Pre-Congress Associations

Introduction 

The early half of the nineteenth century saw the formation of several political associations. Most of these associations were local in character. They mainly demanded certain administrative reforms and spread of education. However, the political associations of the later half of the 19^th century became wider in terms of their perspective and agendas.

Early Political Association 

The earliest known political association known was founded by Raja Ram Mohan Roy called The Bangabhasha Prakashika Sabha in 1836. In 1837 the Zamindari Association was formed to safeguard the interest of the landlords. In 1843 the Bengal British Indian Society was formed to collect and disseminate information regarding the actual living conditions of Indians.

Later in 1851 the Zamindari Association and the Bengal British Indian Society were merged to form the British Indian Association that demanded the separation of judiciary and executive, reduction of salaries of the high officers and abolition of salt and stamp duty.

East India Association was founded in 1866 by Dada Bhai Naoroji in London to raise India’s grievances and influence the public opinion of England.

In 1867 M. G. Ranade founded Poona Sarvajanik Sabha for imparting public education to the masses and to promote use of locally made things like Khadi.

Next was the formation of the Bombay Presidency Association in 1885 by Badruddin Tayyabji, Pherozeshah Mehta and K. T. Telang. The association took up the local issues and wrote regularly to the British government about their demands. They also demanded the reduction of the court fees and taxes on salt and sugar in a petition addressed to the British House of the Commons.

Indian Association 

The Indian Association of Calcutta was founded in 1876 by Surendranath Banerjee and Anand Mohan Bose. It was the most important pre-congress association. It had open membership and the leaders travelled across the country to find support and enlist members.

The main objectives of the Association were to form a strong public opinion on the political issues of the day and unify Indians on common political programmes. They asked the British Government to carry out reforms   in Civil Service Examination. The members of the associations organized agitations for the rights of peasants and plantation workers.

The members of the Indian Association organized an All India National Conference in 1883 in Calcutta. Several political leaders from across the country took parts in this conference. The conference was presided over by Anand Mohan Bose. This conference became the birth place of the Indian National Congress.