalism: The Pre-independence Phase|url={{Google books|QfOSxFVQa8IC|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|year=1988|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-06041-8|pages=22–23|quote=Without any funds or any secretariat, however (other than Hume) Congress remained, during its first decade at least, more of a sounding board for elite Indian aspirations than a political party.}}</ref>

=== Early years ===

Since its establishment, the Congress was led by Moderate leaders, who were influenced by [[Western world|Western]] [[Political philosophy|political ideas]], particularly [[liberalism]]. They emphasized [[Humanism|individual dignity]], the [[right to freedom]], and [[Social equality|equality]] for all, regardless of caste, creed, or sex. This philosophy guided them in opposing British autocracy, demanding the rule of law, equality before the law, and advocating for [[secularism]].<ref name="Approach"/> However, by 1905, two factions had emerged within the party, leading to different approaches and ideologies regarding the methods to achieve [[Swaraj|self-rule]] for India.
A division arose between the Moderates, led by [[Gopal Krishna Gokhale]], who believed in a peaceful and constitutional approach to achieve reforms and self-governance within the framework of the British Empire, and the Extremists.<ref name="Moderates">{{cite web |title=The Making of the National Movement: 1870s–1947 |url=https://ncert.nic.in/ncerts/l/hess205.pdf |publisher=[[National Council of Educational Research and Training]] |access-date=3 December 2023}}</ref> The moderates preferred to avoid direct conflict with the Britishers, aiming instead to reform their governance to better serve the country's interests. They aimed to collaborate with British authorities and use constitutional means, such as petitions, resolutions, and dialogue, to address the grievances of Indians.<ref name="Approach">{{cite web |title=MODERATES, EXTREMISTS AND REVOLUTIONARIES |url=https://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/63797/1/Block-4.pdf |publisher=eGyanKosh, IGNOU |access-date=25 November 2024}}</ref> Over time, as they recognized the impact of British rule, many moderate leaders shifted their stance and started advocating for ''Swaraj'' or self-government for India within the British Empire. Thereafter, the moderates followed a two-fold approach to achieve their goals. First, they aimed to build strong public opinion to inspire a sense of national consciousness and unity, while educating the masses on shared political issues. Second, they sought to influence both the [[Government of the United Kingdom|British government]] and public opinion, advocating for reforms in India that aligned with the demands of the nationalists.<ref name="Approach"/> In 1889, a [[British Committee of the Indian National Congress|British branch]] of the Indian National Congress was set up in [[London]].<ref name="INC Branch">{{cite journal | last=Shankar | first=Prabha Ravi | title=BRITISH COMMITTEE OF THE INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS — A CRITICAL APPRAISAL | journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress | publisher=Indian History Congress | volume=65 | year=2004 | issn=2249-1937 | jstor=44144789 | pages=761–767 | url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/44144789 | access-date=25 November 2024}}</ref> [[Dadabhai Naoroji]], a member of the sister [[Indian National Association]], was elected president of the Congress in 1886. He was the first Indian Member of Parliament in the [[British House of Commons]] (1892–1895) and spent a large part of his life and resources campaigning for India’s cause on the international stage. The Moderates were able to analyze the political and economic impacts of [[British rule]] in India. Dadabhai Naoroji, [[Romesh Chunder Dutt]], and [[Dinshaw Wacha]] and others introduced the [[Dadabhai Naoroji#Drain_theory_and_poverty|Drain Theory]] to highlight how Britain exploited India's resources.<ref name="Drain Theory">{{cite web | title=Uncivil liberalism: labour, capital and commercial society in Dadabhai Naoroji's political thought | website=search.worldcat.org | url=https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/1343197973 | access-date=25 November 2024}}</ref> The Drain Theory, proposed by these leaders, challenged the notion that British rule was beneficial for India, shaping a nationwide public opinion that British colonialism was the primary reason for India’s poverty and economic exploitation.<ref name="Poverty">{{cite journal | last=VISANA | first=VIKRAM | title=Vernacular Liberalism, Capitalism, and Anti-Imperialism in the Political Thought of Dadabhai Naoroji | journal=The Historical Journal | publisher=Cambridge University Press (CUP) | volume=59 | issue=3 | date=12 January 2016 | issn=0018-246X | doi=10.1017/s0018246x15000230 | pages=775–797}}</ref> The moderate leaders had several demands, including proper representation of Indians on the [[Indian Councils Act 1892|Legislative Councils]] and an increase in the powers of these councils. They also advocated for administrative reforms and voiced their opinions on international issues. They opposed the annexation of [[Burma]], the military actions in [[Afghanistan]], and the treatment of tribal people in [[northwestern India]]. Additionally, they called for better conditions for Indian workers who had migrated to countries such as [[South Africa]], [[British Malaya|Malaya]], [[Mauritius]], the [[West Indies]], and [[British Guyana]].
[[File:Sri Aurobindo presiding over a meeting of the Nationalists after the Surat Congress, with Tilak speaking, 1907.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Early Nationalists|[[Bal Gangadhar Tilak]] speaking in 1907 as the Party split into moderates and extremists. Seated at the table is [[Aurobindo Ghosh]] and to his right (in the chair) is [[G. S. Khaparde]], both allies of Tilak.]]
The other faction led by extremist or radical leaders, including [[Bal Gangadhar Tilak]], [[Bipin Chandra Pal]], and [[Lala Lajpat Rai]], colloquially, "Lal, Bal, Pal", was more radical in their approach. Emerging as a result of the [[Partition of Bengal (1905)|partition of Bengal]] in 1905, the extremist group believed in direct action and criticized the moderate approach, advocating for more assertive and aggressive means to achieve self-rule (''Swaraj''). They were less willing to compromise with the British and focused on building mass support, instilling in them a sense of self-respect, self-reliance, pride in their ancient heritage and national unity to attain their objectives.<ref name="Extremists">{{cite web |title=Moderates, Extremists and Revolutionaries |url=https://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/63798/1/Unit-13.pdf |publisher=[[Indira Gandhi National Open University]] |access-date=3 December 2023}}</ref> The Extremist leaders opposed the use of violence against British rule and did not condone methods such as political murder and assassination. They successfully engaged the urban middle and lower classes, as well as mobilized peasants and workers. The Extremist leaders utilized religious symbols to inspire the masses, but they did not intertwine religion with politics. Tilak tried to mobilise Hindu Indians by appealing to an explicitly Hindu political identity displayed in the annual public [[Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav]] and [[Shiv Jayanti]] festivals that he inaugurated in western India.<ref>Stanley A. Wolpert, ''Tilak and Gokhale: Revolution and Reform in the Making of Modern India'' (1962) p 67</ref> Tilak, along with his friend [[Gopal Ganesh Agarkar]], believed that educating the people was the best way to serve the country. In 1876, they founded the New English School in [[Pune]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/pune-school-founded-by-bal-gangadhar-tilak-goes-co-ed-once-more/article24039606.ece|title=Pune school founded by Bal Gangadhar Tilak goes co-ed once more|work=The Hindu |date=30 May 2018 |last1=Banerjee |first1=Shoumojit }}</ref> However, Tilak soon realized that education alone was not sufficient; the people also needed to be aware of the country's condition. To achieve this, he started two weekly publications in 1881: the ''[[Maratha]]'' in English and ''[[Kesari (Marathi newspaper)|Kesari]]'' in Marathi. By the end of 1905, Congress was transformed into a mass movement during the [[Partition of Bengal (1905)|partition of Bengal]], and the resultant [[Swadeshi movement]].<ref name="INC" /> However, the ideological differences between the extremists and moderates led to a deep divide. During its session held in Surat in December 1907, a split occurred between two factions within the Congress known as [[Surat Split]].<ref name="Surat Split">{{cite web |title=Surat Split, 1907 – History, Causes, Aftermath & Impact |url=https://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/19929/1/Unit-10.pdf |publisher=eGyanKosh, IGNOU |access-date=3 December 2023}}</ref>

[[Annie Besant]], a British social reformer, moved to India in 1893 and became actively involved in the Congress.<ref name="Besant India">{{cite web | title=Annie Besant | website=BBC | date=30 October 2006 | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/besant_annie.shtml#:~:text=Besant%20first%20visited%20India%20in,of%20the%20Indian%20National%20Congress. | access-date=27 November 2024}}</ref> Recognizing the importance of full cooperation from the extremists for the success of the movement, both Tilak and Besant realized that it was necessary to secure the full cooperation of the moderates. In 1915, during the annual session of the Congress held at [[Lucknow]] under the presidency of [[Ambica Charan Mazumdar]], it was decided that the extremists led by Tilak would be admitted to the Congress. Inspired by the [[Irish Home Rule movement]], which sought greater autonomy from Britain, Tilak and Besant were influenced by the concept of self-government (Home Rule) and began calling for similar rights for India.<ref name="IHR"/> However, Tilak and Besant were unable to convince the Indian National Congress to support their proposal to set up Home Rule leagues. As a result, they established separate leagues. Tilak launched the [[Indian Home Rule League]] in April 1916 at [[Belgaum]], with its headquarters in [[Poona]]. His league operated primarily in [[Maharashtra]] (excluding Bombay), [[Karnataka]], and the [[Central Provinces and Berar]].<ref name="IHR">{{cite web | title=Establishment of Tilak's Home Rule League | url=https://amritmahotsav.nic.in/error.htm | access-date=27 November 2024}}</ref> In contrast, Besant set up her All-India Home Rule League in September 1916 in [[Madras]], which grew to include over 200 branches across the country.<ref name="Besant India"/> Prominent leaders who joined or supported the Home Rule movement included [[Motilal Nehru]], [[Bhulabhai Desai]], [[Jawaharlal Nehru]], [[Chittaranjan Das]], [[Kanaiyalal Maneklal Munshi]], [[Saifuddin Kitchlew]], [[Madan Mohan Malviya]], [[Mohammad Ali Jinnah]], [[Tej Bahadur Sapru]], and [[Lala Lajpat Rai]].

=== Congress as a mass movement ===
<!--[[File:Gandhi spinning.jpg|right|thumb|alt=Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born to a Hindu family on 2nd October 1869, in Porbandar, Gujarat, India|Mahatma Gandhi spinning yarn, in the late 1920s]]-->
[[File:Nehru gandhi.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru during a meeting of the All India Congress, in 1946]]
In 1915, [[Mahatma Gandhi]] returned from South Africa and joined Congress.<ref>{{cite book | last=Field | first=J.F. | title=Great Speeches in Minutes | publisher=[[Quercus]] | year=2019 | isbn=978-1-78747-722-3 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2jKKDwAAQBAJ | access-date=2023-02-04 | page=190}}</ref><ref name="Sailed 1915">{{cite web |title=Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi |url=https://www.sahistory.org.za/people/mohandas-karamchand-gandhi |publisher=South African History Online |access-date=25 May 2020}}</ref> His efforts in South Africa were well known not only among the educated but also among the masses. During 1917 and 1918, Mahatma Gandhi was involved in three struggles– known as [[Champaran Satyagraha]], Ahmedabad Mill Strike and [[Kheda Satyagraha of 1918|Kheda Satyagraha]].<ref name="experiments">{{cite book |last1=Gandhi |first1=Mohandas Karamchand |title=My experiments with truth |date=1 February 1931 |publisher=Sarvodaya |location=Ahmedabad }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PJeKBAAAQBAJ&q=Barharwa&pg=PA158|title=Modern India 1886–1947|last=Sarkar|first=Sumit|year=2014|publisher=Pearson Education India|isbn=9789332540859}}</ref><ref name="Mill">{{cite journal |last1=Patel |first1=Sujata |title=Class Conflict and Workers' Movement in Ahmedabad Textile Industry, 1918–23 |journal=Economic and Political Weekly |year=1984 |volume=19 |issue=20/21 |pages=853–864 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/4373280 |jstor=4373280 |access-date=10 March 2022}}</ref> After [[World War I]], the party came to be associated with Gandhi, who remained its unofficial spiritual leader and icon.<ref name=M.Ghandi1>{{cite book|author1=Mahatma Gandhi|author-link1=Gandhi|title=The Gandhi Reader: A Sourcebook of His Life and Writings|publisher=Grove Press|isbn=978-0-8021-3161-4|page=[https://archive.org/details/gandhireadersou00gand/page/254 254]|year=1994|url=https://archive.org/details/gandhireadersou00gand/page/254}}</ref> He formed an alliance with the [[Khilafat Movement]] in 1920 as part of his opposition to British rule in India,<ref>{{cite book|title=The Many Colors of Hinduism: A Thematic-historical Introduction|page=29|author=Carl Olson|publisher=[[Rutgers University Press]]|year=2007|isbn=9780813540689 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RVWKClYq4TUC&pg=PA29}}</ref> and fought for the rights for Indians using civil disobedience or {{lang|hi|[[Satyagraha]]}} as the tool for agitation.<ref>Gail Minault, ''The Khilafat movement'' p 69</ref> In 1922, after the deaths of policemen at [[Chauri Chaura incident|Chauri Chaura]], Gandhi suspended the agitation.

With the help of the moderate group led by Gokhale, in 1924 Gandhi became president of Congress.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/who-is/who-was-gopal-krishna-gokhale-liberal-nationalist-mahatma-gandhi-6403225/ |title=Gopal Krishna Gokhale: The liberal nationalist regarded by Gandhi as his political guru |date=13 May 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/here-is-a-list-of-past-presidents-of-indian-national-congress-4967084/ |title=Indian National Congress: From 1885 till 2017, a brief history of past presidents |date=5 December 2017}}</ref> The rise of Gandhi's popularity and his ''satyagraha'' art of revolution led to support from [[Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel]], [[Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru]], [[Rajendra Prasad]], [[Khan Mohammad Abbas Khan]], [[Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan]], [[C. Rajagopalachari|Chakravarti Rajgopalachari]], [[Anugrah Narayan Sinha]], [[Jayaprakash Narayan]], [[Jivatram Kripalani]], and [[Maulana Abul Kalam Azad]]. As a result of prevailing nationalism, Gandhi's popularity, and the party's attempts at eradicating [[caste]] differences, [[untouchability]], poverty, and religious and ethnic divisions, Congress became a forceful and dominant group.<ref>{{Cite journal |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/3517065|title=The Congress and the Revolutionaries in the 1920s |author1=Mittal, S. K.|author2=Habib, Irfan |year=1982 |journal=Social Scientist |volume=10 |issue=6 |pages=20–37 |doi=10.2307/3517065 |jstor=3517065|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=https://scholar.valpo.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1192&context=jvbl |doi=10.22543/0733.102.1192 |title=The Courage to Lead of Gandhi |year=2017 |last1=Iodice |first1=Emilio |journal=The Journal of Values-Based Leadership |volume=10 |issue=2|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/kids/gandhiji-an-inspiration/article12542442.ece |title=Gandhiji – an inspiration |newspaper=The Hindu |date=1 October 2012}}</ref> Although its members were predominantly Hindu, it had members from other religions, economic classes, and ethnic and linguistic groups.<ref>{{cite book | last=Chandra | first=A.M. | title=India Condensed: 5,000 Years of History & Culture | publisher=Marshall Cavendish Corporation | year=2008 | isbn=978-981-261-975-4 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b7-IAAAAQBAJ | page=66}}</ref>

[[File:Flag of Indian National Congress.png|thumb|Flag adopted by INC, 1931]]
At the Congress 1929 Lahore session under the presidency of Jawaharlal Nehru, {{lang|hi|[[Purna Swaraj]]}} (complete independence) was declared as the party's goal, declaring 26 January 1930 as {{lang|hi|Purna Swaraj Diwas}} (Independence Day).<ref name="Remarks">{{cite web |title=Declaration of Purna Swaraj (Indian National Congress, 1930) Clipboard |url=https://www.constitutionofindia.net/historical_constitutions/declaration_of_purna_swaraj__indian_national_congress__1930__26th%20January%201930 |publisher=CAD India |access-date=25 May 2020}}</ref> The same year, Srinivas Iyenger was expelled from the party for demanding full independence, not just [[home rule]] as demanded by Gandhi.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mainbharathun.org/inc.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100721001422/http://www.mainbharathun.org/inc.html |url-status=usurped |archive-date=21 July 2010 |title=Main Bharat Hun |publisher=Main Bharat Hun |access-date=3 May 2014 }}</ref>

After the passage of the [[Government of India Act 1935]], [[1937 Indian provincial elections|provincial elections]] were held in India in the winter of 1936–37 in eleven provinces: [[Madras Presidency|Madras]], [[Central Provinces]], Bihar, Orissa, [[United Provinces of Agra and Oudh|United Provinces]], [[Bombay Presidency]], Assam, NWFP, Bengal, Punjab, and Sindh. The final results of the elections were declared in February 1937.<ref name="Manglik2020">{{cite book|author=Rohit Manglik|title=SSC Sub Inspector CPO (Tier I and II) 2020|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cx_kDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA639|date=21 May 2020|publisher=EduGorilla|page=639|id=GGKEY:AWW79B82A9H}}</ref> The Indian National Congress gained power in eight of them – the three exceptions being Bengal, [[Punjab, India|Punjab]], and Sindh.<ref name="Manglik2020" /> The [[All-India Muslim League]] failed to form a Government in any Province.<ref>{{cite book|title=Indian Muslims and Partition of India|publisher=Atlantic Publishers|isbn=9788171563746|page=240|author1=S. M. Ikram|year=1995|author1-link=S. M. Ikram}}</ref>

Congress [[Minister (government)|Ministers]] resigned in October and November 1939 in protest against Viceroy [[Victor Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow|Lord Linlithgow]]'s declaration that India was a belligerent in [[World War II]] without consulting the Indian people.<ref>{{cite book|author1=SN Sen|title=History Modern India|publisher=New Age International|isbn=9788122417746|page=202|year=2006}}</ref> In 1939, [[Subhas Chandra Bose]], the elected president of Congress in 1938 and 1939, resigned from Congress over the selection of the working committee.<ref>{{cite web |title=Subhas Chandra Bose |url=http://www.open.ac.uk/researchprojects/makingbritain/content/subhas-chandra-bose |access-date=3 May 2014 |publisher=Open.ac.uk |quote=Dates of time spent in Britain:&nbsp;1919–21}}</ref> Congress was an umbrella organisation, sheltering radical socialists, traditionalists, and Hindu and [[Muslim conservatism|Muslim conservatives]]. [[Mahatma Gandhi]] expelled all the socialist groupings, including the [[Congress Socialist Party]], the [[Krishak Sramik Party|Krishak Praja Party]], and the [[Swaraj Party]], along with [[Subhas Chandra Bose]], in 1939.<ref name=M.Ghandi1 />

After the failure of the [[Cripps Mission]] launched by the British government to gain Indian support for the British war effort, Mahatma Gandhi made a call to "''Do or Die''", delivered in Bombay on 8 August 1942 at the [[Gowalia Tank|Gowalia Tank Maidan]]. Gandhi [[Quit India speech|endorsed]] the [[Quit India Movement|Quit India]] movement, opposing any help to the British cause in the [[World War II|Second World War]].<ref>{{cite book | last1=Green | first1=J. | last2=Della-Rovere | first2=C. | title=Gandhi and the Quit India Movement | publisher=Pearson Education Limited | series=Days of Decision | year=2014 | isbn=978-1-4062-6156-1 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H5ZqcY_E5Z0C&pg=PA33 | page=33}}</ref> The colonial government instituted mass arrests including of Gandhi and Congress leaders, and killed over 1,000 Indians who participated in this movement.<ref>{{cite book |last=Marques |first=J. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vCrXDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT403 |title=The Routledge Companion to Inclusive Leadership |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=2020 |isbn=978-1-000-03965-8 |series=Routledge Companions in Business, Management and Marketing |page= |pages=309-310}}</ref> Meanwhile, a spate of violent attacks were carried out by the nationalists against the colonial government and infrastructure.<ref name="Anderson"/> The movement played a role in weakening British control over the South Asian region and ultimately paved the way for Indian independence.<ref name=Anderson>{{cite book | last1=Anderson | first1=D. | last2=Killingray | first2=D. | title=Policing and Decolonisation: Politics, Nationalism, and the Police, 1917–65 | publisher=Manchester University Press | series=Studies in imperialism | year=1992 | isbn=978-0-7190-3033-8 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rni7AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA51 | quote=Britain's hold over India weakened and an early resumption of Congress rule appeared inevitable| page=51}}</ref><ref name=herman467>{{cite book|author=Arthur Herman|title=Gandhi & Churchill: The Epic Rivalry that Destroyed an Empire and Forged Our Age|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tquxD6dk914C|year=2008|publisher=[[Random House]]|isbn=978-0-553-90504-5|pages=467–70|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140913065817/http://books.google.com/books?id=tquxD6dk914C|archive-date=13 September 2014}}</ref>

In 1945, when the Second World War almost came to an end, the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party of the United Kingdom]] won elections with a promise to provide independence to India.<ref>{{cite book | last=Studlar | first=D.T. | title=Great Britain: Decline Or Renewal? | publisher=Taylor & Francis | year=2018 | isbn=978-0-429-96865-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qQDFDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA117 | page=117|quote=The Labour Party promised independence for India in its campaign in the general election of 1945.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last=Ram | first=J. | title=V.K. Krishna Menon: A Personal Memoir | publisher=Oxford University Press | year=1997 | isbn=978-0-19-564228-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PSFuAAAAMAAJ | page=76|quote= Labour Party had promised freedom for India if they came to power }}</ref> The jailed political prisoners of the Quit India movement were released in the same year.<ref>{{cite book|title=Right to Property in India|page=36|publisher=Deep & Deep Publications|year=1990|author=Naveen Sharma}}</ref>

[[File:Gandhi, Patel and Maulana Azad Sept 1940.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Moderate INC leaders during a meet|[[Abul Kalam Azad|Azad]], [[Sardar Patel|Patel]] and [[Mahatma Gandhi|Gandhi]] at an AICC meeting in Bombay, 1940]]
In 1946, the colonial government tried the soldiers of Japanese-sponsored [[Indian National Army]] in the [[INA trials]]. In response, Congress helped form the [[INA Defence Committee]], which assembled a legal team to defend the soldiers of the [[Azad Hind]] provisional government. The team included several famous lawyers, including [[Bhulabhai Desai]], [[Asaf Ali]], and Jawaharlal Nehru.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.barcouncilofindia.org/about/about-the-legal-profession/lawyers-in-the-indian-freedom-movement/ |title=Lawyers in the Indian Freedom Movement – The Bar Council of India |publisher=Barcouncilofindia.org |access-date=3 May 2014}}</ref> The colonial government eventually backtracked in the face of opposition by the Congress.<ref>{{cite book|last=Moreman|first=Tim|title=The Jungle, Japanese and the British Commonwealth Armies at War, 1941–45: Fighting Methods, Doctrine and Training for Jungle Warfare|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bsoy_-Ep_0EC|year=2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-135-76456-2}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Marston|first=Daniel|title=The Indian Army and the End of the Raj|series=Cambridge Studies in Indian History and Society, 23|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2014|isbn=978-0-521-89975-8|author-link=Daniel Marston (historian)}}</ref>