Indian National Congress - Praful Naik

Indian National Congress, Indian political party, founded in 1885. Its founding members proposed economic reforms and wanted a larger role in the making of British policy for India. By 1907, however, the Congress had split into a moderate group led by Gopal Krishna Gokhale, who sought dominion status for India, and a militant faction under Bal Gangadhar Tilak, who demanded self-rule. In 1920 the Congress began a campaign of passive resistance, led by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, against restrictions on the press and political activities.

Although the Congress claimed to represent all Indians, many Muslims, fearful of the vast Hindu majority, began to withdraw from the Congress. The Congress was divided on approaches to economic reform; the conservatives favored cautious reform while the leftists, of which Jawaharlal Nehru was a leader, urged socialism. The great strength of the organization was shown in the provincial elections of 19370

At the outbreak of World War II, the Congress voted for neutrality. When India came under Japanese attack, the Congress demanded immediate concessions from Great Britain toward a democratic government in return for cooperation in the war effort. The British responded by outlawing the organization and arresting its leaders. In the 1946 elections to the Indian constituent assembly, the Congress lost the Muslim vote to the Muslim League; it reluctantly accepted the partition of the Indian subcontinent and the formation of the state of Pakistan.

After partition the Congress, as the largest party, governed India under Nehru's leadership. The Congress successfully adjusted to its new role as a political party and won the majority of the seats in the next election. It retained this support into the 1960s. After Nehru's death, the party began to lose support. The leadership of Nehru's daughter, Indira Gandhi, who became prime minister in 1966, was challenged by a powerful right-wing group within the Congress, and in 1969 the party formally split into two factions; one led by Morarji Desai, the other (New Congress) by Indira Gandhi.

In the 1971 national elections and the 1972 state elections Gandhi's faction won strong victories, but, in a reaction against her emergency rule, it lost the election of 1977. It was the first time the Congress had lost government control since independence. Gandhi (now with a new faction, Congress Indira) returned to power in the 1980 elections, called when the opposition coalition disintegrated.

After her assassination (1984), her son Rajiv Gandhi succeeded to the leadership. Although he led Congress to reelection in 1984, the party was defeated in 1989 because of scandals and became the major opposition party. Following the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi during the 1991 election campaign, P. V. Narasimha Rao became head of the party and, after Congress won a plurality in parliament later that year, prime minister. In 1996 scandal again led voters to reject Congress at the polls, but Rao remained party leader. Leadership soon passed to the ineffectual Sitaram Kesri, but in 1998 Rajiv Gandhi's widow, Sonia Gandhi, a political newcomer, was elected head of Congress and had some success in rebuilding party support among Muslims and the poor. Congress nonetheless did poorly in the 1999 elections. In 2004, however, Congress returned to power, but the foreign-born Gandhi declined to lead the new coalition government; Manmohan Singh, a former finance minister, became prime minister; the party remained in power, with a larger plurality, after the 2009 elections.

Achievements 

1. Creating the Republic

*Freedom Movement

*Commitment to Democracy

*Combating Corruption

*Lowering the Voting Age

2. Building an Equal India

*Voting Rights for All

*Equal Economic Opportunity

*Women's Reservation

3. Strengthening the Nation

*Secularism

*Fighting Internal Threats

*Empowering States

*Improving Internal Security

Congress in various states

Congress is currently in power in nine states (Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Manipur, Meghalaya,and Mizoram).

In five other states — Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Maharashtra and Uttarakhand — it shares power with other alliance partners.

In Tamil Nadu, it lost power in the 1967 assembly election and has not been able to recapture it since.

In the remaining states and in the union territory of Puducherry, various opposition parties are in power.

List of current Congress Chief Ministers

All Chief Ministers from the Congress

N. Kiran Kumar Reddy - Andhra Pradesh

Nabam Tuki - Arunachal Pradesh

Tarun Gogoi - Assam

Bhupinder Singh Hooda - Haryana

Virbhadra Singh - Himachal Pradesh

Siddaramaiah - Karnataka

Oommen Chandy - Kerala

Prithviraj Chavan - Maharashtra

Okram Singh - Manipur

Mukul Sangma - Meghalaya

Pu Lalthanhawla - Mizoram

Vijay Bahuguna – Uttarakhand

Congress Ruled States in Green

List of Prime Ministers of India from the Congress Party

Jawaharlal Nehru (1947–1964)

Gulzarilal Nanda (May–June 1964 and in January 1966)

Lal Bahadur Shastri (1964–1966)

Indira Gandhi (1966–1977, 1980–1984)

Rajiv Gandhi (1984–1989)

P.V. Narasimha Rao (1991–1996)

Manmohan Singh (2004–2014)

Controversies and criticisms

1984: anti-Sikh riots

After the assassination of Indira Gandhi by two of her Sikh Body Guards following Operation Blue Star, many Congress workers including Jagdish Tytler, Sajjan Kumar and Kamal Nath were accused of inciting and participating in Sikh riots.

There are allegations that the government destroyed evidence and shielded the guilty. The Asian Age front-page story called the government actions "the Mother of all Cover-ups"There are allegations that the violence was led and often perpetrated by Indian National Congress activists and sympathisers during the riots. The government, then led by the Congress, was widely criticised for doing very little at the time, possibly acting as a conspirator. The conspiracy theory is supported by the fact that voting lists were used to identify Sikh families.

Corruption scandals

In the wake of the 2G Spectrum scam and the 2010 Commonwealth Games Scam a survey by an Indian magazine Outlook and a television news channel CNN-IBN in 2011 said that the Congress was seen as the most corrupt political party in India.

Ideology and policies

Historically, the party has supported and advocated in favour of farmers, laborers, worker's unions (Labour unions), and religious and ethnic minorities; it has also advocated in favour of the regulation of business and finance, and has looked favourably upon the levying of income taxes. However, in recent years the party has turned towards centrist economic and social democratic policies. Today, the INC advocate’s neo-liberal policies including populism, social liberalism, secularism and free enterprise with government regulations such as public–private partnership (PPP) model. As a political party, the INC has publicised its intentions to do all it can to reduce poverty, illiteracy and strongly supports the weaker section of the society.

Social policy

Social policy of the INC is officially based upon the Gandhian principle of Sarvodaya (upliftment of all sections of the society.) In particular INC emphasises upon policies to improve the lives of the economically underprivileged and socially disprivileged sections of society. This includes publicising employment generation efforts for the rural population (through schemes such as National Rural Employment Generation Scheme) etc.

Economic policy

Initially and for a long time, the economic policy of the INC was centered around the public sector and aimed at establishing a "socialistic pattern of society". However, after the recent adoption of Economically Liberal policies started by Manmohan Singh the then Finance Minister in the early 1990s, the economic policy of INC has been changed somewhat and it is now adopted free market policies, though at the same time it is in favour of taking a cautious approach when it comes to liberalising the economy claiming it is to help ensure that the weaker sectors aren't affected to hard by the changes that come with liberalisation.

Foreign policy

Traditionally, nonalignment has been the bedrock of the foreign policy of the INC.

Slogans of Indian national congress

1. Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan

2. Garibi Hatao

3. Congress ka Haath, Aam Aadmi ke Saath