The Indian National Congress (INC) held its first session in Bombay (now Mumbai) from December 28–31, 1885, bringing together delegates from multiple regions. Early Congress leaders focused on petitions and constitutional methods to seek greater Indian participation in government. This meeting created a national political platform that later became central to the anti-colonial movement.
At the Surat session in late December 1907, Congress fractured into two main groups often described as Moderates and Extremists. The split reflected disagreements over strategy—gradual constitutional reform versus more assertive mass-based methods. This division weakened Congress unity for several years and shaped later efforts to reunify the organization.
In December 1916 at Lucknow, the previously divided Congress factions came back together at the annual session. This reunion mattered because it strengthened Congress at a time when demands for self-government were growing. It also set the stage for Congress to work more effectively with other political groups.
During the Lucknow meetings in December 1916, Congress and the All-India Muslim League reached the Lucknow Pact, an agreement on constitutional reforms and minority representation. Congress adopted it at its Lucknow session on December 29, 1916. The pact became a major moment of coordinated constitutional demand-making against the British Raj.
At a special Congress session in Calcutta (Kolkata) from September 4–9, 1920, the INC approved the policy of noncooperation. This marked a shift toward mass politics—encouraging boycotts and withdrawal from colonial institutions rather than only petitions. The decision helped turn Indian nationalism into a broader public movement.
After Congress agreement in September 1920, the noncooperation movement was launched in December 1920. It called for nonviolent action such as boycotting government schools, courts, and foreign goods, and resigning from government-linked roles. The movement showed that Congress could coordinate large-scale protest across British India.
At the Lahore session in December 1929, Congress adopted the goal of Purna Swaraj—complete independence, not just dominion status. The pledge was approved just before midnight on December 31, 1929. This decision clarified Congress’s end goal and prepared the public for larger confrontations with colonial rule.
Following the Lahore decision, Congress asked people to observe January 26, 1930 as Independence Day. Across many places, Congress volunteers and supporters publicly marked the day and raised the national flag. This helped turn the independence demand into a shared national ritual and a recurring message to the British government.
On March 12, 1930, Gandhi began the Salt March from Sabarmati toward the sea to challenge British salt laws and taxes. By breaking the salt law at Dandi in early April, the action sparked a much wider civil disobedience campaign. The Salt March became a turning point because it connected everyday economic hardship to a clear, nonviolent protest method.
On March 5, 1931, Gandhi and Viceroy Lord Irwin signed the Gandhi-Irwin Pact. The agreement helped end a major phase of the civil disobedience campaign that followed the Salt March, including large-scale arrests. It also opened a path for negotiations, showing how mass protest could force political talks.
Under the Government of India Act of 1935, provincial autonomy began on April 1, 1937, and elections brought major Congress victories. Congress later chose to form ministries in several provinces, shifting from protest alone to governing within limited colonial constitutional rules. This experience built administrative capacity but also exposed tensions between reform and full independence.
After major internal conflict over leadership and strategy, Subhas Chandra Bose resigned as Congress president on April 29, 1939. The episode reflected a growing debate inside Congress about how urgently and how forcefully to confront British rule, especially as war approached. The resignation signaled that unity inside Congress was under strain even as the independence struggle continued.
On July 14, 1942, Congress passed a “Quit India” resolution calling for an immediate end to British rule and authorizing Gandhi to lead a mass nonviolent movement if independence was not granted. This was influenced by wartime pressures and the failure of negotiations such as the Cripps Mission. The decision set up the final Congress-led mass confrontation of the British Raj during World War II.
At the All-India Congress Committee meeting in Bombay on August 8, 1942, Congress voted to begin the Quit India Movement. During this meeting, Gandhi delivered his “Do or Die” speech urging a final push for freedom through mass nonviolent action. The decision and speech marked the close of the period covered here: Congress moved from negotiation and partial governance to a direct, all-or-nothing demand for British withdrawal.
Indian National Congress: Founding to Quit India (1885-1942)