126-606: Jairam Ramesh (born 9 April 1954) is an Indian politician belonging to INC . He is a Member of Parliament representing Karnataka state in the Rajya Sabha . In July 2011, Jairam was elevated to the Union Council of Ministers of India and appointed Minister of Rural Development and Minister (additional charge) of the new Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation . However, in the cabinet reshuffle in October 2012, he
252-768: A Master of Science in Public Policy and Public Management . In 1977–78, he started on the Doctoral program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology , where he enrolled in the inter-disciplinary course on technology policy, economics, engineering, and management . However, he did not continue with the program. He is a member of the International Council of the New York-based Asia Society . Jairam has been
378-585: 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
504-527: 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
630-516: 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
756-738: A Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha on a ticket from Indian National Congress Party. During his tenure, he falsely accused the villagers of Pithampur in Madhya Pradesh of secretly smuggling out toxic waste from Carbide factory and dumping it. Later he had to apologise and also assured that he would not repeat such action and will take villagers in consultation. On 19 December 2020, Jairam tendered apology to Vivek Doval and his family in regard to defamation case filed by latter, after Jairam accused Vivek Doval of dealing with black money syndicate as per an article published in The Caravan under
882-695: A Visiting Fellow and Affiliated Researcher of the Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, since 2002. In 1978, Jairam joined the World Bank for a short assignment. He returned to India in December 1979 and worked as assistant to economist Lovraj Kumar at the Bureau of Industrial Costs and Prices. From 1983 to 1985 he was Officer on Special Duty in the Advisory Board of Energy. He then worked in
1008-680: 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,
1134-462: 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 ,
1260-482: 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 the official opposition yet again. In the 2024 general election ,
1386-792: A greater share in government for educated Indians and to create a platform for civic and political dialogue between them and 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
SECTION 10
#17327829774641512-671: 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
1638-435: 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
1764-590: 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
1890-539: 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
2016-493: A practising Hindu with Buddhism ingrained and calls himself a 'Hind-Budh'. He married K. R. Jayashree on 26 January 1981. He currently resides at Lodi Gardens , Rajesh Pilot Marg, New Delhi. Till his election to Rajya Sabha from Karnataka in July 2016, his permanent residence was at Khairatabad , Hyderabad , Telangana . His wife died in early 2019. Since childhood, Jairam has been strongly influenced by Jawaharlal Nehru . He
2142-411: 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
2268-410: 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
2394-663: Is the author of the books: 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 , 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
2520-860: The ex officio Chairperson, the committee had a nominated deputy chairperson, with the rank of a full Cabinet Minister. Cabinet Ministers with certain important portfolios acted as ex officio members of the commission, while the full-time members were experts in various fields like economics, industry, science and general administration. Ex officio members of the Commission included the Finance Minister, Agriculture Minister, Home Minister, Health Minister, Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister, Information Technology Minister, Law Minister, Human Resource Development Minister and Minister of State for Planning. The Commission worked through its various divisions, of which there were two kinds: The majority of
2646-726: 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 the first prime minister since Indira Gandhi in 1971 to be re-elected after completing
SECTION 20
#17327829774642772-471: 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
2898-693: 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
3024-412: 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 the party occurred in 1979, leading to the creation of the Congress (I), which was recognized as
3150-596: 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
3276-613: 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
3402-534: 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
3528-869: 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
3654-460: 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
3780-614: The Madras Mahajana Sabha . The majority of the founding members of Congress has been educated or lived in Britain. As 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,
3906-716: The Planning Commission (advisor to Abid Hussain ), Ministry of Industry and other economic departments of the Central Government , including: analysing energy policy during 1983–85, reorganising the CSIR in 1986 and implementing technology missions during 1987–89. In 1990, he worked as an "Officer on Special Duty" during the National Front administration of the V.P. Singh government. He reorganised India's international trade agencies in 1990 and
Jairam Ramesh - Misplaced Pages Continue
4032-401: 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 the ruling coalition a further three times, heading
4158-775: The Public Accounts Committee , the Standing Committee on Finance and the Committee on Government Assurances and was a member of the Court of the Jawaharlal Nehru University . In February 2009, with the 15th Lok Sabha elections approaching, he led the party's Poll Strategy Panel. At that time he resigned his posts as Minister of State for Power and Minister of State for Commerce and Industry. Following his 2009 re-election to
4284-526: 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
4410-729: 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
4536-632: 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,
4662-408: 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 the next 50 years. The party's first prime minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru , led the Congress to support socialist policies by creating
4788-417: The right to freedom , and equality for all, regardless of caste, creed, or sex. This philosophy guided them in opposing British autocracy, demanding 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
4914-546: 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
5040-602: The 2004 Lok Sabha cycle. In June 2004, he was elected to represent Adilabad District , Andhra Pradesh in the Rajya Sabha . Following the formation of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in 2004, he joined the National Advisory Council , where he helped put together UPA's National Common Minimum Program . From August 2004 – January 2006 he was a member of three committees of Parliament:
5166-592: 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
Jairam Ramesh - Misplaced Pages Continue
5292-551: 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
5418-557: 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
5544-472: 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 , a sharp break from previous leaders. However, it lost
5670-502: 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,
5796-467: 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
5922-619: 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
6048-494: 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
6174-425: The Indian Parliament, on 28 May 2009 Jairam was given independent charge of Environment and Forests as Minister of State in the Congress-led administration. He was chief negotiator for India at the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Copenhagen , Denmark , between 7 and 18 December 2009. Jairam was part of the 19-member 'Foundation Day Committee' of the All India Congress Committee (AICC), under
6300-415: 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
6426-524: 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,
SECTION 50
#17327829774646552-476: The Moderates, led by Gopal Krishna Gokhale , who believed in a peaceful and constitutional approach to achieve reforms and self-governance within 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
6678-433: 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
6804-412: The Planning Commission, reporting directly to the Prime Minister of India , was established on 15 March 1950, with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru as the chairman. Authority for creation of the Planning Commission was not derived from the Constitution of India or statute; it is an arm of the Central Government of India . The first Five-Year Plan was launched in 1951, focusing mainly on development of
6930-437: The Planning Commission. It has since been replaced by a new institution named NITI Aayog . Rudimentary economic planning, deriving from the sovereign authority of the state , was first initiated in India in 1938 by Congress President Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose , Atul Tiwari, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru who had been persuaded by Meghnad Saha to set up a National Planning Committee. M. Visvesvaraya had been elected head of
7056-549: The Planning Committee. Meghnad Saha approached him and requested him to step down, putting forward the argument that planning needed a reciprocity between science and politics. M. Visvesvaraya generously agreed and Jawaharlal Nehru was made head of the National Planning Committee. The so-called " British Raj " also formally established the Advisory Planning Board under K. C. Neogy that functioned from 1944 to 1946. Industrialists and economists independently formulated at least three development plans. Some scholars have argued that
7182-439: 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
7308-408: The Union Ministry of Power and other key government committees. Jairam also served as Secretary in the All India Congress Committee , Deputy Chairman of the Karnataka Planning Board (2000–2002), member of the Rajasthan Development Council (1999–2003), and Economic Advisor to the government of the state of Chhattisgarh (2001–03). He was a member of the Congress Party's electoral strategy team for
7434-440: The agricultural sector. Two subsequent Five-Year Plans were formulated before 1965, when there was a break because of the Indo-Pakistan conflict. Two successive years of drought, devaluation of the currency, a general rise in prices and erosion of resources disrupted the planning process and after three Annual Plans between 1966 and 1969, the fourth Five-Year Plan was started in 1969. The Eighth Plan could not take off in 1990 due to
7560-429: The annexation of Burma , 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
7686-451: 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
SECTION 60
#17327829774647812-442: 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, the party suffered a major split, with a faction led by Indira Gandhi leaving to form
7938-407: The chairmanship of party president Sonia Gandhi , for planning the 2010 year-long celebrations of the 125th anniversary of the Congress Party. On 12 July 2011, Jairam was promoted to Cabinet Minister and reassigned to charge of the Ministry for Rural Development and on 13 July 2011 was named Minister (Additional Charge) of the new Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation . Jairam has accepted
8064-424: 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
8190-399: 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
8316-442: 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
8442-456: 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,
8568-452: The delegates from the districts and PCCs form the All India Congress Committee (AICC). The party 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
8694-459: 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
8820-440: 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
8946-414: The experts in the commission were economists, making the commission the biggest employer of the Indian Economic Service . The Indian Planning Commission's functions as outlined by the Government's 1950 resolution are following: In March 2013, Planning Commission launched a massive social media campaign for spreading Awareness about 12th Five Year Plan. It was followed by a series of Google+ Hangouts and
9072-446: 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
9198-470: The fast changing political situation at the centre, and the years 1990–91 and 1991–92 were treated as Annual Plans. The Eighth Plan was finally launched in 1992 after the initiation of structural adjustment policies. For the first eight Plans the emphasis was on a growing public sector with massive investments in basic and heavy industries, but since the launch of the Ninth Plan in 1997, the emphasis on
9324-566: 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 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
9450-477: 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 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
9576-497: The introduction of planning as an instrument was intended to transcend the ideological divisions between Mahatma Gandhi and Nehru . Other scholars have argued that the Planning Commission, as a central agency in the context of plural democracy in India , needs to carry out more functions than rudimentary economic planning. After India achieved independence , a formal model of planning was adopted, and accordingly
9702-677: 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. Planning Commission (India) The Planning Commission was an institution in the Government of India which formulated India's Five-Year Plans , among other functions. In his first Independence Day speech in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced his intention to dissolve
9828-475: 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 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
9954-463: The latter part of the 1870s, there were concerted efforts among Indians to establish 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
10080-520: 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 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
10206-409: 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
10332-668: 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
10458-682: 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
10584-532: The notion that British rule was beneficial for India, shaping 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
10710-501: The offer to serve as a member of the International Advisory Board (IAB) which gives strategic policy advice to the executive director of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on the programmatic direction of International Environmental Technology Centre (IETC). On 16 June 2022, Jairam was appointed Head of Media, including Social & Digital Media of Indian National Congress Party. Jairam Ramesh became
10836-580: 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
10962-449: 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
11088-633: 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
11214-662: 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 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
11340-580: 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
11466-475: 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
11592-498: 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
11718-416: The political and historical context in which he operated, he came to appreciate and acknowledge Gandhi much more. He has also studied Rabindranath Tagore deeply. Jairam attended St. Xavier's School, Ranchi in 1961–1963 from grade 3 to 5. In his youth, he was intrigued by the ideas of Paul Samuelson on issues such as population and growth, that got him thinking of economics and issues of life. When Ramesh
11844-477: 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
11970-429: 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
12096-553: 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
12222-432: The president of the INC since its formation. Sonia Gandhi is the longest-serving president of 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,
12348-419: The public sector has become less pronounced and the current thinking on planning in the country, in general, is that it should increasingly be of an indicative nature. In 2014, Narendra Modi government decided to wind down the Planning Commission. It was replaced by the newly formed NITI Aayog . The composition of the Commission underwent considerable changes since its initiation. With the Prime Minister as
12474-606: 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
12600-504: 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
12726-642: 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
12852-609: 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
12978-410: 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
13104-458: 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,
13230-541: The title of The D Companies . Jairam was out on bail issued in May 2019 by Delhi High Court. Jairam's been a columnist for the Business Standard , Business Today , The Telegraph , Times of India and India Today , sometimes under the pen-name " Kautilya ". He has also anchored a number of popular television programmes on business and the economy, including Business Breakfast and Crossfire . Jairam
13356-594: 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
13482-462: 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
13608-456: 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
13734-672: Was 17, in 1971, he read Asian Drama , one of the early books of Gunnar Myrdal and wrote to him at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute . Myrdal sent him a reply and asked to stay in touch. Asian Drama was very influential to Jairam's understanding of development planning in India. Jairam graduated from IIT Bombay in 1975 with a B.Tech. in Mechanical Engineering. Between 1975 and 1977 he studied at Carnegie Mellon University 's Heinz College and received
13860-529: Was OSD to the Prime Minister in 1991. But he was removed from PMO within few weeks. In 1991 he worked in Manmohan Singh 's finance ministry in the P. V. Narasimha Rao administration. Jairam participated in India's economic reforms in 1991 and 1997. He was advisor to the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission in 1992–94, served on special mission to Jammu and Kashmir during 1993–95 and
13986-627: Was advisor to Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram between 1996 and 1998. The central government invited him to join the official delegation to the World Trade Organization meeting in Seattle in 1999. From 2000 to 2002, Jairam served as deputy chairman, State Planning Board, Government of Karnataka and on the Economic Advisory Council of Andhra Pradesh . He also served on the eminent persons group of
14112-683: 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
14238-703: Was divested of the portfolio of Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation. He was previously the Indian Minister of State (Independent Charge) at the Ministry of Environment and Forests from May 2009 to July 2011. Jairam Ramesh was born in a Kannadiga family on 9 April 1954 in Chikmagalur , Karnataka, India. His father was C. K. Ramesh, and his mother, Sridevi Ramesh. His father was a professor of civil engineering in IIT Bombay . He considers himself
14364-441: 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
14490-603: 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
14616-499: Was fascinated by Nehru's anglicised, supposedly modern approach to life, changes brought by him in a traditional society and his alleged liberal, humanist, rational approach to life, women and civic matters. He considers himself a product of the Nehruvian era in many ways. An additional influence was Mahatma Gandhi , whom he earlier saw as anti-modern, anti-science and anti-West. As he grew older and read Gandhi more and viewed him in
14742-459: 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
14868-410: 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
14994-429: 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
15120-581: 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),
15246-603: 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
15372-602: 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
15498-535: 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
15624-684: 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 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
15750-789: 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 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
15876-492: 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
#463536