166-405: German Plot may refer to: Christmas Day Plot , 1915; Indian conspiracy German Plot (Ireland) , 1918; putative conspiracy Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title German Plot . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to
332-581: 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
498-517: 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
664-497: 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
830-751: A Bengal Police officer who was in the process of preparing a conspiracy case against the group, was assassinated by an associate of Jatin Mukherjee named Biren Dutta Gupta. The assassination led to the arrests which ultimately precipitated the Howrah-Sibpur Conspiracy Case . While in custody during the Howrah-Sibpur conspiracy trial, a core group formed within the party consisting of the most militant nationalists. These ideas originated from early discussions initiated by Barin Ghosh . This core group envisioned
996-466: A Bengali politician, began in 1907 the radical Bengali nationalist publication of Jugantar ("Change"), and its English counterpart Bande Mataram . Among the early recruits who emerged noted leaders were Rash Behari Bose , Jatindranath Mukherjee , and Jadugopal Mukherjee . Anushilan , notably from early on, established links with foreign movements and Indian nationalism abroad. In 1907, Barin Ghosh arranged to send to Paris one of his associates by
1162-556: 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
1328-665: A carefully orchestrated plan, the schooner departed from San Diego in March 1915 to meet covertly with a second vessel, the oil tanker SS Maverick , near Socorro Island close to Mexico. The Maverick was destined to sail to the Dutch East Indies . Ineffective coordination led to an unsuccessful rendezvous off Socorro Island. After a month of waiting for the Maverick, the Annie Larsen sailed back to San Diego, only to be instructed to return to
1494-654: 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,
1660-457: 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 ,
1826-480: A friend of Lokmanya Tilak , on 6 February 1910, M. Arsenyev, the Russian Consul-General, wrote to St Petersburg that it had been intended to "arouse in the country a general perturbation of minds and, thereby, afford the revolutionaries an opportunity to take the power in their hands." According to R. C. Majumdar , "The police had suspected nothing and it is hard to say what the outcome would have been had
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#17328546116731992-619: A meeting with D. Thibault, the Registrar of Calcutta University . The Consul General reported back to Berlin that the Bengal revolutionary cell was significant enough to be considered for active support in undermining the British war effort. Jugantar began a campaign of politically motivated armed robberies to obtain funds and arms. On August 26, the Calcutta branch of Rodda & Co, a major arms supplier in
2158-518: A mission to Muzaffarpur to assassinate the Chief Presidency Magistrate D.H. Kingsford. The duo bombed a carriage they mistook as Kingsford's, killing two English women. In the aftermath of the murder, Khudiram Bose was arrested while attempting to flee, while Chaki took his own life. Narendra Nath Bhattacharya , then a member of the group, shot and killed Nandalal Bannerjee, the officer who had arrested Khudiram. Police investigations into
2324-649: 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
2490-487: 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 ,
2656-435: 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
2822-583: 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
2988-524: 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
3154-462: A plantation owner from Batavia, who divulged details about arms shipments from Shanghai to British authorities after his capture. Upon Kraft's initial arrest, maps of the Bengal coast were discovered on his person, and he willingly provided information indicating that these locations were the planned landing sites for the German arms. As soon as the information reached the British authorities, they alerted
3320-646: A platform for the demands of political liberalization, increased autonomy and social reform. However, the nationalist movement became strong, radical and violent in Bengal and, later, in Punjab . Notable, if smaller, movements also appeared in Maharashtra , Madras and other areas in the South. Organized political terrorism started to emerge in Bengal at the onset of the 20th century. By 1902, Calcutta had three societies working under
3486-493: A position on September 9, 1915, in an improvised trench amidst undergrowth on a hillock at Chashakhand in Balasore. Chittapriya and his companions suggested that Jatin depart for safety while they guarded the rear. However, Jatin chose to stay with them.The contingent of Government forces approached them in a pincer movement. A gunfight ensued, lasting seventy-five minutes, between the five revolutionaries armed with Mauser pistols and
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#17328546116733652-411: 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
3818-518: 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
3984-664: 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
4150-410: 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
4316-465: 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
4482-570: A widespread political impact: it stimulated radical nationalist sentiments in the Bhadralok community in Bengal, and helped Anushilan acquire a support base among of educated, politically conscious and disaffected young in local youth societies of Bengal. The Dhaka branch of Anushilan was led by Pulin Behari Das and spread branches through East Bengal and Assam. Aurobindo and Bipin Chandra Pal ,
4648-468: A year when the Howrah-Sibpur case collapsed due to lack of evidence. Released in February 1911, Jatin Mukherjee suspended all excessively violent activities. Following his suspension from his government position, Jatin embarked on a business venture, serving as a contractor for the railway network in Bengal. This role afforded him the opportunity to traverse the Bengal countryside, scouting appropriate sites for
4814-497: 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
4980-471: 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
5146-784: 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
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5312-659: 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
5478-596: 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 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
5644-536: 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
5810-589: 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
5976-521: 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
6142-846: 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
6308-454: 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
6474-580: The Maverick carrying arms. The two were to guide the Maverick , when she arrived to the coast of the Bay of Bengal. In April 1915, acting on instructions relayed through Chatto, efforts were made to negotiate with the German authorities regarding financial assistance and the provision of arms. While initially designated for Ghadar operations, the Berlin Committee altered the strategy to transport arms into India via
6640-516: 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
6806-703: 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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6972-614: 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,
7138-576: 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
7304-408: 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
7470-530: 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
7636-898: The Alipore case and assumed leadership of the secret society, which would later be recognized as the Jugantar Party. He revitalized the connections between the central organization in Calcutta and its numerous branches scattered throughout Bengal, Bihar , Orissa , and various locations in Uttar Pradesh . Additionally, he established hideouts in the Sundarbans for members who had gone underground. The group slowly reorganized under Mukherjee's guidance, aided by an emerging leadership that included Amarendra Chatterjee , Naren Bhattacharya , and other younger leaders.. Some of its younger members including Tarak Nath Das left India, to prepare scopes abroad. Through
7802-517: The Andaman islands. However, Vincent Kraft was a double agent , and leaked details of Knippings plans to British intelligence. His own bogus plans for the raid were in the meantime revealed to Beckett by " Oren ", but given the successive failures of the Indo-German plans, the plans for the operations were abandoned on the recommendations of both the Berlin Committee and Knipping. The Christmas Day plot
7968-641: The Annie Larsen plan's failure, Papen, with the assistance of Krupp's American representative Hans Tauscher, organized a second arms shipment. This shipment included 7,300 Springfield rifles, 1,930 pistols, 10 Gatling guns , and close to 3,000,000 cartridges. The arms were to be shipped in mid June to Surabaya in the East Indies on the Holland American steamship SS Djember . German agents in Thailand and Burma, Emil and Theodor Helferrich, who were brothers of
8134-573: 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
8300-412: The Berlin Committee. Contacts were established with the Ghadar Party through Indian emissaries and personnel from the German consulate in San Francisco. Germany offered financial support, arms, and military advisors to the plans discussed among the German foreign office, Berlin Committee, and the Indian Ghadar Party in North America. The objective was to covertly transport arms and individuals to India from
8466-432: 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
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#17328546116738632-406: 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
8798-496: 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
8964-409: The British colony of Burma and Kingdom of Siam under direction of the Ghadar Party , along with a German raid on the South Indian city of Madras and the British penal colony in Andaman Islands . The aim of the plot was to seize the Fort William, isolate Bengal and capture the capital city of Calcutta , which was then to be used as a staging ground for a pan-Indian revolution. The Christmas Day plot
9130-434: 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
9296-435: 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,
9462-406: 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
9628-457: 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
9794-399: The German Finance Minister Karl Helfferich , collaborated with Jatin Mukherjee through a Jugantar member named Jitendranath Lahiri in March 1915. In April Jatin sent to Batavia Jitendra Nath and Narendranath Bhattacharya, the latter by then his chief lieutenant. Narendranath met with the Helfferich brothers in Batavia through the German Consul and was briefed about the anticipated arrival of
9960-411: The German arms were intended to be delivered for the Indian uprising. To streamline the communication with Jatin Mukherjee , a business entity named "Universal Emporium" was established as a branch of Harry & Sons in Calcutta. It was designed to maintain connections with revolutionaries overseas. Therefore, Jatin relocated to a hideout outside Kaptipada village in the native state of Mayurbhanj, which
10126-482: The Germans endeavored to transfer the arms cargo from two German ships, the Sachsen and the Suevia, to Siam using a schooner that sought refuge in Manila harbor. However, US Customs stopped these attempts.eanwhile, with the assistance of the German Consul to Thailand, Remy, the Ghadarites set up a training base in the jungles near the Thai-Burma border for Ghadarites arriving from China and Canada. The German Consul General in Shanghai, Knipping, dispatched three officers from
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#173285461167310292-483: The Ghadar Party and was concluded in January 1915. Members of the Ghadar movement from branches in China and the United States, including leaders such as Atma Ram, Thakar Singh, and Banta Singh from Shanghai, as well as Santokh Singh and Bhagwan Singh from San Francisco, endeavored to infiltrate the Burma Military Police in Thailand, a force composed predominantly of Sikhs and Punjabi Muslims . Early in 1915, Atma Ram had also visited Calcutta and Punjab and linked up with
10458-559: The Ghadar party. Sen returned in November 1914 with intelligence regarding the schemes orchestrated by the Berlin Committee under the leadership of Virendranath Chattopadhyaya and the German military attaché Franz von Papen in Washington. Their plan involved procuring a substantial shipment of arms to be transported to India by sea. He had previously obtained $ 200,000 worth of small arms and ammunition through Krupp agents and organized its transportation to India via San Diego, Java, and Burma. The arsenal comprised 8,080 Springfield rifles from
10624-494: 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
10790-408: The Indian coast. The plan was proposed by Vincent Kraft , a German planter in Batavia who had been wounded fighting in France. It was approved by the foreign office on 14 May 1915, after consultation with the Indian committee, and raid was planned for Christmas Day 1915 by a force of nearly one hundred Germans led by a former naval officer von Müller was raised. Knipping made plans for shipping arms to
10956-463: The Indian middle class during the 19th century, amidst competition among regional powers and the ascendancy of the British East India Company , led to a growing sense of "Indian" identity. The development of this viewpoint contributed to an increasing sense of nationalism in India during the latter part of the 19th century. Its speed was abetted by the creation of the Indian National Congress in India in 1885 by A. O. Hume . The Congress developed into
11122-415: 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
11288-524: 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,
11454-433: 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
11620-400: The Paris Indian Society. In the United States, nationalism among Indian immigrants was gaining ground, particularly students and working classes. Tarak Nath Das, who had left Bengal for the United States in 1907, was among the noted Indian leaders who engaged in political work, maintaining contact with Sri Aurobindo and Jatin Mukherjee. In California, Har Dayal's arrival bridged a gap between
11786-451: The Peking Embassy Guard for training and also coordinated with a Norwegian agent in Swatow to facilitate the smuggling of arms. At the same time that Jatin's group was to strike in Bengal, a German raid was planned for the penal colony in the Andaman islands. This was to be carried out with a German volunteer force raised from East Indies which would release the political prisoners to raise an expeditionary Indian force that would threaten
11952-552: The Police Intelligence Department was sent to Balasore. Jatin was informed and advised to vacate his concealment, but his insistence on bringing Niren and Jatish along caused a delay in their departure by a few hours. By the time they set out, a significant police presence, led by senior European officers from Calcutta and Balasore and supported by an army unit from Chandbali in Mayurbhanj State , had arrived in
12118-551: The Spanish–American War era, 2,400 Springfield carbines, 410 Hotchkiss repeating rifles, 4,000,000 cartridges, 500 Colt revolvers with 100,000 cartridges, and 250 Mauser pistols, along with ammunition. Sen had also introduced Jatin to a Ghadarite leader, Kartar Singh Sarabha , who had returned to India to coordinate the plans for the proposed revolt with the Indian underground. Ghadarites, predominantly Indian expatriates from Punjab, were entering India through Calcutta with
12284-492: 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
12450-516: The United States and the Orient, aiming to incite a nationalist uprising in India in 1914–15, following the model of the 1857 rebellion . At the onset of the war, Jugantar convened a meeting where Jatin Mukherjee was elected as the supreme commander. During this period, the German consulate in Calcutta managed to establish connections with Jatin, who, following encouragement from Sir Ashutosh , had
12616-674: The United States in November 1914, and Sachindra Nath Sanyal (of the Dhaka Anusilan Samiti), who operated from Benares. Bose coordinated with Jatin, and the latter was to lead Bengal into mutiny. The mutiny was scheduled for late February 1915, beginning with Indian army units in Punjab, followed by units in Bengal. The Bengal cell was to look for the Punjab Mail entering the Howrah Station
12782-599: The activities in North India when they met on a pilgrimage to the holy Hindu city of Brindavan . Returning to Bengal, in 1913, Jatin began organizing a large scale relief in the flood-stricken areas around the Damodar. Rash Behari had gone into hiding in Benares after the 1912 attempt on Hardinge, but he joined Jatin Mukherjee on this occasion. Recognizing Jatin Mukherjee as a prominent leader, Bose held multiple meetings with him towards
12948-508: 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
13114-609: The cargo of the Annie Larsen was confiscated by US customs , prompted by British intelligence concerns. The Maverick traversed the Pacific towards the Dutch East Indies; however, the Captain had no means to alert the Germans there that the ship did not carry the anticipated arms but only bundles of revolutionary literature and a few Indian revolutionaries. In April 1915, without knowledge of
13280-527: 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
13446-414: The conclusion of 1913, discussing the potential for a pan-Indian revolution reminiscent of the style seen in 1857. In response to Britain's entry to the war on the side of France, Germany had begun actively seeking efforts to weaken the British war efforts by targeting the colonial empire . Germany nurtured links with India nationalists before the war, seeing India as a potential weakness for Britain. In
13612-445: 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
13778-600: 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
13944-809: 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,
14110-598: The date and locations reached the Punjab CID through a last-minute recruit, a spy named Kirpal Singh. Suspecting infiltration, a desperate Rash Behari advanced the D-Day to the 19th; however, due to carelessness, Kirpal managed to relay the information back to the Punjab police before it was too late. Mutiny in Punjab was halted on the 19th, followed by suppression of smaller revolts throughout North India. The Singapore garrison managed to revolt openly and held out for some time before it
14276-620: The eastern coast, specifically through Hatia on the Chittagong coast, Raimangal in the Sundarbans, and Balasore in Orissa, deviating from the initial plan to use Karachi . Jatin's group was to retrieve these arms from the coast of the Bay of Bengal. For this purpose, Ashwini Lal Roy was sent to Raimangal to receive the Maverick. Jugantar also received funds (estimated to be Rs 33,000 between June and August 1915) from The Helfferich brothers through Harry & Sons in Calcutta. The date of insurrection
14442-459: 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
14608-499: 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
14774-451: The establishment of the Berlin Committee, which was formed by C. R. Pillai. One of the members of this group was V. N. Chatterjee from London's India House. Har Dayal had departed from the United States to Switzerland following his arrest on charges of being an anarchist. He entrusted the leadership of the Ghadar party to Ram Chandra Bharadwaj and, from Switzerland, agreed to extend support to
14940-495: 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
15106-496: 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
15272-582: 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
15438-466: The immediate period preceding the war, Indian nationalist groups had used Germany as a base and potential support. As early as 1913, revolutionary literature referred to the approaching war between Germany and England and the possibility of obtaining German help for the Indian movement. In the early months of the war, German newspapers devoted considerable coverage to Indian distress, social problems, and colonial exploitation by Britain. The Indian situation
15604-586: The intellectual agitators in the west coast and the lower classes in the Pacific coast. Welcomed by Taranath Das, he emerged a leading organizer of Indian nationalism amongst the predominantly immigrant labor workers from India, founding the Ghadar movement . In 1912, Jatin, accompanied by Naren Bhattacharya, met with the Crown Prince of Germany during the latter's visit to Calcutta. They secured an assurance that arms and ammunition would be provided to them. In October of
15770-448: The intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=German_Plot&oldid=932843356 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Christmas Day Plot The first Christmas Day plot was a conspiracy made by the Indian revolutionary movement in 1909: during
15936-502: 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
16102-420: The island and await the tanker. The Maverick, delayed by repair work at port, arrived at the rendezvous a month behind schedule. Failing to locate the schooner, the Maverick set course across the Pacific with hopes of tracing the route to Hawaii. The second voyage of the Annie Larsen was unsuccessful due to encountering strong headwinds. Following several unsuccessful endeavors and a return to Hoquiam, Washington ,
16268-487: The large number of police and army armed with modern rifles. It ended with an unrecorded number of casualties on the Government side; on the revolutionary side, Chittapriya Ray Chaudhuri died, Jatin and Jatish were seriously wounded, and Manoranjan Sengupta and Niren were captured after their ammunition ran out. Bagha Jatin died, shot by police, in Balasore hospital on 10 September 1915. The Thai Police high command, which
16434-409: 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
16600-489: The meantime, in December 1907 the Bengal revolutionary cell derailed the train carrying the Bengal Lieutenant Governor Sir Andrew Fraser . Anushilan also engaged at this time in a number of notable incidents of political assassinations and dacoities to obtain funds. This was, however, the crest for Anushilan . In 1908, two young recruits, Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki were sent on
16766-508: 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
16932-639: The mission to rally the Sepoys of the Indian army and organize for a potential mutiny at army centers in the northern region of Punjab. The Commander-in-Chief, Jatin Mukherjee , was tasked with coordinating this effort to enlist support from the Indian army in the eastern region of Bengal. The scheme in Upper India was being orchestrated by Rash Behari from the United Provinces, with assistance from Vishnu Ganesh Pingle , another Ghadarite who also arrived in India from
17098-469: The murders revealed the organisations quarters in Maniktala suburb of Calcutta and led to a number of arrests, opening the famous Alipore Conspiracy trial . Some of its leadership were executed or incarcerated, while others went underground. Aurobindo Ghosh retired from active politics after serving a prison sentence, his brother Barin was imprisoned for life. Jatindra Nath Mukherjee avoided apprehension in
17264-649: The name of Hem Chandra Kanungo (Hem Chandra Das), he was to learn the art of bomb-making from Nicholas Safranski, a Russian revolutionary in exile in the French Capital. Paris was also home at the time Madam Cama who was amongst the leading figures of the Paris Indian Society and the India House in London. The bomb manual later found its way through V. D. Savarkar to the press at India House for mass printing. In
17430-640: 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
17596-657: 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
17762-503: 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
17928-551: 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
18094-458: The next day (which would have been cancelled if Punjab was seized) and was to strike immediately. Units as far as Rangoon and Singapore were part of the Rash Behari's plan. Rash Behari's plans for mutiny failed when, in February 1915, in a situation simmering in Punjab, Ghadar rose prematurely even before Papen had arranged to ship his arsenal. Scheduled for February 21, 1915, information regarding
18260-461: The next two years, the organisation operated under the covers of two seemingly detached organisations, Sramajeebi Samabaya (The Labourer's Cooperative) and Harry & Sons. Since 1906, Jatin Mukherjee had been attempting to establish contacts with the 10th Jat Regiment then garrisoned at Fort William in Calcutta. Narendra Nath carried out a number of robberies during this time to obtain funds.. A second setback occurred in 1910 when Shamsul Alam,
18426-527: 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
18592-449: 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
18758-547: 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
18924-562: 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 ,
19090-403: 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
19256-566: 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
19422-475: 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
19588-505: 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
19754-487: 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
19920-499: The police, particularly in the delta region of the Ganges , and sealed off all the sea approaches on the eastern coast from the Noakhali – Chittagong side to Orissa. Following a raid and search at Harry & Sons, the police discovered evidence that directed them to Kaptipada village, where Jatin was residing with Manoranjan Sengupta and Chittapriya Ray Chaudhuri . Subsequently, a unit from
20086-477: 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
20252-606: The potential of an Anglo-German conflict in the near future, around which the revolutionaries planned to initiate a guerrilla warfare campaign with support from Germany. The trial highlighted the shift in the group's direction, moving beyond the tactics of the initial revolutionaries, who sought primarily to intimidate the British administration. The core group that emerged during the trial had more profound political motives and ambitions. They expanded on this core to establish an organizational network across Bengal and other regions of India. The Howrah conspirators were released after about
20418-481: 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
20584-465: 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
20750-594: 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
20916-469: The region, was subject to a robbery. The perpetrators absconded with ten cases of arms and ammunition, which included 50 Mauser Pistols and 46,000 rounds of ammunition. Jatin's cousin Dhan Gopal Mukerji , then a student at UC Berkeley , had already been in the United States for some time. In 1914, Jatin sent to San Francisco a party member by the name of Satyendra Sen with the purpose of contacting
21082-534: The request for arrest and extradition of Ghadarites identified by the Indian agent, ultimately resulting in the arrest of leading Ghadarites in August. Only a single raid into Burma was launched by six Ghadarites, who were captured and later hanged. Indian National Congress (4030 MLAs and 5 vacant) (390 MLCs and 36 vacant) The Indian National Congress ( INC ), colloquially the Congress Party or simply
21248-423: The rest of the Bengal cell went underground. Following the unsuccessful February mutiny, determined efforts were made to dismantle the Indian revolutionary movement. With heightened police surveillance to thwart any potential uprisings, prominent Jugantar members advised Jatin to relocate to a more secure location. Balasore on the Orissa coast was chosen as a suitable location, as it was in close proximity to where
21414-444: 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
21580-406: The revolutionary initiatives he was orchestrating. In 1906, an early Anushilan member, Jatindranath Banerjee (known as Niralamba Swami), departed from Bengal disguised as a Sanyasi, journeying to the United Provinces and later to Punjab. At Punjab, Niralamba established links with Sardar Ajit Singh and Bhai Kishen Singh (father of Bhagat Singh ). Through Kishen Singh, the Bengal revolutionary cell
21746-510: The revolutionary movement in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab from October 1910. The India House itself was liquidated in 1910 in the aftermath of Sir W. H. Curzon Wyllie 's assassination in the hands of Madanlal Dhingra , a member of the London group. Among the India House group who fled Britain was V. N. Chetterjee , who left for Germany. Har Dayal moved to San Francisco after working briefly with
21912-580: The revolutionary underground there, including Jugantar. Herambalal Gupta and the German consul at Chicago arranged to have German operatives George Paul Boehm, Henry Schult, and Albert Wehde sent to Siam through Manila with the purpose of training the Indians. Santokh Singh returned to Shanghai tasked to send two expeditions, one to reach the Indian border via Yunnan and the other to penetrate upper Burma and join with revolutionary elements there. While in Manila,
22078-642: 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
22244-464: 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
22410-470: 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,
22576-485: The same year, Rash Behari visited Lahore , where he mobilized Har Dayal's group and initiated a campaign of revolutionary violence, notably highlighted by an assassination attempt on the Viceroy, Lord Hardinge, in December 1912. Basanta Biswas, an associate of Rash Behari sent by Amarendra Chatterjee, had previously been associated with Jatin Mukherjee's circle of followers. Niralamba Swami informed Jatin Mukherjee further about
22742-592: 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
22908-410: 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
23074-621: The soldiers not been betrayed by one of their comrades who informed the authorities about the impending coup". The second Christmas Day plot was to initiate an insurrection in Bengal in British India during World War I with German arms and support. Scheduled for Christmas Day, 1915, the plan was conceived and led by the Jugantar group under the Indian Bengali revolutionary Jatindranath Mukherjee, to be coordinated with simultaneous uprising in
23240-525: 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,
23406-489: 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
23572-491: The umbrella of Anushilan Samiti , a society earlier founded by a Calcutta barrister by the name of Pramatha Mitra . These included Mitra's own group, another led by a Bengalee lady by the name of Sarala Devi , and a third one led by Aurobindo Ghosh , one of the strongest proponents of militant nationalism of the time. By 1905, the works of Aurobindo and his brother Barin Ghosh allowed Anushilan Samity to spread through Bengal. The controversial 1905 partition of Bengal had
23738-399: The vicinity. Jatin and his companions journeyed through the forests and hills of Mayurbhanj, eventually reaching Balasore Railway Station after two days. The police had announced a reward for the capture of five fleeing "bandits", so the local villagers were also in pursuit. During intermittent skirmishes, the group navigated jungles and marshy terrain in heavy rain, eventually establishing
23904-413: 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
24070-400: 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
24236-476: The year-ending holidays, the Governor of Bengal organised a ball at his residence in the presence of the Viceroy, the Commander-in-Chief and all the high-ranking officers and officials of the Capital (Calcutta). The 10th Jat Regiment was in charge of the security. Followers of Jatindranath Mukherjee , its soldiers decided to blow up the ballroom and take advantage of destroying the colonial Government. In keeping with his predecessor Otto (William Oskarovich) von Klemm,
24402-434: Was one of the later plans for pan-Indian mutiny during the war that were coordinated between the Indian nationalist underground, the " Indian independence committee " set up by the Germans in Berlin, the Ghadar Party in North America, and the German Foreign office. The plot was ultimately thwarted after British intelligence uncovered the plot through German and Indian double agents in Europe and Southeast Asia. The growth of
24568-545: 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
24734-414: 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
24900-438: Was crushed six days later. Mass arrests followed as the Ghadarites were rounded up in Punjab and the Central Provinces . Key leaders of the conspiracy, including Kartar Singh, Pingle, Kanshi Ram , Bhai Bhagwan Singh and others were arrested. Rash Behari Bose escaped from Lahore and in May 1915 fled to Japan. Other leaders, including Giani Pritam Singh , Swami Satyananda Puri and others fled to Thailand . Jatin Mukherjee and
25066-441: 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
25232-461: 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
25398-420: Was eventually exposed through various channels. The initial details regarding the cargo aboard the Maverick and Jugantar's schemes were disclosed to Beckett, the British Consul in Batavia, by a defecting Baltic-German agent using the alias "Oren." Subsequently, the Maverick was intercepted, and alerts were issued to the British Indian police. Another source of information was the German double agent Vincent Kraft ,
25564-452: Was fixed for Christmas Day of 1915. Jatin estimated that he would be able to win over the 14th Rajput Regiment in Calcutta and cut the line to Madras at Balasore and thus, take control of Bengal. To provide the Bengal group enough time to capture Calcutta and to prevent reinforcements from being rushed in, mutiny was planned for Burma with arms smuggled in from Neutral Thailand. This Siam-Burma plan originated early in October 1914 from
25730-459: 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
25896-462: Was included in the German war strategy. The German Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg authorized German activity against India in the early weeks of the war, and decision was taken to offer active support to the Indian Nationalists. Under the leadership of the archaeologist and historian Max von Oppenheim , the newly established Intelligence Bureau for the East deliberated on strategies to incite nationalist unrest in India. Oppenheim assisted in
26062-410: 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
26228-425: Was introduced to Lala Har Dayal when the latter visited India briefly in 1908. Har Dayal was affiliated with the India House, a revolutionary organization in London that was then under V. D. Savarkar. Dayal took pride in the fact that by 1910, he had collaborated closely with Rash Behari Bose. Bose, a Jugantar member employed at the Forest Institute in Dehradun , worked, possibly independently of Jatin Mukherjee, on
26394-429: 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
26560-416: Was largely British, discovered the plans for the Burmese insurrection and Indian police infiltrated the plot through an Indian secret agent who was revealed the details by the Austrian chargé d'affaires . Thailand, although officially neutral, was allied closely with Britain and British India. On 21 July, the newly arrived British Minister Herbert Dering presented Foreign Minister Prince Devawongse with
26726-426: 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),
26892-429: Was over thirty miles away from Balasore. Meanwhile, Papen, in collaboration with Chandrakanta Chakrabarti, the self-proclaimed agent of the Berlin Committee in the United States, organized the initial shipment of arms on the schooner Annie Larsen. This operation was executed under a pretense to mislead British agents into believing that the arms were intended for the conflicting parties in the Mexican Civil War . Through
27058-539: 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
27224-483: 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
27390-480: 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
27556-410: 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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