Consider the following statements about the early phase of the National Movement in India :
- Ferozeshah Mehta, Badruddin Tyabji and others formed the Bombay Presidency Association.
- Surendranath Banerjee and his group planned an Indian National Conference at Calcutta.
- Allan Octavian Hume decided to create an all-India body as a rival to the above organisations to give vent to the grievances of the poor and marginalised Indians.
How many of the above statements is/are correct?
1
2
All
None
Answer is Right!
Answer is Wrong!
This question was previously asked in
UPSC CDS-1 – 2024
Statement 2 is correct. Surendranath Banerjee and Ananda Mohan Bose founded the Indian National Association (which held the Indian National Conference) in 1876. They convened the Indian National Conference in Calcutta in 1883 and again in 1885, which ran parallel to the first session of the Indian National Congress in Bombay.
Statement 3 is incorrect. Allan Octavian Hume, a retired British ICS officer, played a key role in the formation of the Indian National Congress (INC) in 1885. However, the INC was conceived as an all-India body to provide a platform for educated Indians and voice their concerns to the British government, potentially acting as a ‘safety valve’. It was not formed as a rival to existing organizations like the Bombay Presidency Association or the Indian National Conference; rather, it aimed to consolidate nationalist activities and ultimately absorbed many leaders from these regional bodies. The primary stated objective was not specifically to represent the grievances of the ‘poor and marginalised Indians’ in the early phase, but rather the educated middle class seeking constitutional reforms and greater representation.