Mains Marathon

• Briefly talk about the nature of pre-INC organisation in India.
• Enumerate the few pre-INC organisations and their policies that contributed to the national struggle and nation building of India.
• Conclude suitably.

Answer

Most of the pre-INC organisations have local and regional character. And brought democratic politics in India.

• Most of these organisation had demanded macro level reforms like
  • Administrative Reform
  • Association of Indians with the administration and
  • Spread of education

There are some of these organisation and their contribution to the ideological and political India for nation building:

• British India Association 1851: Formed by merging Zamindari Association and Bengal British India Society. It had raised voice for
  • Separate legislature of a popular character
  • Separate executive and judicial functions
  • Reduction in salaries of officials and various duties.
  • The organisation by its macro level demand brought political awareness among middle class intelligentsia.
• East India Association 1866: It was organised by Dadabhai Naoroji in London to influence the public in England for India’s welfare. This was the first organisation to use persuasion in foreign land for India's interest.
• The Indian League 1875: It was started by Sisir Kumar Ghosh. Its contribution was “stimulating the sense of nationalism amongst the people” and of “encouraging political education”.
• The India Association of Calcutta (aka Indian National Association): It was led by Surendranath Banerjea and Anand Mohan Bose. It contributed to:
  • Create a strong public opinion on the political question
  • Unify Indian people in a common political programme.
• Pre-INC organisation organised various campaigns like:
  • Against Arms Act 1878
  • Against Vernacular Press Act 1878
  • Against plantation labour and against Inland Emigration Act
  • In support of the Ilbert bill
  • Campaign in British to vote for pro-India party
  • Against reduction in maximum age for appearing in civil services.
• Contribution of Pre-INC organisation:
  • Bring political and economic awareness amongst middle class intelligentsia
  • Brought sense of belongingness amongst the elite for cause of masses
  • Raised voice for major executive, judicial and legislative reform
  • Campaign for general administrative and defense civil rights
• These organisations had given a democratic and peaceful form of struggle that led to mass movement in later years.

Although these organisations had been dominated by wealthy and aristocratic persons but created a politically trained and democratically managed middle-class intelligentsia that brought mass movement under leadership of Gandhi and others.