Before the formation of Indian National Congress many political organisations had been formed in different provinces of India.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy was the pioneer of political movement in India. The earliest public association in modern India was the Landholders’ Society. It was founded in 1837 in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa whose main purpose was to promote class interest of Landlords.
Although limited in its objective, the Landholder Society marks the beginning of organised political activity. Then in 1843 another Political association under the name of Bengal British India Society was founded with the object of the collection and dissemination of information relating to the actual condition of the People of British India.
yt3.ggpht.com
ADVERTISEMENTS:
However, the Landholders’ Society and Bengal British Association were merged in 1851, whose main objective was safeguarding their close interest. In 1852 Madras Native Association formed. It had sent petitions to the British Parliament before the passing of the Charter Act of 1853. But it was declined after 1857. Similarly Scientific Society was founded by Sayyed Ahmed Khan in different parts of the country.
Dadabhai Naoroji in 1866 organised East India Association in London. Its main aim was to influence British people to promote Indian Welfare. He also organised branches in different Indian cities. Apart from that, he through this association showed that the basic cause of India’s poverty lay in the British exploitation of India and the drain of wealth.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
Similarly, in 1870 Ranade organised Poona Sarvajanika Sabha. In 1881, the Madras Mahajan Sabha was started and in 1885 Bombay Presidency Association was formed. These political Associations were mainly criticized the British Government on different matters.
Sisir Kumar Ghose founded Indian League in 1875. Its objective was spreading nationalism among the people and encouraging of political education within a year of its foundation. Surendranath
Banerjee and Anandamohan Bose founded the Indian Association in 1876. Surendranath also defines the object of this association in the following words:
1. The creation of a strong body of public opinion in the country.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
2. The unification of the Indian races and people upon the basis of common political interests and aspirations.
3. The promotions of friendly feeling between Hindus and Muslims.
4. Inclusion of masses in the public movement of the day.
One of the important topics which engaged the attention of the Indian Association was the new regulation of 1876 reducing the age limit for the Indian Civil Service Examination from 21 to 19. The Indian Association found a new scope of activity in another reactionary measure of the Government.
This was the Vernacular Press Act which was passed by the Lord Lytton’s Government. Its object was to muzzle the newspapers in Indian language which spread the message of nationality and newly awakened sense of political consciousness. It also started agitation for better conditions of work for the workers in the English-owned tea plantations.
In December, 1883 the Indian Association organised an All India National Conference at Calcutta. It was attended by several leaders from outside Bengal. It adopted a programme very similar to the one adopted by the Indian National Congress with which it merged in 1886.
Apart from these associations, the Mohammedan Literary Society was formed by Abdul Latif in 1863 at Calcutta. The National Mohammedan Association was formed by Amir Ali in 1878 in the same city.
The Mohammedan Literary Society was established with British encouragement who wanted the Muslim to take western Education. The National Mohammedan Association was modelled after Indian Association. But it followed separatist politics. It demanded preferential treatment for education and employment.