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199th Birth Anniversary of Dadabhai Naoroji
- 06 Sep 2024
- 2 min read
- Recently, the 199th birth anniversary of Dadabhai Naoroji was observed on 4th September 2024. He is also known as the “Grand Old Man of India”.
- Contributions of Dadabhai Naoroji:
- British MP: He served as the first Indian member of the British parliament. In 1892, he won from the Central Finsbury seat as a Liberal Party candidate.
- Establishment of Organizations in England: In 1865, Naoroji co-founded the London Indian Society, and in 1866, he established the East India Association.
- Congress President: He served as the president of the Congress three times in 1886 (Calcutta), 1893 (Lahore), and 1906 (Calcutta).
- Literature: Naoroji was one of the key proponents of “Drain Theory (1867)” which exposed the economic exploitation of India by Britain.
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He published the book Poverty and Un-British Rule in India in 1901.
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- Other Political Contribution: Naoroji advocated for a standing committee in the British House of Commons to address protests from Indian legislative bodies.
- He formed an Indian parliamentary committee in the British Parliament in 1893 for lobbying for reforms in India.
- He was appointed to the Royal Commission on Indian Expenditure in 1895.
Read More: Important Indian National Congress Sessions
