Congress Sessions — Set 5

Correct Answer: D. 1938

• **National Planning Committee** = set up in **1938** during **Haripura session** — Bose presided. • Jawaharlal Nehru was made **Chairman** of the National Planning Committee. • Laid foundation for India's economic planning — later became basis for Five-Year Plans post-independence. • 💡 1937 = Faizpur session (first village session, Nehru presided); 1939 = Tripuri (Bose vs Sitaramayya); 1936 = Lucknow (Nehru advocated socialism) — National Planning Committee was formed in 1938 Haripura.

Correct Answer: C. Ravi

• **Tricolor hoisted on Ravi river** = historic event at **1929 Lahore session** — Poorna Swaraj demand. • On midnight of **December 31, 1929** — Jawaharlal Nehru led the flag-hoisting ceremony on Ravi banks. • January 26, 1930 declared Independence Day — later became Republic Day when Constitution adopted in 1950. • 💡 Beas = flows west of Lahore; Sutlej = further south of Punjab; Indus = Pakistan's major river — tricolor was hoisted on the Ravi at Lahore 1929.

Correct Answer: A. 1930

• **No Annual Session in 1930** = skipped due to **Civil Disobedience Movement** — leaders arrested en masse. • Gandhi launched **Dandi March (March 12, 1930)** — Viceroy Irwin arrested Congress leaders including Nehru. • Only other year skipped: **1942** (Quit India Movement) — both times national agitation halted sessions. • 💡 1929 = Lahore (Poorna Swaraj); 1931 = Karachi (Fundamental Rights); 1928 = Calcutta (Nehru Report) — 1930 alone had no annual session due to Civil Disobedience Movement.

Correct Answer: A. Three

• **Three women** = Congress Presidents before independence: **Annie Besant (1917), Sarojini Naidu (1925), Nellie Sengupta (1933)**. • Annie Besant = first woman president (Calcutta 1917); Sarojini Naidu = first Indian woman (Kanpur 1925). • Nellie Sengupta = wife of J.M. Sengupta; presided over Calcutta 1933 — last woman president before independence. • 💡 Four = wrong count; Two = misses Nellie Sengupta; One = misses all three — exactly three women were Congress presidents before 1947.

Correct Answer: C. A.O. Hume

• **'Safety Valve' theory** = Hume founded Congress to give British a **controlled outlet for Indian discontent**. • Lala Lajpat Rai popularized this critique — argued Congress was created to **protect British interests**, not free India. • A.O. Hume = retired ICS officer who organized first session (Bombay 1885) — General Secretary for many years. • 💡 W.C. Bonnerjee = first President (not founder); Lord Dufferin = Viceroy at the time; Lord Ripon = previous Viceroy — Safety Valve theory is associated with A.O. Hume.

Correct Answer: D. P. Ananda Charlu

• **P. Ananda Charlu** = presided over **1891 Nagpur session** — prominent lawyer from Madras (Chennai). • Founding member of **Madras Mahajana Sabha** — one of the premier political associations before INC. • At this session, age-old term 'National Congress' was consistently used — sessions demanded legislative reforms. • 💡 Badruddin Tyabji = 1887 Madras (first Muslim President); Pherozeshah Mehta = 1890 Calcutta; W.C. Bonnerjee = 1885 and 1892 — P. Ananda Charlu presided 1891 Nagpur.

Correct Answer: D. Motilal Nehru

• **Motilal Nehru** = presided over **1919 Amritsar session** — held after Jallianwala Bagh massacre (April 1919). • Session condemned the massacre and **rejected the Hunter Commission Report** — called for Non-Cooperation. • Gandhi presented his **Non-Cooperation Movement** framework here — formally adopted at Calcutta 1920 Special Session. • 💡 Madan Mohan Malaviya = presided 1909 Lahore; C.R. Das = presided 1922 Gaya; Lala Lajpat Rai = presided Calcutta Sept 1920 Special Session — Motilal Nehru presided Amritsar 1919.

Correct Answer: C. It was the first session held in a village

• **Faizpur session (1937)** = first Congress session held in a **village** — Faizpur is in Maharashtra's Jalgaon district. • Presided by **Jawaharlal Nehru** — focused on agrarian problems, peasant rights, and rural poverty. • Session coincided with Congress contesting **Provincial Elections (1937)** — Congress won 8 out of 11 provinces. • 💡 First woman president = Annie Besant (Calcutta 1917); Fundamental Rights = Karachi 1931; Surat Split = 1907 — Faizpur 1937 was the first village session.

Correct Answer: B. A.O. Hume

• **A.O. Hume** = General Secretary at the **first session (1885, Bombay)** — founder of the Indian National Congress. • Hume served as General Secretary from **1885 to 1892** — retired British ICS officer, ornithologist. • **W.C. Bonnerjee** was the President; Hume organized logistics — first session had 72 delegates. • 💡 W.C. Bonnerjee = President (not Secretary); K.T. Telang = delegate, prominent lawyer; Dadabhai Naoroji = President 1886, 1893, 1906 — A.O. Hume was General Secretary at first session 1885.

Correct Answer: B. W.C. Bonnerjee

• **W.C. Bonnerjee** = presided over **1892 Allahabad session** — his **second** presidency (first was 1885 Bombay). • Session criticized the **Indian Councils Act of 1892** (Minto-Morley reforms precursor) — demanded more Indian representation. • Bonnerjee = first and third INC President (1885, 1892) — prominent barrister, first Indian in British House of Commons. • 💡 Alfred Webb = 1894 Madras (English President); Dadabhai Naoroji = 1886 Calcutta, 1893, 1906; Pherozeshah Mehta = 1890 Calcutta — W.C. Bonnerjee presided 1892 Allahabad.