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186-551: No centralized leadership, though local Indian National Congress leaders took part Local chapter of All-India Muslim League Direct Action Day (16 August 1946) was the day the All-India Muslim League decided to take a " direct action " using general strikes and economic shut down to demand a separate Muslim homeland after the British exit from India. Also known as the 1946 Calcutta Riots , it soon became

372-585: A mixed economy where the government-controlled public sector co-existed with the private sector . He believed the establishment of basic and heavy industries was fundamental to the development and modernisation of the Indian economy. The Nehru government directed investment primarily into key public sector industries—steel, iron, coal, and power—promoting their development with subsidies and protectionist policies. Nehru embraced secularism, socialistic economic practices based on state-driven industrialisation, and

558-527: A non-aligned and non-confrontational foreign policy that became typical of the modern Congress Party. The policy of non-alignment during the Cold War meant Nehru received financial and technical support from both the Eastern and Western Blocs to build India's industrial base from nothing. During his period in office, there were four known assassination attempts on Nehru. The first attempt on his life

744-503: A pan-Indian organization for nationalist political influence. In 1883, Allan Octavian Hume , a retired British Civil Servant also known for his pro-Indian activities, outlined his idea for a body representing Indian interests in an open letter to graduates of the University of Calcutta . The aim was to obtain a greater share in government for educated Indians and to create a platform for civic and political dialogue between them and

930-457: A Central Intelligence Officer's reporter at 30,000 and by a Special Branch Inspector of Calcutta Police at 500,000. The latter figure is impossibly high and the Star of India reporter put it at about 100,000. The main speakers were Khawaja Nazimuddin and Chief Minister Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy. Khwaja Nazimuddin in his speech preached peacefulness and restraint but spoilt the effect and flared up

1116-571: A Government in any Province. Congress Ministers resigned in October and November 1939 in protest against Viceroy Lord Linlithgow 's declaration that India was a belligerent in World War II without consulting the Indian people . In 1939, Subhas Chandra Bose , the elected President of India in both 1938 and 1939, resigned from Congress over the selection of the working committee. Congress

1302-533: A Minister in the Government of Orissa , visited Lichubagan to investigate into the killings of the mill labourers. Many authors claim Hindus were the primary victims. The worst of the killing took place during the day on 17 August. By late afternoon, soldiers brought the worst areas under control and the military expanded its hold overnight. In the slums and other areas, however, which were still outside military control, lawlessness and rioting escalated hourly. In

1488-680: A consensus candidate could be picked. Following the election, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury was chosen as the leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi was chosen as the deputy leader in Lok Sabha, and Ravneet Singh Bittu was chosen as the party whip. Based on an analysis of the candidates' poll affidavits, a report by the National Election Watch (NEW) and the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) says that,

1674-645: A day of communal violence in Calcutta. It led to large-scale violence between Muslims and Hindus in the city of Calcutta (now known as Kolkata) in the Bengal province of British India . The day also marked the start of what is known as The Week of the Long Knives . While there is a certain degree of consensus on the magnitude of the killings (although no precise casualty figures are available), including their short-term consequences, controversy remains regarding

1860-462: A degree of anti-incumbency sentiment. The 1996 general elections witnessed the emergence of a fractured mandate, leading to the absence of a clear majority for any single party. Congress was reduced to 140 seats in elections that year, its lowest number in the Lok Sabha yet. Rao later resigned as prime minister and, in September, as party president. He was succeeded as president by Sitaram Kesri ,

2046-492: A destroyed India." The Muslim League had thus said “goodbye to Constitutional methods” and was ready to “create trouble”. In his book The Great Divide , H V Hodson recounted, "The Working Committee followed up by calling on Muslims throughout India to observe 16th August as 'Direct Action Day'. On that day, meetings would be held all over the country to explain the League's resolution. These meetings and processions passed off—as

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2232-410: A difficult situation arose out of political showdown. Most probably, Direct Action Day in Calcutta was planned to be a large-scale hartal and mass rally (which is an accepted part of political culture in Calcutta ) which they knew very well how to control. However, the response from the masses far exceeded any expectations. The political leaders seriously miscalculated the strong emotional response that

2418-478: A distinguishing feature in that they broke out in a transitional period which was marked by the power vacuum and systemic breakdown. It is also important to note that they constituted part of a political struggle in which the Congress and the Muslim League competed with each other for the initiative in establishing the new nation-state(s), while the British made an all-out attempt to carry out decolonization at

2604-402: A house where villagers had taken refuge was besieged and villagers were asked to surrender their arms and convert to Islam. One group of the villagers took up the offer and were subsequently converted, while the remaining were periodically attacked. The house was set on fire, following which the villagers shifted to a Gurdwara where they were attacked and massacred. One survivor claimed that out of

2790-681: A mass-migration of Sikhs and Hindus from the Rawalpindi Division to central and eastern Punjab, Sikh-ruled princely states , Jammu and Kashmir , Delhi and the United Provinces . The descriptions of atrocities faced by these refugees provoked feelings of revenge, especially among the Sikhs. The massacres had a deep impact on the Sikhs and Hindus of the Punjab, who planned to avenge them later by unleashing similar violence on

2976-671: A national hero following victory in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 . His slogan, " Jai Jawan Jai Kisan " ("Hail the soldier, Hail the farmer"), became very popular during the war. On 11 January 1966, a day after signing the Tashkent Declaration , Shastri died in Tashkent, reportedly of a heart attack; but the circumstances of his death remain mysterious. After Shastri's death, Congress elected Indira Gandhi as leader over Morarji Desai . Once again, K. Kamaraj

3162-496: A nationwide public opinion that British colonialism was the primary reason for India’s poverty and economic exploitation. The moderate leaders had several demands, including proper representation of Indians on the Legislative Councils and an increase in the powers of these councils. They also advocated for administrative reforms and voiced their opinions on international issues. They opposed the annexation of Burma ,

3348-435: A new opposition party, popularly called Congress (I)—the "I" signifying Indira. During the next year, her new party attracted enough members of the legislature to become the official opposition. In November 1978, Gandhi regained a parliamentary seat. In January 1980, following a landslide victory for Congress (I), she was again elected prime minister. The national election commission declared Congress (I) to be

3534-590: A new parliamentary leader of the Congress party who would then become prime minister. During the leadership contest to succeed Nehru, the preference was between Morarji Desai and Lal Bahadur Shashtri. Eventually, Shashtri was selected as the next parliamentary leader thus the Prime Minister. Kamaraj was widely credited as the "kingmaker" in for ensuring the victory of Lal Bahadur Shastri over Morarji Desai. As prime minister, Shastri retained most of members of Nehru's Council of Ministers ; T. T. Krishnamachari

3720-539: A pair of bullocks carrying a yoke while Indira's breakaway faction was given a new symbol of a cow with a suckling calf by the Election Commission as the party election symbol. The Congress (O) eventually merged with other opposition parties to form the Janata Party . "India might be an ancient country but was a young democracy and as such should remain vigilant against the domination of few over

3906-691: A public spectacle of his disapproval of the Pakistan demand outside the Punjab Assembly on 3 March. Communal clashes erupted in Lahore and Amritsar on 4 March after Hindus and Sikhs began demonstrations against the Pakistan demand. On 5 March, which marked the Hindu festival of Holi , armed Muslim mobs started attacking Hindus and Sikhs in several cities of West Punjab , including the cantonment town of Rawalpindi and Multan , killing close to 200 in

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4092-535: A reprisal for the Noakhali riot, whose death toll had been greatly overstated in immediate reports, it was difficult for authorities to deal with because it was spread out over a large area of scattered villages, and the number of casualties was impossible to establish accurately: "According to a subsequent statement in the British Parliament , the death-toll amounted to 5,000. The Statesman 's estimate

4278-411: A result of prevailing nationalism, Gandhi's popularity, and the party's attempts at eradicating caste differences, untouchability , poverty, and religious and ethnic divisions, Congress became a forceful and dominant group. Although its members were predominantly Hindu, it had members from other religions, economic classes, and ethnic and linguistic groups. At the Congress 1929 Lahore session under

4464-518: A result, unrepresentative of the Indian masses at the time, it functioned more as a stage for elite Indian ambitions than a political party for the first two decade of its existence. Since its establishment, the Congress was led by Moderate leaders, who were influenced by Western political ideas, particularly liberalism . They emphasized individual dignity, the right to freedom , and equality for all, regardless of caste, creed, or sex. This philosophy guided them in opposing British autocracy, demanding

4650-691: A sharp break from previous leaders. However, it lost the 1996 general election and was replaced in government by the National Front. After a record eight years out of office, the Congress-led coalition known as the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) under Manmohan Singh formed a government the 2004 general elections . Subsequently, the UPA again formed the government after winning the 2009 general elections , and Singh became

4836-410: A split occurred between two factions within the Congress known as Surat Split . Annie Besant , an Irish theosophist, moved to India in 1893 and became actively involved in the Congress. Recognizing the importance of full cooperation from the extremists for the success of the movement, both Tilak and Besant realized that it was necessary to secure the full cooperation of the moderates. In 1915, during

5022-468: A strong welfare state . Being a centrist party, its policies predominantly reflected balanced positions including secularism , egalitarianism , and social stratification . The INC supports contemporary economic reforms such as liberalisation , privatisation and globalization . A total of 61 people have served as the president of the INC since its formation. Sonia Gandhi is the longest-serving president of

5208-459: A strong sense of Hindu identity, especially in view of the perceived threat from the possibility of marginalizing themselves into minority against the onslaught of the Pakistan movement . Such mobilization along communal lines was partly successful due to a concerted propaganda campaign which resulted in a 'legitimization of communal solidarities'. On the other hand, following the protests against

5394-641: A total of 500 Hindu and Sikh villagers, only 76 had survived, of whom nearly half had been abducted. Similar attacks happened at the villages of Mughal and Bassali . Kallar , Dubheran , Jhika Gali and Kuri were also attacked. Some of the survivors had been left disfigured and mutilated, breasts of many women who had been raped were cut-off. Villages in the Gujar Khan and Cambellpur districts were decimated, dead bodies of children were found hanging from trees and girls as young as eleven had been gang-raped. The All India Congress Committee , in its report on

5580-580: A train was raided by a mob at Taxila , which killed 22 Hindu and Sikh passengers. Houses in the Sikh and Hindu quarters of the village of Kahuta were torched with their occupants present inside, while women were abducted to be raped. The village of Thoha Khalsa was the site of a much-publicised massacre. An armed Muslim mob laid siege to the village, asking the Sikh residents to convert to Islam. Sikh men killed female members of their families to prevent their abduction and rape, before being killed themselves by

5766-593: Is a political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Empire in Asia and Africa. From the late 19th century, and especially after 1920, under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi , the Congress became the principal leader of the Indian independence movement . The Congress led India to independence from

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5952-505: Is additionally structured into various committees and segments including the Working Committee (CWC), Seva Dal , Indian Youth Congress (IYC), Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), and National Students' Union of India (NSUI). The party holds the annual plenary sessions, at which senior Congress figures promote party policy. During the latter part of the 1870s, there were concerted efforts among Indians to establish

6138-512: Is no indication that more British troops were not available. The rioting reduced on 22 August. Suhrawardy put forth a great deal of effort to bring reluctant British officials around to calling the army in from Sealdah Rest Camp. Unfortunately, British officials did not send the army out until 1:45 a.m. on 17 August. Violence in Calcutta, between 1945 and 1946, passed by stages from Indian versus European to Hindu versus Muslim. Indian Christians and Europeans were generally free from molestation as

6324-471: The 2019 election , due to the party's dismal electoral performance. The party only won 52 seats, eight more than the previous election. Its vote percentage once again fell below 20 per cent. Following Gandhi's resignation, party leaders began deliberations for a suitable candidate to replace him. The Congress Working Committee met on 10 August to make a final decision on the matter and passed a resolution asking Sonia Gandhi to take over as interim president until

6510-769: The British Raj . Hume initiated contact with prominent leaders in India and conducted the first session of the Indian National Congress at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College in Bombay from 28 to 31 December 1885. A notice convening the first meeting of the Indian National Union to be held in Poona the following December, was issued. However, due to a cholera outbreak there it was moved to Bombay. In its first two decades of formation, Congress

6696-693: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPIM), and various regional parties, such as the Telugu Desam Party , Trinamool Congress and Aam Aadmi Party . A post- partition successor to the party survived as the Pakistan National Congress , a party which represented the rights of religious minorities in the state. The party's support was strongest in the Bengali-speaking province of East Pakistan . After

6882-776: The Congress President , held a press conference in Bombay declaring that although the Congress had agreed to participate in the Constituent Assembly, it reserved the right to modify the Cabinet Mission Plan as it saw fit. Fearing Hindu domination in the central government, the Muslim League politicians pressed Jinnah to revert to "his earlier unbending stance". Jinnah rejected the British Cabinet Mission plan for transfer of power to an interim government which would combine both

7068-547: The Congress Working Committee (CWC) held an election for the next president of the INC, to succeed Rahul Gandhi. The election was held on 17 October 2022 and counting took place on 19 October 2022. The candidates in the race were Kerala MP Shashi Tharoor and Karnataka MP Mallikarjun Kharge . Mallikarjun Kharge won the election in a landslide, securing 7,897 out of the 9,385 votes cast. His rival, Shashi Tharoor, secured 1,072 votes. Kharge would lead

7254-613: The Hindi Belt . Indira Gandhi, on the other side, wanted to use a populist agenda in order to mobilise popular support for the party. Her faction, called Congress (R), was supported by most of the Congress MPs while the original party had the support of only 65 MPs. In the All India Congress Committee, 446 of its 705 members walked over to Indira's side. The "Old Congress" retained the party symbol of

7440-641: The Howrah Bridge over the Hooghly River was crowded with evacuees headed for the Howrah station to escape the mayhem in Calcutta. Many of them would not escape the violence that spread out into the region outside Calcutta. Lord Wavell claimed during his meeting on 27 August 1946 that Mahatma Gandhi had told him, "If India wants bloodbath she shall have it ... if a bloodbath was necessary, it would come about in spite of non-violence". There

7626-534: The Indian Army to enter the Golden Temple to establish control over the complex and remove Bhindranwale and his armed followers. This event is known as Operation Blue Star . On 31 October 1984, two of Gandhi's bodyguards, Satwant Singh and Beant Singh , shot her with their service weapons in the garden of the prime minister's residence in response to her authorisation of Operation Blue Star. Gandhi

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7812-869: The Industries portfolio , was personally responsible for the dismantling of the Licence Raj , which came under the purview of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Rao accelerated the dismantling of the Licence Raj, reversing the socialist policies of previous governments. He employed Manmohan Singh as his finance minister to begin historic economic changes. With Rao's mandate, Singh launched reforms for India's globalisation that involved implementing International Monetary Fund (IMF) policies to prevent India's impending economic collapse . Future prime ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh continued

7998-460: The Kamaraj Plan to Nehru that encouraged six Congress chief ministers (including himself) and six senior cabinet ministers to resign to take up party work. In 1964, Nehru died because of an aortic dissection , raising questions about the party's future. Following the death of Nehru, Gulzarilal Nanda was appointed as the interim prime minister on 27 May 1964, pending the election of

8184-551: The Muslim League (ML) won 75 of the 86 Muslim seats in the province and emerged as the biggest party, but failed to win any non-Muslim ones and fell short of the magic figure in the 175 seat assembly. The Muslim zamindar -led secular Unionist Party , which had won 18 seats, of whom 10 were Muslim, formed a coalition government with the Indian National Congress , which was the second biggest winner after

8370-576: The Muslim League National Guard , which prompted large "direct action" demonstrations by the Muslim League throughout the province that later turned violent. The Muslim League campaign worsened communal tensions in the province, which had already been raised after previous year's election campaign. On 20 February 1947, British Prime Minister Clement Attlee announced that the British will leave India by June 1948. On 2 March 1947, Khizar Hayat Tiwana resigned as premier in light of

8556-575: The North Western Frontier Province . The events sowed the seeds for the eventual Partition of India . In 1946, the Indian independence movement against the British Raj had reached a pivotal stage. British Prime Minister Clement Attlee sent a three-member Cabinet Mission to India aimed at discussing and finalizing plans for the transfer of power from the British Raj to the Indian leadership. After holding talks with

8742-598: The Punjab Unionists , Indian National Congress and Akali Dal , achieved through a six-week campaign by the Muslim League. The riots left between 2,000 and 7,000 Sikhs and Hindus dead, and set off their mass exodus from Rawalpindi Division. 80,000 Sikhs and Hindus were estimated to have left the Division by the end of April. The incidents were the first instance of partition-related violence in Punjab to show clear manifestations of ethnic cleansing , and marked

8928-708: The Quran , emphasizing on the coincidence of Direct Action Day with the holy month of Ramzaan , claiming that the upcoming protests were an allegory of Prophet Muhammad's conflict with heathenism and subsequent conquest of Mecca and establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven in Arabia. Hindu public opinion was mobilized around the Akhand Hindusthan (United India) slogan. Certain Congress leaders in Bengal imbibed

9114-682: The Rawalpindi Division of the Punjab Province of British India in March 1947. The violence preceded the partition of India and was instigated and perpetrated by the Muslim League National Guards —the militant wing of the Muslim League —as well as local cadres and politicians of the League, demobilised Muslim soldiers, local officials and policemen. It followed the fall of a coalition government of

9300-526: The Right to Information Act , and a right to education act. The NAC, as well as the Left Front that supported the government from the outside, were widely seen as being the driving force behind such legislation. The Left Front withdrew its support of the government over disagreements about the U.S.–India Civil Nuclear Agreement . Despite the effective loss of 62 seats in parliament, the government survived

9486-729: The Soviet Union . In the aftermath of the Sino-Indian War of 1962, and the formation of military ties between China and Pakistan, Shastri's government expanded the defence budget of India's armed forces. He also promoted the White Revolution—a national campaign to increase the production and supply of milk by creating the National Dairy Development Board . The Madras anti-Hindi agitation of 1965 occurred during Shastri's tenure. Shastri became

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9672-632: The Supreme Court . In response to increasing disorder and lawlessness, Gandhi's ministry recommended that President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed declare a State of Emergency , based on the provisions of Article 352 of the Constitution . During the nineteen-month emergency , widespread oppression and abuse of power by Gandhi's unelected younger son and political heir Sanjay Gandhi and his close associates occurred. Implemented on 25 June 1975,

9858-463: The United Kingdom , and significantly influenced other anti-colonial nationalist movements in the British Empire. The INC is a " big tent " party that has been described as sitting on the centre of the Indian political spectrum. The party held its first session in 1885 in Bombay where W.C. Bonnerjee presided over it. After Indian independence in 1947, Congress emerged as a catch-all and secular party, dominating Indian politics for

10044-408: The official opposition yet again. In the 2024 general election , the party performed better-than-expected, and won 99 seats later becoming 101, forming the official opposition with their highest seat count in a decade. On social issues, it advocates secular policies that encourage equal opportunity , right to health , right to education , civil liberty , and support social market economy , and

10230-440: The 1940s. The Muslim League had demanded since its 1940 Lahore Resolution for the Muslim-majority areas of India in the northwest and the east to be constituted as 'independent states'. The 1946 Cabinet Mission to India for planning of the transfer of power from the British Raj to the Indian leadership proposed a three-tier structure: a centre, groups of provinces and provinces. The "groups of provinces" were meant to accommodate

10416-412: The 1969 nationalisation of India's 14 largest banks. The 1969 attempt by Indira Gandhi government to abolish privy purse and the official recognition of the titles did not meet with success. The constitutional Amendment bill to this effect was passed in Lok Sabha, but it failed to get the required two-thirds majority in the Rajya Sabha. However, in 1971, with the passage of the Twenty-sixth Amendment to

10602-439: The 1988 television film Tamas , directed by Govind Nihalani . The film was based on Bhisham Sahni 's Hindi novel of the same name . An incident similar to the Thoha Khalsa mass suicide is also depicted in the 2003 film Khamosh Pani . A Punjabi novel based on the events called Khoon de Sohille written by Nanak Singh was published in 1948. It was translated into English as Hymns in Blood (2022). Other works based on

10788-639: The Attock district. This established a precedent of impunity for officials and policemen acting in a biased manner. Such failures to prosecute the perpetrators are seen to have enabled the later violence in Punjab, closer to the partition. The events have produced some of the most unforgettable images of the partition violence. Those who died in the violence, especially those who killed themselves or were killed by their families to prevent anticipated conversion, rapes, abductions or forced marriages—which were seen as violative of community honour —were valorised for their sacrifice and continue to be seen as martyrs in

10974-444: The Bangladeshi War of Independence, it became known as the Bangladeshi National Congress , but was dissolved in 1975 by the government. From 1951 until his death in 1964, Jawaharlal Nehru was the paramount leader of the party. Congress gained power in landslide victories in the general elections of 1951–52, 1957, and 1962. During his tenure, Nehru implemented policies based on import substitution industrialisation , and advocated

11160-432: The Bombay Presidency Association, Ganesh Vasudeo Joshi of the Poona Sarvajanik Sabha , social reformer and newspaper editor Gopal Ganesh Agarkar , Justice K. T. Telang , N. G. Chandavarkar , Dinshaw Wacha , Behramji Malabari , journalist, and activist Gooty Kesava Pillai , and P. Rangaiah Naidu of the Madras Mahajana Sabha . The majority of the founding members of Congress has been educated or lived in Britain. As

11346-406: The British Empire. Herfeafter, the Moderates followed a two-fold approach to achieve their goals. First, they aimed to build strong public opinion to inspire a sense of national consciousness and unity, while educating the masses on shared political issues. Second, they sought to influence both the British government and public opinion, advocating for reforms in India that aligned with the demands of

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11532-470: The British after INA trials , the British administration decided to give more importance to protests against the government, rather than management of communal violence within the Indian populace, according to their "Emergency Action Scheme". Frederick Burrows , the Governor of Bengal , rationalized the declaration of "public holiday" in his report to Lord Wavell —Suhrawardy put forth a great deal of effort to bring reluctant British officials around to calling

11718-432: The British and Congress blamed Jinnah for calling the Direct Action Day and held the Muslim League responsible for stirring up the Muslim nationalist sentiment. There are several views on the exact cause of the Direct Action Day riots. The Hindu press blamed the Suhrawardy Government and the Muslim League. According to the authorities, riots were instigated by members of the Muslim League and its affiliate Volunteer Corps, in

11904-496: The British and focused on building mass support instilling in them a sense of self -respect, self-reliance, pride in their ancient heritage and national unity to attain their objectives. The Extremist leaders opposed the use of violence against British rule and did not condone methods such as political murder and assassination. They successfully engaged the urban middle and lower classes, as well as mobilized peasants and workers. The Extremist leaders utilized religious symbols to inspire

12090-434: The British war effort, Mahatma Gandhi made a call to " Do or Die " in his Quit India movement delivered in Bombay on 8 August 1942 at the Gowalia Tank Maidan and opposed any help to the British in World War II . The British government responded with mass arrests including that of Gandhi and Congress leaders and killed over 1,000 Indians who participated in this movement. A number of violent attacks were also carried out by

12276-441: The Chief Minister's speech is available. But the Central Intelligence Officer and a reporter, who Frederick Burrows believed was reliable, deputed by the military authorities agree on one statement (not reported at all by the Calcutta Police). The version in the former's report was—"He [the Chief Minister] had seen to police and military arrangements who would not interfere". The version of the latter's was—"He had been able to restrain

12462-654: The Congress Party in the Bengal Legislative Assembly , called on Hindu shopkeepers to not observe the public holiday, and keep their businesses open in defiance of the hartal . The Star of India , an influential local Muslim newspaper, edited by Raghib Ahsan , the Muslim League MLA from Calcutta published the detailed program for the day. The program called for complete a hartal and general strike in all spheres of civic, commercial and industrial life except essential services. The notice proclaimed that processions would start from multiple parts of Calcutta, Howrah , Hooghly , Metiabruz and 24 Parganas , and would converge at

12648-418: The Congress and Sikh leaders of the Punjab demanding its partition. On 8 March, the Congress Working Committee passed a resolution to partition the Punjab. Survivors identified attackers by their names, occupations and home villages in FIRs after the massacres. Despite identification by fact-finding committees, few of the perpetrators were ever brought to justice, partly because of communal polarisation of

12834-404: The Congress and ask them their plans. When they take you into their confidence I will take you into mine. Why do you expect me alone to sit with folded hands? I also am going to make trouble." The next day, Jinnah announced 16 August 1946 would be "Direct Action Day" and warned Congress, "We do not want war. If you want war we accept your offer unhesitatingly. We will either have a divided India or

13020-435: The Congress has highest political defection rate since 2014. According to the report, a total of 222 electoral candidates had left the Congress to join other parties during elections held between 2014 and 2021, as 177 MPs and MLAs quit the party. The defections resulted in a loss of the party's established governments in Arunachal Pradesh , Madhya Pradesh , Goa , Karnataka , Puducherry , and Manipur . On 28 August 2022,

13206-406: The Constitution of India, the privy purses were abolished. Due to Sino-Indian War 1962, India faced a huge budgetary deficit resulting in its treasury being almost empty, high inflation, and dwindling forex reserves. The brief War of 1962 exposed weaknesses in the economy and shifted the focus towards the defence industry and the Indian Army . The government found itself short of resources to fund

13392-612: The Direct Action Day to teach the Muslims in Calcutta a lesson and to kill them in great numbers. Thus, the riots opened the way to a partition of Bengal between a Hindu-dominated Western Bengal including Calcutta and a Muslim-dominated Eastern Bengal (now Bangladesh ). The All-India Muslim League and the Indian National Congress were the two largest political parties in the Constituent Assembly of India in

13578-567: The Emergency officially ended on 21 March 1977. All political prisoners were released and fresh elections for the Lok Sabha were called. In parliamentary elections held in March, the Janata alliance of anti-Indira opposition parties won a landslide victory over Congress, winning 295 seats in the Lok Sabha against Congress' 153. Gandhi lost her seat to her Janata opponent Raj Narain . On 2 January 1978, Indira and her followers seceded and formed

13764-460: The Hindus and Sikhs in the divisional headquarters of Rawalpindi, Muslim mobs banded together and turned to the countryside. The mobs went on a rampage, engaging in arson, looting, massacres and rape, one village after the other in the districts of Rawalpindi , Jhelum and Cambellpur (present-day Attock). Sikhs were the primary targets, but Hindus were also attacked. In one incident, on 7 March,

13950-471: The Hindus were in a majority and were also in a superior and powerful economic position. The trouble had assumed the communal character which it was to retain throughout. The meeting began around 2 pm though processions of Muslims from all parts of Calcutta had started assembling since the midday prayers . A large number of the participants were reported to have been armed with iron bars and lathis (bamboo sticks). The numbers attending were estimated by

14136-799: The Indian National Congress to support their proposal to set up Home Rule leagues. As a result, they established separate leagues. Tilak launched the Indian Home Rule League in April 1916 at Belgaum , with its headquarters in Poona . His league operated primarily in Maharashtra (excluding Bombay), Karnataka , and the Central Provinces and Berar . In contrast, Besant set up her All-India Home Rule League in September 1916 in Madras , which grew to include over 200 branches across

14322-466: The Indian troops he sent to Sri Lanka in 1987 to help enforce a peace accord there had fought with Tamil Militant guerrillas. The mid-1990s marked a period of political flux in India, with frequent changes in government and coalition dynamics. Rajiv Gandhi was succeeded as party leader by P. V. Narasimha Rao , who was elected prime minister in June 1991. His rise to the prime ministership

14508-635: The Lok Sabha. The INC again returned to power in the 1980 Indian general election securing a 42.7 per cent vote share of all votes, winning 353 seats. INC's vote share kept increasing till 1980 and then to a record high of 48.1 per cent by 1984/85. Rajiv Gandhi on assuming the post of prime minister in October 1984 recommended early elections . The general elections were to be held in January 1985; instead, they were held in December 1984. The Congress won an overwhelming majority, securing 415 seats out of 533,

14694-804: The ML, winning 51 seats, and the Shiromani Akali Dal , which had won 20 seats, all from Sikh constituencies. The Unionist leader Khizar Hayat Tiwana was elected the premier . After withdrawing from the Cabinet Mission plan in July 1946, Muslim League leader Muhammad Ali Jinnah called for " Direct Action " in August. The calls for direct action were followed by large-scale rioting and violence in Calcutta , which gradually spread elsewhere during

14880-414: The Muslim League agitations and campaign against his ministry, and the official announcement of the imminent end of British rule. Although anticipated, a Muslim League-led coalition could not form due to the League's inability to assuage the fears of non-Muslim legislators, who had become increasingly hostile to the League and the demand for Pakistan . Akali Dal leader Master Tara Singh notoriously made

15066-492: The Muslim League and the Indian National Congress, and decided to boycott the Constituent Assembly. In July 1946, Jinnah held a press conference at his home in Bombay. He proclaimed that the Muslim League was "preparing to launch a struggle" and that they "have chalked out a plan". He said that if the Muslims were not granted a separate Pakistan then they would launch "direct action". When asked to be specific, Jinnah retorted: "Go to

15252-476: The Muslim League's demand. Both the Muslim League and the Congress in principle accepted the Cabinet Mission's plan. However; Nehru's speech on 10 July 1946 rejected the idea that the provinces would be obliged to join a group and stated that the Congress was neither bound nor committed to the plan. In effect, Nehru's speech squashed the mission's plan and the chance to keep India united. Jinnah interpreted

15438-551: The Muslim mob". It soon engulfed the neighbouring police stations of Raipur , Lakshmipur , Begumganj and Sandwip in Noakhali, and Faridganj , Hajiganj , Chandpur , Laksham and Chudagram in Tippera. The disruption caused by the widespread violence was extensive, making it difficult to accurately establish the number of casualties. Official estimates put the number of dead between 200 and 300. According to Francis Tuker , who at

15624-421: The Muslims of the eastern portions of the province, to make way for the settlement of the refugees who had been driven out from the west. The Sikhs, in particular, felt especially humiliated as parts of the Muslim press taunted them after the massacres. The absence of condemnation of the massacres by leaders of the Muslim League widened the growing rift between the League and the Sikhs. The riots also lead to

15810-482: The NDA. The UPA suffered a landslide defeat, which was the party's worst-ever national electoral performance with its vote share dipping below 20 per cent for the first time. Sonia Gandhi retired as party president in December 2017, having served for a record nineteen years. She was succeeded by her son Rahul Gandhi , who was elected unopposed in the 2017 INC presidential election. Rahul Gandhi resigned from his post after

15996-465: The Rawalpindi district alone stood at 2,263, however, this number was considered inaccurate due to "the widespread nature of disturbances" and a collapse of "normal administrative machinery". The number was based on registered police cases and did not include such cases "where whole families were wiped out and no claims were made". A contemporary Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee report put

16182-467: The Sikh community. Images of the aftermath of the massacres were compiled by politician Prabodh Chandra and published in a booklet titled Rape of Rawalpindi in 1947, soon after the massacres. The circulation of this booklet was stopped by the government fearing retaliation against Muslims in East Punjab. The events, in particular the massacre and mass suicide at Thoha Khalsa, were depicted in

16368-498: The Third Plan (1961–1966). Subhadra Joshi a senior party member, proposed a non-official resolution asking for the nationalisation of private banks stating that nationalisation would help in mobilising resources for development. In July 1969, Indira Gandhi through the ordinance nationalised fourteen major private banks. After being re-elected in 1971 on a campaign that endorsed nationalisation, Indira Gandhi went on to nationalise

16554-525: The annual religious fair, set upon and exterminated Muslims, not only on the festival grounds but in the adjacent town" while the police did little or nothing. The deaths were estimated at between 1,000 and 2,000. Indian National Congress (4030 MLAs and 5 vacant) (390 MLCs and 36 vacant) The Indian National Congress ( INC ), colloquially the Congress Party or simply the Congress ,

16740-515: The annual session of the Congress held at Lucknow under the presidency of Ambica Charan Mazumdar , it was decided that the extremists led by Tilak would be admitted to the Congress. Inspired by the Irish Home Rule movement , which sought greater autonomy from Britain, Tilak and Besant were influenced by the concept of self-government (Home Rule) and began calling for similar rights for India. However, Tilak and Besant were unable to convince

16926-431: The army in from Sealdah Rest Camp. Unfortunately, British officials did not send the army out until 1:45 a.m. on 17 August. Many of the mischief-makers were people who would have had idle hands anyhow. If shops and markets had been generally open, I believe that there would have been even more looting and murder than there was; the holiday gave the peaceable citizens the chance of staying at home. Troubles started on

17112-433: The attackers to distinguish them from houses of non-Muslims. The ancestral home of Tara Singh was also reduced to ashes. The mobs continued their campaign of loot and mass murder without hindrance. Muslim policemen aided and abetted the violence at many places throughout West Punjab, and at times responded inordinately late to appeals for help. There is evidence of involvement of Muslim League cadres and local politicians in

17298-404: The attackers. More than 90 Sikh women and children committed mass suicide after jumping into a well to avoid rape. The death toll at the village is estimated to be around 300. A similar massacre, mass suicide and looting also took place at the village of Choa Khalsa , where around 150 Sikhs—and a smaller number of Hindus—were killed, and in the Sikh village of Dhamali . In Bewal village,

17484-604: The attacks are recounted in first information reports (FIRs) given to the police by survivors. The attacks were premeditated, and rumours were spread through mosques to instigate Muslim villagers. The attackers are said to have received weapons and funds from outside, and were partly funded by the Muslim League. They were armed with guns, rifles, axes, swords, spears, sticks, and in two cases with hand grenades. Houses of those driven out were razed and subsequently flattened up to prevent them from returning and rebuilding. Muslim houses were sometimes marked by their occupants to allow

17670-554: The attacks, but little evidence directly implicating the top leadership of the Muslim League—including Jinnah. However, no leaders of the Muslim League, national or provincial, offered any condemnation of the massacres. The violence ceased by the middle of March. At many places, attacks ended after the army moved in to rescue survivors. Many villages had their entire population wiped out while others had few survivors. The official death toll for non-Muslims killed in

17856-456: The beginning of systematic violence against women that accompanied the partition, seeing rampant sexual violence , rape, and forced conversions , with many women committing mass suicides along with their children, and many killed by their male relatives, for fear of abduction and rape. The events are sometimes referred to as the Rape of Rawalpindi . In the 1946 Punjab provincial election ,

18042-483: The city in order to enforce the declaration by the Muslim League that Muslims were to 'suspend all business' to support their demand for an independent Pakistan. However, supporters of the Muslim League claimed the Congress Party was behind the violence in an effort to weaken the fragile Muslim League government in Bengal. Historian Joya Chatterji allocates much of the responsibility to Suhrawardy, for setting up

18228-538: The coal, steel, copper, refining, cotton textiles and insurance industries. The main reason was to protect employment and the interest of the organised labour. On 12 June 1975, the High Court of Allahabad declared Indira Gandhi's election to the Lok Sabha , the lower house of India's parliament, void on the grounds of electoral malpractice. However, Gandhi rejected calls to resign and announced plans to appeal to

18414-518: The confrontation and failing to stop the rioting, but points out that Hindu leaders were also culpable. Members of the Indian National Congress, including Mohandas Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru responded negatively to the riots and expressed shock. The riots would lead to further rioting and pogroms between Hindus and Sikhs and Muslims. The Direct Action Day riots sparked off several riots between Muslims and Hindus/Sikhs in Noakhali, Bihar, and Punjab in that year: An important sequel to Direct Action Day

18600-448: The country, and growing discontent over a series of corruption allegations involving government officials, including the 2G spectrum case and the Indian coal allocation scam , as well as the ineptness towards national security, particularly the insensitivity in the aftermath of the 2011 Mumbai bombings . The Congress won only 44 seats in the Lok Sabha , compared to the 336 of the BJP and

18786-616: The country. Prominent leaders who joined or supported the Home Rule movement included Motilal Nehru , Bhulabhai Desai , Jawaharlal Nehru , Chittaranjan Das , Kanaiyalal Maneklal Munshi , Saifuddin Kitchlew , Madan Mohan Malviya , Mohammad Ali Jinnah , Tej Bahadur Sapru , and Lala Lajpat Rai . In 1915, Mahatma Gandhi returned from South Africa and joined Congress. His efforts in South Africa were well known not only among

18972-789: The country. In 1876, they founded the New English School in Pune . However, Tilak soon realized that education alone was not sufficient; the people also needed to be aware of the country's condition. To achieve this, he started two weekly publications in 1881: the Maratha in English and Kesari in Marathi. The ideological differences between the extremists and moderates led to a deep divide. During its session held in Surat in December 1907,

19158-616: The crown and have ruled. Do not lose hearts, be ready and take swords. Oh kafir! Your doom is not far". Following Jinnah's declaration of 16 August as the Direct Action Day, acting on the advice of R.L. Walker, the then Chief Secretary of Bengal, the Muslim League Chief Minister of Bengal, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy , requested the Governor of Bengal Sir Frederick Burrows to declare a public holiday on that day. Governor Burrows agreed. Walker made this proposal with

19344-478: The disturbances. Since the 11–14 February 1946 riots in Calcutta, communal tension had been high. Hindu and Muslim newspapers whipped up public sentiment with inflammatory and highly partisan reporting that heightened antagonism between the two communities. Adding further fuel to inflamed Muslim communal sentiments was a pamphlet written by the Mayor of Calcutta, Syed Mohammed Usman, where he said, "We Muslims have had

19530-459: The economic reform policies begun by Rao's government. He is often called the "Father of Indian economic reforms". Rao was also referred to as Chanakya for his ability to push tough economic and political legislation through the parliament while heading a minority government. By 1996, party found itself in a complex political landscape. It faced internal challenges, including factionalism and leadership struggles, allegations of corruption, and

19716-507: The educated but also among the masses. During 1917 and 1918, Mahatma Gandhi was involved in three struggles– known as Champaran Satyagraha , Ahmedabad Mill Strike and Kheda Satyagraha . After World War I , the party came to be associated with Gandhi, who remained its unofficial spiritual leader and icon. He formed an alliance with the Khilafat Movement in 1920 as part of his opposition to British rule in India, and fought for

19902-405: The exact sequence of events, the various actors' responsibility and the long-term political consequences. There is still extensive controversy regarding the respective responsibilities of the two main communities, the Hindus and the Muslims, in addition to individual leaders' roles in the carnage. The dominant British view tends to blame both communities equally and to single out the calculations of

20088-446: The face of opposition by the Congress. After Indian independence in 1947, the Indian National Congress became the dominant political party in the country. In 1952, in the first general election held after Independence, the party swept to power in the national parliament and most state legislatures. It held power nationally until 1977 when it was defeated by the Janata coalition. It returned to power in 1980 and ruled until 1989 when it

20274-502: The first prime minister since Indira Gandhi in 1971 to be re-elected after completing a full five-year term. However, under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi in the 2014 general election , the Congress suffered a heavy defeat, winning only 44 seats of the 543-member Lok Sabha (the lower house of the Parliament of India ). In the 2019 general election , the party failed to make any substantial gains and won 52 seats, failing to form

20460-621: The following months. In December 1946, rioting was reported from the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) after a Muslim League campaign to oust the Congress government in that province. The neighbouring Rawalpindi Division received thousands of Hindu and Sikh refugees who had been driven out from the Hazara district of NWFP. In January 1947, Tiwana banned the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and

20646-536: The foot of the Ochterlony Monument (now known as Shaheed Minar) where a joint mass rally presided over by Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy would be held. The Muslim League branches were advised to depute three workers in every mosque in every ward to explain the League's action plan before Juma prayers . Moreover, special prayers were arranged in every mosque on Friday after Juma prayers for the freedom of Muslim India. The notice drew divine inspiration from

20832-652: The framework of the British Empire. The moderates preferred to avoid direct conflict with the Britishers, aiming instead to reform their governance to better serve the country's interests. They aimed to collaborate with British authorities and use constitutional means, such as petitions, resolutions, and dialogue, to address the grievances of Indians. Over time, as they recognized the impact of British rule, many moderate leaders shifted their stance and started advocating for Swaraj or self-government for India within

21018-468: The holding of a mass meeting." This included attacks on the place of business of Surendra Nath Bose and Rajendra Lal Roy Choudhury, the erstwhile president of the Noakhali Bar and a prominent Hindu Mahasabha leader. Mahatma Gandhi camped in Noakhali for four months and toured the district in a mission to restore peace and communal harmony. In the meantime, the Congress leadership started to accept

21204-401: The hope that the risk of conflicts, especially those related to picketing, would be minimized if government offices, commercial houses and shops remained closed throughout Calcutta on 16 August. The Bengal Congress protested against the declaration of a public holiday, arguing that a holiday would enable 'the idle folks' to successfully enforce hartals in areas where the Muslim League leadership

21390-512: The international stage. The Moderates were able to analyzed the political and economic impacts of British rule in India. Dadabhai Naoroji, Romesh Chunder Dutt , and Dinshaw Wacha and others introduced the Drain Theory to highlight how Britain exploited India's resources. The Drain Theory, proposed by these leaders, challenged the notion that British rule was beneficial for India, shaping

21576-549: The largest ever majority in independent India's Lok Sabha elections history. This winning recorded a vote share of 49.1 per cent resulting in an overall increase to 48.1 per cent. The party got 32.14 per cent of voters in polls held in Punjab and Assam in 1985. 1947 Rawalpindi massacres Muslim League National Guards The 1947 Rawalpindi massacres (also 1947 Rawalpindi riots ) refer to widespread violence, massacres, and rapes of Hindus and Sikhs by Muslim mobs in

21762-476: The latter with the casualties being mostly Hindu. Several villages in the Multan District were attacked after dark, and many Hindus were killed and their properties looted or destroyed. With no government in sight, Governor Evan Jenkins imposed governor's rule in Punjab. The rioting soon spread from the towns to the rural areas of Rawalpindi Division in northern Punjab. Faced with resistance from

21948-574: The leader of the All India Muslim League, said that he wanted "either a divided India or a destroyed India". Against a backdrop of communal tension, the protest triggered massive riots in Calcutta. More than 4,000 people died and 100,000 residents were left homeless in Calcutta within 72 hours. The violence sparked off further religious riots in the surrounding regions of Noakhali , Bihar , United Provinces (modern day Uttar Pradesh ), Punjab (including massacres in Rawalpindi ) and

22134-468: The leaders and the savagery of the followers, amongst whom there were criminal elements. In the Indian National Congress ' version of the events, the blame tends to be laid squarely on the Muslim League and in particular on the Chief Minister of Bengal, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy . The Muslim League alleged that the Congress Party and the Hindus used the opportunity offered by the general strikes of

22320-433: The legal system. The British administration threatened penalties for the worst cases of official negligence, however, these threats carried little weight owing to impending British withdrawal from the region. Statements by the Muslim League were seen to be of more consequence; one prominent politician of the League offered protection for perpetrators and threatened action against such officials who maintained law and order, in

22506-495: The lowest possible political cost for them. The political rivalry among the major nationalist parties in Bengal took a form different from that in New Delhi, mainly because of the broad mass base those organizations enjoyed and the tradition of flexible political dealing in which they excelled. At the initial stage of the riots, the Congress and the Muslim League appeared to be confident that they could draw on this tradition even if

22692-409: The masses, but they did not intertwine religion with politics. Bal Gangadhar Tilak, tried to mobilise Hindu Indians by appealing to an explicitly Hindu political identity displayed in the annual public Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav and Shiv Jayanti festivals that he inaugurated in western India. Tilak, along with his friend Gopal Ganesh Agarkar , believed that educating the people was the best way to serve

22878-444: The meeting. Subsequently, there were reports of lorries (trucks) that came down Harrison Road in Calcutta, carrying hardline Muslim gangsters armed with brickbats and bottles as weapons and attacking Hindu-owned shops. A 6 pm curfew was imposed in the parts of the city where there had been rioting. At 8 pm forces were deployed to secure main routes and conduct patrols from those arteries, thereby freeing up police for work in

23064-520: The military actions in Afghanistan , and the treatment of tribal people in northwestern India . Additionally, they called for better conditions for Indian workers who had migrated to countries such as South Africa , Malaya , Mauritius , the West Indies , and British Guyana . Congress was transformed into a mass movement by Surendranath Banerjee during the partition of Bengal in 1905 , and

23250-405: The military and the police". However, the police did not receive any specific order to "hold back". So, whatever Suhrawardy may have meant to convey by this, the impression of such a statement on a largely uneducated audience is construed by some to be an open invitation to disorder indeed, many of the listeners are reported to have started attacking Hindus and looting Hindu shops as soon as they left

23436-665: The morning of 16 August. Even before 10 o'clock the Police Headquarters at Lalbazar had reported that there was excitement throughout the city, that shops were being forced to close, and that there were many reports of brawls, stabbing and throwing of stones and brickbats. These were mainly concentrated in the North-central parts of the city like Rajabazar , Kelabagan, College Street , Harrison Road, Colootola and Burrabazar . Several of these areas had also been rocked by communal riots in December 1910. In these areas

23622-459: The morning of 18 August, "Buses and taxis were charging about loaded with Sikhs and Hindus armed with swords, iron bars and firearms." Skirmishes between the communities continued for almost a week. Finally, on 21 August, Bengal was put under Viceroy 's rule. 5 battalions of British troops, supported by 4 battalions of Indians and Gurkhas , were deployed in the city. Lord Wavell alleged that more troops ought to have been called in earlier, and there

23808-668: The nationalisation of private banks. In the mid-term 1971 Indian general election , the Gandhi-led Congress ;(R) won a landslide victory on a platform of progressive policies such as the elimination of poverty ( Garibi Hatao ). The policies of the Congress ;(R) under Gandhi before the 1971 elections included proposals to abolish the Privy Purse to former rulers of the Princely states , and

23994-682: The nationalists against the British government. The movement played a role in weakening the control over the South Asian region by the British regime and ultimately paved the way for Indian independence. In 1945, when World War 2 almost came to an end, the Labour Party of the United Kingdom won elections with a promise to provide independence to India. The jailed political prisoners of the Quit India movement were released in

24180-514: The nationalists. In 1889, a British branch of the Indian National Congress was set up in London . Dadabhai Naoroji , a member of the sister Indian National Association , was elected president of the Congress in 1886. He was the first Indian Member of Parliament in the British House of Commons (1892–1895) and spent a large part of his life and resources to campaigning for India’s cause on

24366-560: The next 50 years. The party's first prime minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru , led the Congress to support socialist policies by creating the Planning Commission , introducing Five-Year Plans , implementing a mixed economy, and establishing a secular state . After Nehru's death and the short tenure of Lal Bahadur Shastri , Indira Gandhi became the leader of the party. In the 17 general elections since independence, it has won an outright majority on seven occasions and has led

24552-455: The number of Hindus increased while the number of Muslims decreased, that is Hindu percentage have increased from 73% in 1941 to 84% in 1951, while Muslim percentage have declined from 23% in 1941 to 12% in 1951 census. According to 2011 census, Kolkata city have a Hindu majority of (76.51%), Muslims stand at (20.6%) as 2nd largest community, and Sikh population stands at (0.31%). During the riots, thousands began fleeing Calcutta. For several days

24738-556: The number of dead at over 7,000. Later scholars have given estimates ranging between 4,000 and 8,000 dead in the rural areas of Rawalpindi. Many women were abducted during the violence. 70 were abducted from the Doberan village, 40 from Harial , 30 from Tainch, 95 from Rajar and 105 from Bamali. A further 500 were abducted from Kahuta and between 400 and 500 were abducted from Rawalpindi. Abducted women were often sold multiple times and raped by their captors. The massacres triggered

24924-527: The parliament. His administration took measures to reform the government bureaucracy and liberalise the country's economy. Rajiv Gandhi's attempts to discourage separatist movements in Punjab and Kashmir backfired. After his government became embroiled in several financial scandals, his leadership became increasingly ineffectual. Gandhi was regarded as a non-abrasive person who consulted other party members and refrained from hasty decisions. The Bofors scandal damaged his reputation as an honest politician, but he

25110-449: The party for indiscipline. Subsequently, Gandhi launched her own faction of the INC which came to be known as Congress (R). The original party then came to be known as Indian National Congress (O) . Its principal leaders were Kamraj, Morarji Desai, Nijalingappa and S. K. Patil who stood for a more right-wing agenda. The split occurred when a united opposition under the banner of Samyukt Vidhayak Dal , won control over several states in

25296-633: The party into the 2024 Indian general election , where the party made significant gains in Uttar Pradesh and other states, securing 99 seats — enough to elect Rahul Gandhi as leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. The election was the best result for the party since 2009. The party was the principal opposition party within the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), which

25482-578: The party occurred in 1979, leading to the creation of the Congress (I), which was recognized as the Congress by the Election Commission in 1981. Under Rajiv Gandhi 's leadership, the party won a massive victory in the 1984 general elections , nevertheless losing the election held in 1989 to the National Front . The Congress then returned to power under P. V. Narasimha Rao , who moved the party towards an economically liberal agenda ,

25668-403: The party suffered a major split, with a faction led by Indira Gandhi leaving to form the Congress (R) , with the remainder becoming the Congress (O) . The Congress (R) became the dominant faction, winning the 1971 general election by a huge margin. From 1975 to 1977, Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency in India, resulting in widespread oppression and abuses of power. Another split in

25854-580: The party's 1998 Pachmarhi resolution of ekla chalo (go it alone) policy, and formed alliances with other like-minded parties. In the intervening years, the party was successful at various legislative assembly elections; at one point, Congress ruled 15 states. For the 2004 general election , Congress forged alliances with regional parties including the NCP and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam . The party's campaign emphasised social inclusion and

26040-475: The party's first non- Brahmin leader. During the tenure of both Rao and Kesri, the two leaders conducted internal elections to the Congress working committees and their own posts as party presidents. The 1998 general elections saw Congress win 141 seats in the Lok Sabha, its lowest tally until then. To boost its popularity and improve its performance in the forthcoming election, Congress leaders urged Sonia Gandhi , Rajiv Gandhi's widow, to assume leadership of

26226-517: The party, having held office for over twenty years from 1998 to 2017 and again from 2019 to 2022 (as interim). Mallikarjun Kharge is the current party President . The district party is the smallest functional unit of Congress. There is also a Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC), present at the state level in every state. Together, the delegates from the districts and PCCs form the All India Congress Committee (AICC). The party

26412-498: The party. She had previously declined offers to become actively involved in party affairs and had stayed away from politics. After her election as party leader, a section of the party that objected to the choice because of her Italian ethnicity broke away and formed the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), led by Sharad Pawar . Sonia Gandhi struggled to revive the party in her early years as its president; she

26598-477: The political left. On 12 July 1969, Congress Parliamentary Board nominated Neelam Sanjiva Reddy as Congress's candidate for the post of President of India by a vote of four to two. K. Kamaraj , Morarji Desai and S. K. Patil voted for Reddy. Indira Gandhi and Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed voted for V. V. Giri and Congress President S. Nijalingappa , Home Minister Yashwantrao Chavan and Agriculture Minister Jagjivan Ram abstained from voting. In mid-1969, she

26784-487: The presidency of Jawaharlal Nehru, Purna Swaraj (complete independence) was declared as the party's goal, declaring 26 January 1930 as Purna Swaraj Diwas (Independence Day). The same year, Srinivas Iyenger was expelled from the party for demanding full independence, not just home rule as demanded by Gandhi. After the passage of the Government of India Act 1935 , provincial elections were held in India in

26970-471: The president of the All India Congress Committee in 1963 during the last year of Nehru's life. Prior to that, he had been the chief minister of Madras state for nine years. Kamaraj had also been a member of "the syndicate", a group of right wing leaders within Congress. In 1963 the Congress lost popularity following the defeat in the Indo-Chinese war of 1962. To revitalise the party, Kamaraj proposed

27156-678: The proposed Partition of India and the peace mission and other relief camps were abandoned. The majority of the survivors migrated to West Bengal, Tripura and Assam . A devastating riot rocked Bihar towards the end of 1946. Between 30 October and 7 November, a large-scale massacre in Bihar brought the Partition closer to inevitability. Severe violence broke out in Chhapra and Saran district , between 25 and 28 October. Patna , Munger , and Bhagalpur quickly became sites of serious violence. Begun as

27342-437: The provincial layer and the central government. The central government was expected to handle the subjects of defence, external affairs and communications. All other powers would be relegated to the 'groups'. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the one-time Congressman and now the leader of the Muslim League, had accepted the Cabinet Mission Plan of 16 June, as had the central presidium of the Congress. On 10 July, however, Jawaharlal Nehru ,

27528-606: The real Indian National Congress for the 1984 general election . However, the designation I was dropped only in 1996. Gandhi's premiership witnessed increasing turmoil in Punjab , with demands for Sikh autonomy by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his militant followers. In 1983, Bhindranwale with his armed followers headquartered themselves in the Golden Temple in Amritsar and started accumulating weapons. In June 1984, after several futile negotiations, Gandhi ordered

27714-555: The representatives of the Indian National Congress and the All India Muslim League—the two largest political parties in the Constituent Assembly of India—on 16 May 1946, the Mission proposed a plan of composition of the new Dominion of India and its government. The Muslim League demand for 'autonomous and sovereign' states in the northwest and the east was accommodated by creating a new tier of 'groups of provinces' between

27900-504: The resultant Swadeshi movement . On the other hand, the faction led by extremist or radical leaders, including Bal Gangadhar Tilak , Bipin Chandra Pal , and Lala Lajpat Rai , colloquially, "Lal, Bal, Pal", was more radical in their approach. They believed in direct action and criticized the moderate approach, advocating for more assertive and aggressive means to achieve self-rule ( Swaraj ). They were less willing to compromise with

28086-642: The rights for Indians using civil disobedience or Satyagraha as the tool for agitation. In 1922, after the deaths of policemen at Chauri Chaura , Gandhi suspended the agitation. With the help of the moderate group led by Gokhale, in 1924 Gandhi became president of Congress. The rise of Gandhi's popularity and his satyagraha art of revolution led to support from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel , Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru , Rajendra Prasad , Khan Mohammad Abbas Khan , Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan , Chakravarti Rajgopalachari , Anugrah Narayan Sinha , Jayaprakash Narayan , Jivatram Kripalani , and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad . As

28272-412: The rule of law, equality before the law, and advocating for secularism . However, by 1905, two factions had emerged within the party, leading to different approaches and ideologies regarding the methods to achieve self-rule for India. A division arose between the Moderates, led by Gopal Krishna Gokhale , who believed in a peaceful and constitutional approach to achieve reforms and self-governance within

28458-406: The ruling coalition a further three times, heading the central government for more than 54 years. There have been six prime ministers from the Congress party, the first being Jawaharlal Nehru (1947–1964), and the most recent being Manmohan Singh (2004–2014). Since the 1990s, the Bharatiya Janata Party has emerged as the main rival of the Congress in both national and regional politics. In 1969,

28644-432: The same year. In 1946, the British tried the soldiers of Japanese-sponsored Indian National Army in the INA trials . In response, Congress helped form the INA Defence Committee , which assembled a legal team to defend the case of the soldiers of the Azad Hind government. The team included several famous lawyers, including Bhulabhai Desai , Asaf Ali , and Jawaharlal Nehru. The British Empire eventually backtracked in

28830-455: The slums and the other underdeveloped sections. Syed Abdullah Farooqui, President of Garden Reach Textile Workers' Union, led a radical mob into the compound of Kesoram Cotton Mills in Metiabruz. The death toll of labourers residing in the mills, among whom were a substantial number of Odias , reported to be between 7,000 and 10,000. On 25 August, four survivors lodged a complaint at the Metiabruz police station against Farooqui. Bishwanath Das ,

29016-410: The social, economic or political systems. Banks should be publicly owned so that they catered to not just large industries and big businesses but also agriculturists, small industries and entrepreneurs. Furthermore, the private banks had been functioning erratically with hundreds of them failing and causing loss to the depositors who were given no guarantee against such loss." —Gandhi's remarks after

29202-519: The speech as another instance of treachery by the Congress. With Nehru's speech on groupings, the Muslim League rescinded its previous approval of the plan on 29 July. Consequently, in July 1946, the Muslim League withdrew its agreement to the plan and announced a general strike ( hartal ) on 16 August, terming it Direct Action Day, to assert its demand for a separate homeland for Muslims in certain northwestern and eastern provinces in colonial India . Calling for Direct Action Day, Muhammad Ali Jinnah ,

29388-458: The subsequent support of the communist front, Congress won a majority and formed a new government. Despite massive support from within the party, Gandhi declined the post of prime minister, choosing to appoint Manmohan Singh instead. She remained as party president and headed the National Advisory Council (NAC). During its first term in office, the UPA government passed several social reform bills. These included an employment guarantee bill,

29574-537: The tempo of Hindu-Muslim violence quickened. The decline of anti-European feelings as communal Hindu-Muslim tensions increased during this period is evident from the casualty numbers. During the riots of November 1945, casualty of Europeans and Christians were 46; in the riots of the 10–14 February 1946, 35; from 15 February to 15 August, only three; during the Calcutta riots from 15 August 1946 to 17 September 1946, none. Religions in Calcutta in 1946 Calcutta had 2,952,142 Hindus, 1,099,562 Muslims, and 12,852 Sikhs in 1946,

29760-406: The tensions by stating that till 11 o'clock that morning all the injured persons were Muslims, and the Muslim community had only retaliated in self-defence. Huseyn Suhrawardy, in his speech, appeared to indirectly promise that no action would be taken against armed Muslims. The Special Branch of Calcutta Police had sent only one shorthand reporter to the meeting, with the result that no transcript of

29946-404: The time of the disturbances was General Officer Commanding-in-Chief , Eastern Command, India , the Hindu press intentionally and grossly exaggerated reports of disorder. The neutral and widely accepted death toll figure is around 5000. According to Governor Burrows, "the immediate occasion for the outbreak of the disturbances was the looting of a Bazar [market] in Ramganj police station following

30132-489: The trust vote that followed. In the Lok Sabha elections held soon after , Congress won 207 seats, the highest tally of any party since 1991. The UPA won 262, enabling it to form a government for the second time. The social welfare policies of the first UPA government, and the perceived divisiveness of the BJP, are broadly credited with the victory. By the 2014 election , the party had lost much of its popular support, mainly due to several years of poor economic conditions in

30318-432: The violence, described the strategy of the attacks as follows: First of all minorities were disarmed with the help of local police and by giving assurances by oaths on holy Quran of peaceful intentions. After this had been done, the helpless and unarmed minorities were attacked. On their resistance having collapsed, lock breakers and looters came into action with their transport corps of mules, donkeys and camels. Then came

30504-413: The welfare of the common masses—an ideology that Gandhi herself endorsed for Congress during her presidency—with slogans such as Congress ka haath, aam aadmi ke saath ("Congress hand in hand with the common man"), contrasting with the NDA's " India Shining " campaign. The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) won 222 seats in the new parliament, defeating the NDA by a substantial margin. With

30690-400: The winter of 1936–37 in eleven provinces: Madras , Central Provinces , Bihar, Orissa, United Provinces , Bombay Presidency , Assam, NWFP, Bengal, Punjab, and Sindh. The final results of the elections were declared in February 1937. The Indian National Congress gained power in eight of them – the three exceptions being Bengal, Punjab , and Sindh. The All-India Muslim League failed to form

30876-414: The word 'nation', as interpreted under the new situation, had evoked. In August 1946 the 'nation' was no longer a mere political slogan. It was rapidly turning into 'reality' both in realpolitik and in people's imaginations. The system to which Bengal political leaders had grown accustomed for decades could not cope with this dynamic change. As we have seen, it quickly and easily broke down on the first day of

31062-595: The year before partition. After independence, the Muslim population came down to 601,817 due to the migration of 500,000 Muslims from Calcutta to East Pakistan after the riot. The 1951 Census of India recorded that 27% of Calcutta's population was East Bengali refugees mainly Hindu Bengalis. Millions of Bengali Hindus from East Pakistan had taken refuge mainly in the city and a number of estimations shows that around 320,000 Hindus from East Pakistan had immigrated to Calcutta alone during 1946–1950 period. The first census after partition shows that in Calcutta from 1941 to 1951

31248-419: The ‘Mujahadins’ with tins of petrol and kerosene oil and set fire to the looted shops and houses. Then there were maulvis with barbers to convert people who somehow or other escaped slaughter and rape. The barbers shaved the hair and beards and circumcised the victims. Maulvis recited kalamas and performed forcible marriage ceremonies. After this came the looters, including women and children. Similar accounts of

31434-545: Was an assembly for politically minded individuals interested in various reforms, but it did not express desires for independence from the British Empire. Hume organized the first meeting in Bombay with the approval of the Viceroy Lord Dufferin . Umesh Chandra Banerjee was the first president of Congress; the first session was attended by 72 delegates, representing each province of India. Notable representatives included Scottish ICS officer William Wedderburn , Dadabhai Naoroji , Badruddin Tyabji and Pherozeshah Mehta of

31620-414: Was an umbrella organisation, sheltering radical socialists, traditionalists, and Hindu and Muslim conservatives . Mahatma Gandhi expelled all the socialist groupings, including the Congress Socialist Party , the Krishak Praja Party , and the Swaraj Party , along with Subhas Chandra Bose , in 1939. After the failure of the Cripps Mission launched by the British government to gain Indian support for

31806-413: Was between 7,500 and 10,000; the Congress party admitted to 2,000; Jinnah claimed about 30,000." However, by 3 November, the official estimate put the figure of death at only 445. According to some independent sources, the death toll was around 8,000. Some of the worst rioting also took place in Garhmukteshwar in the United Provinces where a massacre occurred in November 1946, in which "Hindu pilgrims, at

31992-418: Was criticism of Suhrawardy, Chief Minister in charge of the Home Portfolio in Calcutta, for being partisan and of Sir Frederick John Burrows, the British Governor of Bengal, for not having taken control of the situation. The Chief Minister spent a great deal of time in the Control Room in the Police Headquarters at Lalbazar, often attended by some of his supporters. Short of a direct order from the Governor, there

32178-441: Was due to be interviewed by British actor Peter Ustinov , who was filming a documentary for Irish television. Her assassination prompted the 1984 anti-Sikh riots , during which 3,000–17,000 people were killed. In 1984, Indira Gandhi's son Rajiv Gandhi became nominal head of Congress, and went on to become prime minister upon her assassination. In December, he led Congress to a landslide victory, where it secured 401 seats in

32364-461: Was during partition in 1947 while he was visiting the North-West Frontier Province in a car. The second was by a knife-wielding rickshaw-puller in Maharashtra in 1955. A third attempt happened in Bombay in 1956. The fourth was a failed bombing attempt on railway tracks in Maharashtra in 1961. Despite threats to his life, Nehru despised having excess security personnel around him and did not like his movements to disrupt traffic. K. Kamaraj became

32550-459: Was formed in 2023. In the first parliamentary elections held in 1952, the INC won 364 seats, which was 76 per cent of the 479 contested seats. The vote share of the INC was 45 per cent of all votes cast. Till the 1971 general elections , the party's voting percentage remain intact at 40 per cent. However, the 1977 general elections resulted in a heavy defeat for the INC. Many notable INC party leader lost their seats, winning only 154 seats in

32736-410: Was instrumental in achieving this result. The differences among the top leadership of the Congress regarding the future of the party during resulted in the formation of several breakaway parties such as Orissa Jana Congress , Bangla Congress , Utkal Congress , and, Bharatiya Kranti Dal . In 1967, following a poor performance in the 1967 Indian general election , Indira Gandhi started moving toward

32922-429: Was involved in a dispute with senior party leaders on several issues. Notably – Her support for the independent candidate, V. V. Giri , rather than the official Congress party candidate, Neelam Sanjiva Reddy , for the vacant post of the president of India and Gandhi's abrupt nationalisation of the 14 biggest banks in India. In November 1969, the Congress party president, S. Nijalingappa , expelled Indira Gandhi from

33108-401: Was manifestly the central League leaders' intention—without more than commonplace and limited disturbances, with one vast and tragic exception ... What happened was more than anyone could have foreseen." In Muslim Societies: Historical and Comparative Aspects , edited by Sato Tsugitaka, Nakazato Nariaki writes: From the viewpoint of institutional politics, the Calcutta disturbances possessed

33294-473: Was no way of preventing the Chief Minister from visiting the Control Room whenever he liked; and Governor Burrows was not prepared to give such an order, as it would clearly have indicated complete lack of faith in him. Prominent Muslim League leaders spent a great deal of time in police control rooms directing operations and the role of Suhrawardy in obstructing police duties is documented. It was also reported Suhrawardy had sacked Hindu policemen on 16 August. Both

33480-409: Was not so powerful. Congress accused the League government of "having indulged in 'communal politics' for a narrow goal". Congress leaders thought that if a public holiday was observed, its own supporters would have no choice but to close down their offices and shops, and thus be compelled against their will to lend a hand in the Muslim League's hartal . On 14 August, Kiran Shankar Roy , the leader of

33666-426: Was once again defeated. The party formed the government in 1991 at the head of a coalition, as well as in 2004 and 2009 when it led the United Progressive Alliance. During this period the Congress remained centre-left in its social policies while steadily shifting from a socialist to a neoliberal economic outlook. The Party's rivals at state level have been national parties including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP),

33852-539: Was politically significant because he was the first person from South India to hold the office, marking a shift from the traditionally northern-dominated leadership in Indian politics. After the election, he formed a minority government. Rao himself did not contest elections in 1991, but after he was sworn in as prime minister, he won in a by-election from Nandyal in Andhra Pradesh. His administration oversaw major economic change and experienced several domestic incidents that affected India's national security. Rao, who held

34038-483: Was posthumously cleared of bribery allegations in 2004. On 21 May 1991, Gandhi was killed by a bomb concealed in a basket of flowers carried by a woman associated with the Tamil Tigers . He was campaigning in Tamil Nadu for upcoming parliamentary elections . In 1998, an Indian court convicted 26 people in the conspiracy to assassinate Gandhi. The conspirators, who consisted of Tamil militants from Sri Lanka and their Indian allies, had sought revenge against Gandhi because

34224-480: Was retained as Finance Minister of India , as was Defence Minister Yashwantrao Chavan . Shastri appointed Swaran Singh to succeed him as External Affairs Minister . Shastri appointed Indira Gandhi , Jawaharlal Nehru's daughter and former party president, Minister of Information and Broadcasting . Gulzarilal Nanda continued as the Minister of Home Affairs . As Prime Minister , Shastri continued Nehru's policy of non-alignment , but built closer relations with

34410-404: Was the massacre in Noakhali and Tipperah districts in October 1946. News of the Great Calcutta Riot touched off the Noakhali–Tipperah riot in reaction. However, the violence was different in nature from Calcutta. Rioting in the districts began on 10 October 1946 in the area of northern Noakhali district under Ramganj police station. The violence unleashed was described as "the organized fury of

34596-410: Was under continuous scrutiny for her foreign birth and lack of political acumen. In the snap elections called by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in 1999 , Congress' tally further plummeted to just 114 seats. Although the leadership structure was unaltered as the party campaigned strongly in the assembly elections that followed, Gandhi began to make such strategic changes as abandoning

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