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Indian National Congress

The Indian National Congress, byname Congress Party is one of the prominent political party of India. Founded in 1885 under the guidance of British civil servant Allan Octavian Hume, the Congress is the country’s oldest political party. The party operates on the ideology of Gandhian Socialism and Social Democracy and it positions itself centre –left contrast to the right wing nationalist BJP. The Congress party has subsequently formed most of the Governments in India and also has a strong presence in many of the state governments. The Indian National Congress was formed with the aim to obtain the greater share of Indians in the British Government. Headed by A.O. Hume, the Indian National Congress was formed with the members of the Theosophical Society namely Dadabhai Naoroji, Surendranath Banerjee, M.G. Ranade, Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee, Dinshaw Wacha, Monomohun Ghose and William Chandra. The Indian National Congress was the largest vehicle in the pre–independence period and it gained its support in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The congress became a major participant with over 15 million members and over 70 million participants against the British colonial rule in India. The congress also became the sole representative of the people of the country and it represented social reform causes and human progress. The Congress had many important political personalities which included Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Mohammed Ali Jinha and Bipin Chandra Pal. Dadabhai Naoroji was elected as the party president in 1886 and he was the first Indian Member of Parliament to be included in the British House of Commons. Surendranath Banerjee and Sir Henry Cotton transformed Congress into a mass movement during the Partition of Bengal which resulted into the Swadeshi movement.

In the 1920’s and 30’s Mohandas Gandhi led the Congress party and the party began advocating the nonviolent non-cooperation. With Mahatma Gandhi at the centre stage of freedom struggle, many prominent members joined the freedom struggle. Jawaharlal Nehru, Jayprakash Narayan, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Rajendra Prasad, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Jivatram Kripalani and others supported Mahatma Gandhi’s policy of Satyagraha and non violence. Through the years, the Congress became very popular and it started to identify itself with bug business houses like the Tata’s and Birla’s. In 1930 Mahatma Gandhi led the Salt March which advocated avoiding the taxes as a protest against British rule. Another wing in the party which believed in working with the existing system contested general elections in 1923 and 1937 as the Swaraj Party with a good success in the latter year winning 7 out of 11 provinces. In the final years of the independence, the Congress became the most important part of the freedom under the spiritual guidance of Mahatma Gandhi. With independence in 1947 and the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru became the sole leader of the Indian National Congress. The party fought its first general elections in 1952, the first general election after independence and came to power in the national parliament and most of the state legislature. From 1951 until Nehru’s death in 1964, he was the head of the party and made the party victorious in three general elections of 1951-52, 1957 and 1962. After Nehru’s death K Karmaraj became the party’s president. K Karmaraj was also known to be the ‘kingmaker’ and responsible for bringing Lal Bahadur Shastri to power in 1964. Shastri also had a similar popularity as that of Nehru. Shastri became the national hero after the victory in the India Pakistan war in 1965 and his slogan of ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kisan’ was very popular during the war. After Shastri’s death, Nehru’s daughter Indira Gandhi became his political successor. Indira Gandhi also held the position of Minister of Information and Broadcasting during Shastri’s tenure as the Prime Minister. The party was continuously in power until 1977 and the Congress tasted its first electoral defeat in 1977 when it was defeated by the Janata party Coalition. The reason for the party’s defeat is said to be the implement of the emergency from 1975-1977. It returned to power in 1980 and continued to be in power until 1989 when it was defeated again. In 1991 the party came into power again by forming a coalition and again in power in 2004 and 2009 when the party headed the United Progressive Alliance coalition. During this period the congress remained centre left whereas its socialist policies started shifting from socialist to neoliberal economic policies. The party’s current policy is different from the symbol formed by Congress in 1885. In 1885 the party had the symbol of two bullock with a plough. The current symbol of the party as approved by the Election Commission of India is the ‘right hand’ with its palm side facing front and it is seen in the centre of the Indian flag which forms its background. The fingers of the hands are pressed together and this symbol was selected by the Indira Gandhi led Congress after her split from the old faction and creation of the new Congress. The hand symbolizes strength, energy and unity.

The present president of the Congress party is Indira Gandhi’s daughter in law Sonia Gandhi, the wife of Rajiv Gandhi. Their son Rahul Gandhi is the current vice president of the party and the Nehru–Gandhi legacy still exists in the top leadership of the party. 2009 was the last time when the party came into power and Manmohan Singh was chosen again as the Prime Minister of India. The Congress faced a huge defeat in the 2014 elections winning only 44 seats out of the 543 Lok Sabha seats whereas the BJP registered a landslide victory accounting 282 seats on its own. The Indian National Congress has a number of organizations under its banner. The student’s wing of the party is called as the National Students Union of India (NSUI) which has a vibrant presence in student politics across the country. The women wing is called All India Mahila Congress and its labour wing, one of the largest trade unions in the country is called as Indian National Trade Union Congress. Its youth wing is called as Indian Youth Congress. The UPA-1 (2004-2009) and UPA-2 (2009-2014) governments have initiated some of the important social policies which include Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MGNAREGA) and National Rural Health Mission (NHM). The historic Right To Information Act (RTI) was passed in 2005 and another significant piece of legislation was passed in February 2013 was the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplce (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal act).

Qaidi No. 241383: From Waking Up At 5:30 AM To Working For 8 Hrs, How Life In Patiala Jail Looks For Navjot Sidhu
India.com News Desk | May 21, 2022 7:24 AM IST
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Impending Electoral Rout in Gujarat And Himachal: Prashant Kishor's Prediction For Congress
India.com News Desk | May 20, 2022 1:21 PM IST
Sidhu is now prisoner number 241383 and is placed in barrack number 7 in Patiala jail. Sidhu will
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Rajasthan Congress to Resume Public Hearing Sessions From May 23
IANS | May 18, 2022 6:02 PM IST
Rajasthan Congress on Wednesday announced to resume public hearing meetings at the party's state
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Upset With Gujarat Party Leadership, Hardik Patel Quits Congress, May Join BJP
India.com News Desk | May 18, 2022 10:42 AM IST
Hardik Patel, who joined the Congress before 2019 Lok Sabha elections, has quit the party and vowed
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Rajasthan Congress To Appoint Workers Under 50 Years of Age To 50 Percent District Executive Posts
PTI | May 17, 2022 5:08 PM IST
In keeping with the resolutions passed at the Congress party's 'Nav Sankalp Shivir', the Rajsthan
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Sikkim Day: 10 Things You Need To Know How Himalayan Kingdom Became Part Of India
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Initially, Sikkim remained an independent country, until it merged with India on May 16, 1975,
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Congress Chintan Shivir: Party Discusses Role of EVMs in Poll Debacles, Ponders Over Strategy to Find Back Winning Ways
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According to the sources, a presentation was made in the Shivir regarding the possibility of the
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Age is Just a Number! At 87, Former Haryana CM Om Prakash Chautala Passes Class 10th and 12th
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In 2021, Om Prakash Chautala had appeared for Class 12 examinations under the Haryana Open Board.
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Judge rejects Donald Trump’s Lawsuit Challenging His Permanent Ban from Twitter
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Free speech rights don't apply to private companies and Trump failed to show Twitter was working as
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Woman Seen With Rahul Gandhi in Kathmandu Identified And She is Not Chinese Ambassador to Nepal: Report
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Rahul arrived in Kathmandu on May 2 along with two other persons to attend the wedding ceremony of
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Jodhpur Violence: Rajasthan Govt Extends Curfew till Midnight of May 6, Over 140 Arrested | Top Updates
India.com News Desk | May 4, 2022 10:35 PM IST
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Madhya Pradesh Govt Lifts Curfew From Riot-hit Khargone After 24 Days, All Restrictions Lifted
India.com News Desk | May 4, 2022 6:37 PM IST
Communal clashes had broken out in Khargone city on April 10 during a Ram Navami procession,
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Play Hanuman Chalisa If You Hear Loudspeakers Blaring Azan: Raj Thackeray Appeals To Hindus As May 3 Deadline Ends
India.com News Desk | May 3, 2022 9:51 PM IST
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray on Sunday appealed to all Hindus to play
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PK Picks Bihar For 'जन सुराज', Hints To Launch New Party As He Says 'Time To Go To The Real Masters'
India.com News Desk | May 2, 2022 11:00 AM IST
"My quest to be a meaningful participant in democracy and help shape pro-people policy led to a
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Kamal Nath Quits As Madhya Pradesh Congress Legislature Party Leader; Govind Singh To Replace Him
India.com News Desk | April 28, 2022 5:42 PM IST
"This is to inform you that Honourable Congress President accepted your resignation from the post
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What is Assam's ID Proposal for Muslims | Explained
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Explained: Why Prashant Kishor Refused To Join Congress
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Prashant Kishor was reportedly keen to join Congress and had even given presentation to the party.
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PK Won't Be Congress' Sankatmochan: Declines 'Generous Offer,' Talks of Leadership and Collective Will
India.com News Desk | April 26, 2022 4:15 PM IST
Prashant Kishor has turned down Congress' offer to join the party. Taking to Twitter, the poll
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What is One Piece of Advice Prashant Kishor Offered to Congress Before Declining Its offer
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In my humble opinion, more than me, the party needs leadership and collective will to fix the
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If You Resort To 'Dadagiri', We Know How To…: Uddhav Issues Stern Warning As Hanuman Chalisa Row Snowballs
India.com News Desk | April 26, 2022 12:00 AM IST
Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters, party spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia defended
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