Question

Who was the President in December 1917 Calcutta Session?
A) Annie Besant
B) Mahatma Gandhi
C) Bal Gangadhar Tilak
D) Surendernath Banerjee

Answer 1

Hint: In India, she founded the Home Rule League and became its president. The President of INC belonged to a different region than where the Congress session was being held.

Complete answer:
In December 1885, the Indian National Congress was founded. The establishment of the Indian National Congress was an attempt in the direction of encouraging the process of nation-building. It was decided to rotate the Congress session among different parts of the country, in an effort to reach all regions. The President belonged to a different region than where the Congress session was being held.

Let us look into the given options:
Option A. Annie Besant: Annie Besant was the President of the Congress session held in Calcutta in 1917. She was the First Woman President of the Indian National Congress. Therefore, this is the correct option.
Option B. Mahatma Gandhi: The only session of Congress presided over by Mahatma Gandhi was the one which was held in Belgaum in 1924. Thus, this option is incorrect.
Option C. Bal Gangadhar Tilak: He joined the Indian National Congress in 1890. He never became the President of INC. Thus, this option is also incorrect.
Option D. Surendernath Banerjee: He became the President of the Indian National Congress in 1895 at Poona and in 1902 at Ahmedabad. Hence, ‘Sundernath Banerjee’ is the wrong answer.

Thus, the correct answer is Option ‘A’ Annie Besant.

Note: At the Surat Session of Congress in 1907, the INC divided into two groups- the Extremists and the Moderates. The extremists wanted either Bal Gangadhar Tilak or Lala Lajpat Rai to be president, and when Rasbehari Ghose was declared as president, the extremists adopted violence. It was the reason for the Surat Split. In 1925, the session of INC was held at Kanpur in which “Sarojini Naidu” became the first Indian Women President.