Question

Name any three political associations which were formed prior to the Indian National Congress. What led to the formation of it?

Answer 1

Hint: In the late 1870 and start of 1880 a solid ground was prepared for the establishment of an all-Indian organization. The final call to this idea was given by a retired English civil servant, A.O.Hume, who deployed leading intellectuals of the time and with their corporation, he organized the first session of the Indian Congress in the city, Bombay, in December 1885.

Complete Step by Step Answer:
The Indian National Congress was founded on 28 December 1885 by a retired British officer ‘A.O.Hume’. Before the Indian National Congress, the three political associations were: East India Association established by Dadabhai Naoriji in 1867, the Indian Reform Association under Keshub Chunder Sen, and Indian National Association founded by Surendranath Banerjee and Anand Mohan in 1876.
These political associations were mainly formed to demand a higher share in the Indian civil services, a higher share in the British Governance of India. The Indian National Congress was formed with the motto of demanding an independent government under the British crown and had an initially strong faith in the British Crown.
Reasons for the formation of the Indian National Congress(INC):
Safety Valve Theory: A.O.Hume set up a theory- the congress with the idea that it would prove to be a ‘safety valve’ for releasing the growing discontent of the Indians. To this end, Hume convinced Lord Dufferin not to obstruct the formation of the Congress.
Organization for expression of Indian Demands: Modern Indian historians disagree with the idea of ‘safety Valve’. In the opinion of Modern Indian historians, the Indian National Congress represented the urge of the politically conscious Indians to set up a national body to express the political and economic demands of the Indians.

Note: At present the Indian national Congress is among 2 most important national parties, the other one is Bharatiya Janata Party. Congress party was the major political party of the country that ruled since independence and formed the central government for more than 50 years. Its current president is Sonia Gandhi who has served the longest term as president. The party was in majority till the year 2014 when the Bharatiya Janata party came in majority.