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ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ: આવૃત્તિઓ વચ્ચેનો તફાવત

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લીટી ૧:
{{ભાષાંતર}}
{{Infobox Indian political party
|party_name = {{PAGENAME}}<br /> Indian National Congress
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|country = ભારત
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[[File:1st INC1885.jpg|right|300px|thumb|ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસનું પ્રથમ સત્ર, બોમ્બે, ૨૮-૩૧ ડિસેમ્બર ૧૮૮૫.]]
'''ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ''' ('''INC''', જેને ઘણી વખત '''કોંગ્રેસ''' કહેવામાં આવે છે) એ ભારતમાં એક વ્યાપક રીતે આધારિત રાજકીય પક્ષ છે. 1885માં સ્થપાયેલ, તે [[એશિયા]] અને [[આફ્રિકા]]માં બ્રિટીશ સામ્રાજ્યમાં ઉદ્‌ભવનાર પ્રથમ આધુનિક રાષ્ટ્રવાદી ચળવળ હતી. 19મી સદીના ઉત્તરાર્ધમાં અને ખાસ કરીને 1920 પછી, [[મહાત્મા ગાંધી]]ના નેતૃત્વ હેઠળ, કોંગ્રેસ પ્રમુખ બની ભારતીય સ્વતંત્રતા ચળવળના નેતા, 1 કરોડ 50 લાખ(15 મિલિયન)થી અને 7 કરોડ(70 મિલિયન)થી સહભાગીઓ. કૉંગ્રેસે ભારતને ગ્રેટ બ્રિટનથી સ્વતંત્રતા આપવામાં માટે
'''ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ''' ('''INC''', જેને ઘણી વખત '''કોંગ્રેસ''' કહેવામાં આવે છે) એ ભારતમાં એક વ્યાપક રીતે આધારિત રાજકીય પક્ષ છે. 1885માં સ્થપાયેલ, તે [[એશિયા]] અને [[આફ્રિકા]]માં બ્રિટીશ સામ્રાજ્યમાં ઉદ્‌ભવનાર પ્રથમ આધુનિક રાષ્ટ્રવાદી ચળવળ હતી. 19મી સદીના ઉત્તરાર્ધમાં અને ખાસ કરીને 1920 પછી, [[મહાત્મા ગાંધી]]ના નેતૃત્વ હેઠળ, કોંગ્રેસ પ્રમુખ બની ભારતીય સ્વતંત્રતા ચળવળના નેતા, 1 કરોડ 50 લાખ (15 મિલિયન)થી અને 7 કરોડ (70 મિલિયન)થી સહભાગીઓ. કૉંગ્રેસે ભારતને ગ્રેટ બ્રિટનથી સ્વતંત્રતા અપાવવા માટે કામ કર્યું, અને બ્રિટીશ સામ્રાજ્યમાં અન્ય વિરોધી વસાહતી રાષ્ટ્રવાદી ચળવળને પ્રભાવિત કરી.
કામ કર્યું, અને બ્રિટીશ સામ્રાજ્યમાં અન્ય વિરોધી વસાહતી રાષ્ટ્રવાદી હલનચલનને પ્રભાવિત કર્યો.
 
કોંગ્રેસ એક બિનસાંપ્રદાયિક પક્ષ છે, જેનો સામાજિક ઉદારમતવાદી મંચ સામાન્ય રીતે ભારતીય રાજકારણના કેન્દ્રથી ડાબેરી ગણવામાં આવે છે. કોંગ્રેસની સામાજિક નીતિ સર્વોદયના ગાંધીવાદી સિદ્ધાંત પર આધારિત છે - સમાજના તમામ વિભાગોને ઉપર લાવવા - જેમાં આર્થિક રીતે ગરીબ અને સામાજિક હાંસિયાવાળા લોકોના જીવનમાં સુધારો થાય છે. પક્ષ મુખ્યત્વે સામાજિક ઉદારવાદને સમર્થન આપે છે. વ્યક્તિગત સ્વાતંત્ર્ય અને સામાજિક ન્યાયને સંતુલિત કરવા, અને બિનસાંપ્રદાયિકતા-ધાર્મિક નિયમો અને ઉપદેશોથી મુક્ત થવાના અધિકાર પર ભાર મૂકતા.
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* આઝાદી પછીનો યુગ, જયારે કોંગ્રેસ પાર્ટી ભારતના રાજકારણમાં અગ્રણી સ્થાન ભોગવ્યુ. ૧૯૪૭ ની આઝાદી પછીના ૬૦ વર્ષમાંથી ૪૮ વર્ષ સધી અવિરત સાશન કર્યું.
 
આઝાદી પહેલાના યુગમાં, કોંગ્રેસ વૈચારિક રીતે બે ભાગમાં વહેચાયેલી હતી, નમ્ર મતવાદી અને આંદોલનકારી નમ્ર મતવાદીઓ ભણેલા ગણેલા અને કોઈ પણ પ્રકારની લડાઈ લડ્યા વગર ભારતની આઝાદી માટે દેશને દોરવા તથા લોકોનો વિશ્વાસ જીતવા માંગતા હતા; જયારે બીજી બાજુ આંદોલનકરીઓઆંદોલનકારીઓ વધુ અગ્રેસર ક્રાંતિકારી પગલા ભરવાની તરફેણમાં હતા અને INC ને પેરામીલીટરી ગ્રુપ બનાવવાની ઈચ્છા ધરાવતા હતા. {{Citation needed|date=January 2012}}
 
==સંદર્ભ==
=== આઝાદી પહેલાનો યુગ ===
[[File:1st INC1885.jpg|right|300px|thumb|First session of ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ, Bombay, 28–31 December 1885.]]
The Congress was founded by Indian and British members of the [[Theosophical Society]] movement, most notably [[Allan Octavian Hume|A.O. Hume]].<ref name=bevir>[http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/73b4862g?display=all Theosophy and the Origins of the ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ], Bevir, Mark, University of California, Berkeley, Publication Date: 01-01-2003 s. 14–18. Original Citation: Mark Bevir, “Theosophy and the Origins of the ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ”, International Journal of Hindu Studies 7 (2003), 99–115. E.g., "Theosophical Society provided the framework for action within which some of its Indian and British members worked to form the ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ.10", "1884 annual convention of the Theosophical Society. At this convention, Rao argued that the Society should start formally to discuss the political situation in India as well as more strictly religious matters. Although Rao did not get his way, he did arrange a meeting of sympathetic theosophists to be held at his home. Those who attended this meeting with Rao included Aiyar, Ananda Charlu, and M. Viraraghavachariar. They formed the Madras Mahajana Sabha," "meeting to coincide with the next annual convention of the Theosophical Society. This meeting would promote their idea of an all-India body." "Hume was probably the single most important individual for the formation of the ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ." "Mahatmas seemed to be directing Hume to maintain the correct balance between east and west (Ripon Papers). Certainly Hume thought the Mahatmas were superhuman beings with a special interest in the welfare of India. He believed their occult powers meant they possessed an unquestionable knowledge of Indian affairs", "Hume worked alongside some of the people he had met at the annual conventions of the Theosophical Society—Malabari, Rao, and Sen—in order to arrange the founding conference of Congress.", "The founders of the ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ relied on the contacts and commitments generated within the Society;" "Gandhi, like Malabari, Rao, and Sen, used theosophy to help restore his pride in his native culture to support his vision of ancient India as a vital, rational, and moral society (Gandhi 1948). British occultists, such as Besant, and western-educated Indians, such as Gandhi, turned to theosophy for different reasons, but once they had done so, they shared practices and intellectual commitments that helped sustain the nationalist movement."</ref> It has been suggested that the idea was originally conceived in a private meeting of seventeen men after a Theosophical Convention held at [[Madras]] in December 1884. Hume took the initiative, and it was in March 1885 that the first notice was issued convening the first Indian રાષ્ટ્રીય Union to meet at Poona the following December.<ref name=pattabhi>Sitaramayya, B. Pattabhi. 1935. The History of the ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ. Working Committee of the Congress. [http://www.archive.org/details/TheHistoryOfTheIndianNationalCongress Scanned version]</ref>
 
Founded in 1885 claiming that it had the objective of obtaining a greater share in government for educated Indians, the ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ was initially not opposed to British rule. The Congress met once a year during December. Indeed, it was a [[Scotland|Scotsman]], Allan Octavian Hume, who brought about its first meeting in [[Bombay]], with the approval of [[Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava|Lord Dufferin]], the then-[[Governor-General of India|Viceroy]]. [[Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee]] was the first President of the INC. The first meeting was scheduled to be held in [[Pune]], but due to a [[bubonic plague|plague]] outbreak there, the meeting was later shifted to Bombay. The first session of the INC was held from 28–31 December 1885, and was attended by 72 delegates.
 
Within a few years, the demands of the INC became more radical in the face of constant opposition from the government, and the party decided to advocate in favour of the [[Indian independence movement|independence movement]], as it would allow for a new political system in which they could be a majorly dominant party. By 1907 the party was split into two halves—the [[Garam dal|''Garam Dal'']] (literally "hot faction") of [[Bal Gangadhar Tilak]], or Extremists, and the ''Naram Dal'' (literally "soft faction") of [[Gopal Krishna Gokhale]], or Moderates—distinguished by their attitude towards the British colonists. Under the influence of Tilak, the Congress became the first organised independence group in the country, bringing together millions of people against the British.
 
In the pre-independence era, the INC featured a number of prominent political figures: [[Dadabhai Naoroji]], a member of the sister [[Indian National Association]], elected president of the Congress in 1886, and between 1892 and 1895 the first Indian Member of Parliament in the [[British House of Commons]]; [[Bal Gangadhar Tilak]]; [[Bipin Chandra Pal]]; [[Lala Lajpat Rai]]; [[Gopal Krishna Gokhale]]; and [[Mohammed Ali Jinnah]], later leader of the [[All-India Muslim League|Muslim League]] and instrumental in the creation of [[Pakistan]]. The Congress was transformed into a mass movement by [[Surendranath Banerjea]] and Sir [[Henry John Stedman Cotton|Henry Cotton]] during the [[Partition of Bengal (1905)|partition of Bengal in 1905]] and the resultant [[Swadeshi movement]]. [[Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi|Mohandas Gandhi]] returned from South Africa in 1915 and with the help of the moderate group led by Ghokhale became president of the Congress and formed an alliance with the [[Khilafat Movement|Khilafat movement]]. In protest a number of leaders—[[Chittaranjan Das]], [[Annie Besant]], [[Motilal Nehru]]—resigned from the Congress to set up the [[Swaraj Party]]. The Khilafat movement collapsed and the Congress was split.
[[File:Gandhi 1929.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Mahatma Gandhi]], President of Congress party during 1924]]
મહાત્મા ગાંધીની લોકપ્રિયતામાં વધારા સાથે અને તેમની પરિવર્તન ની સત્યાગ્રહ કળા થી [[Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel|સરદાર વલ્લભભાઈ પટેલ]], પંડિત જવાહરલાલ નેહરુ (રાષ્ટ્રના પ્રથમ વડાપ્રધાન), ડૉ. રાજેન્દ્ર પ્રસાદ (રાષ્ટ્રના પ્રથમ પ્રમુખ), ખાન મોહમ્મદ અબ્બાસ ખાન, ખાન અબ્દુલ ગફાર ખાન, ચક્રવર્તી રાજગોપાલાચારી, ડૉ. અનુગ્રહ નારાયણ સિન્હા, જયપ્રકાશ નારાયણ, [[Jivatram Kripalani|જીવતરામ ક્રિપલાની]] અનેમૌલાના અબ્દુલ કલામ આઝાદ આવ્યા. With the already existing nationalistic feeling combined with Gandhi's popularity, the Congress became a forceful and dominant group of people in the country, bringing together millions of people by specifically working against caste differences, untouchability, poverty, and religious and ethnic boundaries. Although predominantly [[Hinduism|Hindu]], it had members from just about every religion, ethnic group, economic class and linguistic group. In 1939, [[Subhas Chandra Bose]], the elected president in both 1938 and 1939 was expelled from the Congress for his socialist views and the Congress was reduced to a pro-business group financed by the business houses of Birla and Bajaj. At the time of the [[Quit India]] movement, the Congress was undoubtedly the strongest revolutionary group in India, but the Congress disassociated itself from the Quit India movement within a few days. The ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ could not claim to be the sole representative of the Indian people as other parties were there as well notably the [[Hindu Mahasabha]], [[Azad Hind]] Sarkar, and [[Forward Bloc]].
 
The 1929 Lahore session under the presidency of [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] holds special significance as in this session "Poorna Swaraj" (complete independence) was declared as the goal of the INC. 26 January 1930 was declared as "Poorna Swaraj Diwas", Independence Day, although the British would remain in India for 17 more years. To commemorate this date the [[Constitution of India]] was formally adopted on 26 January 1950, even though it had been passed on 26 November 1949. However, in 1929, Srinivas Iyenger was expelled from the Congress for demanding full independence, not just [[home rule]] as demanded by Gandhi.
 
After the [[First World War]] the party became associated with [[Mohandas K. Gandhi]], who remained its unofficial, spiritual leader and mass icon even as younger men and women became party president. The party was in many ways an umbrella organization, sheltering within itself radical socialists, traditionalists and even Hindu and Muslim conservatives, but all the socialist groupings (including the Congress Socialist Party, Krishak Praja Party, and Swarajya Party members) were expelled by Gandhi along with Subhas Chandra Bose in 1939. Members of the Congress initially supported the sailors who led the [[Royal Indian Navy Mutiny]]. However they withdrew support at the critical juncture, when the mutiny failed. During the [[INA trials]] of 1946, the Congress helped to form the [[INA Defence Committee]], which forcefully defended the case of the soldiers of the [[Azad Hind]] government. The committee declared the formation of the Congress' defence team for the INA and included famous lawyers of the time, including [[Bhulabhai Desai]], [[Asaf Ali]], and Jawaharlal Nehru.
 
===The post-independence era===
The party remained in power for thirty continuous years between independence in 1947 and its first taste of electoral defeat (at the રાષ્ટ્રીય level) in ૧૯૭૭.
 
====જવાહરલાલ નેહરુ====
[[File:Jawaharlal Nehru.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[જવાહરલાલ નેહરુ]], પ્રથમ કોંગ્રેસ [[ભારતના વડાપ્રધાન]] (૧૯૪૭–૧૯૬૪).]]
મહાત્મા ગાંધી and સરદાર પટેલ are said to have held the view that the INC was formed only for achieving independence and should have been disbanded in ૧૯૪૭.<ref>Jesudasan, Ignatius. A Gandhian theology of liberation. Gujarat Sahitya Prakash: Ananda India, 1987, pp 225.</ref> However, at the time of independence, the INC (led by જવાહરલાલ નેહરુ) was dominant in the Indian political environment and was established as મુખ્ય રાજનૈતિક પક્ષ. કોંગ્રેસ thus, considering the perceived need for a stable leadership and guiding vision after the confusion and problems during and following the [[ભારતના ભાગલા]] અને સ્વાધીનતા, was re-established as an electoral party સ્વાધીન ભારતમાં. Across several general elections, the party ruled uninterruptedly until ૧૯૭૭, and has remained a major political force.{{Citation needed|date=January 2012}}
 
૧૯૪૮માં ગાંધીની હત્યા, તથા ૧૯૫૦માં સરદાર પટેલ મૃત્યુ પછી, જવાહરલાલ નેહરુ એકમાત્ર બાકી અપ્રતીમ રાષ્ટ્રીય નેતા હતા, and soon the situation became such that Nehru was key રાજનૈતિક બળ અને કોંગ્રેસ ભાવિ છે. નેહરુ embraced [[secularism]], [[socialism|socialistic economic practices]] and a non-aligned foreign policy, જે આધુનિક કોંગ્રેસ પાર્ટીના ચિહ્ન બની ગયો હતો. નેહરુ's policies targeted the more well-off, claiming to have thus improved the position of religious minorities and lower-caste Hindus. A generation of freedom fighting leaders was soon replaced by a generation of people who had grown up in the shadow of નેહરુ. નેહરુ ૧૯૫૨, ૧૯૫૭ અને ૧૯૬૨ની ચૂંટણીમાં સતત બહુમતી માટે કોંગ્રેસ સમાવેશ થાય છે.
 
૧૯૬૪માં નહેરુ મૃત્યુ પછી, પક્ષના ભવિષ્યની પ્રથમ પ્રશ્ન કર્યો હતો. No other leader had નેહરુની popular appeal, so the second-stage leadership mustered around the compromise candidate, the gentle, soft-spoken and Nehruvian [[લાલ બહાદુર શાસ્ત્રી]]. શાસ્ત્રી remained વડાપ્રધાન till his own મૃત્યુ ૧૯૬૬માં, તથા એક broad કોંગ્રેસ પાર્ટી election opted for [[ઈન્દિરા ગાંધી]], નેહરુની પુત્રી, over the right-wing, conservative [[મોરારજી દેસાઈ]].
 
===K. Kamaraj===
 
Toward the end of Nehru's life, [[K. Kamaraj]] was became the president of the All India Congress Committee and proposed the [[Kamaraj Plan]]. According to the plan six Congress chief ministers and six senior Cabinet ministers resigned to take up party work. After Nehru's death, Kamaraj was instrumental in bringing [[Lal Bahadur Shastri]] to power in 1964. He was part of a group of leaders in the Congress called "the syndicate". After Shastri's death, the syndicate favoured Nehru's daughter Indira Gandhi over [[Morarji Desai]] and she became the prime minister of India in 1967. For his role in the two successions, Kamaraj was widely credited as the "kingmaker" in Indian politics. Kamaraj stepped down as AICC president in 1967.
 
===Indira Gandhi===
[[File:Indira Gandhi 1966.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Indira Gandhi]], thrice Prime Minister of India.]]
 
The first serious challenge to Congress hegemony came in 1967 when a new coalition, under the banner of the [[Samyukt Vidhayak Dal]], won control over several states in the [[Hindi belt]]. [[Indira Gandhi]] (not related to Mahatma Gandhi), the daughter of Nehru, and Congress president, was then challenged by the majority of the party leadership. The conflict led to a split, and Indira launched a separate INC. Initially this party was known as Congress (R), but it soon came to be generally known as the "New Congress". The official party became the [[ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ (Organisation)]] (INC(O)) led by [[Kamaraj]]. It was informally called the "Old Congress". As Indira Gandhi had control over the રાષ્ટ્રીય state machinery, her faction was seen as the official INC by the [[Election Commission of India]], although her party was a break-away group.
 
The split can in some ways be seen as a left-wing/right-wing division. Indira Gandhi wanted to use a populist agenda in order to gather popular support for the party. She raised slogans such as ''Garibi Hatao'' (Remove Poverty), and wanted to develop closer ties with the [[Soviet Union]], for strategic purposes.<ref name="AamAadmi">{{cite news | url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/ColumnsPankajVohra/The-original-aam-aadmi-leader/Article1-471695.aspx | title=The Original Aam Admi Leader | work=Hindustan Times | date=November 1, 2009 | accessdate=November 23, 2012 | author=Vohra, Pankaj}}</ref> The regional party elites, who formed the INC(O), stood for a more conservative agenda, and distrusted Soviet help. INC(O) later merged into the [[Janata Party]].
 
Gradually, Indira Gandhi grew more [[authoritarian]] and [[autocrat]]ic in her policies and outlook. Following allegations of electoral malpractice in the general elections, a court overturned Gandhi's victory in her parliamentary constituency in thr [[Indian general election, 1971|1971 General Elections]]. Facing growing criticism and widespread demonstrations by opposition in the country, she proclaimed a state of [[Indian Emergency|રાષ્ટ્રીય Emergency]] in 1975, imprisoned most of her party's opposition, and unleashed a police state.
 
After she lifted the emergency in 1977, more Congress factions were formed, the one remaining loyal to Indira Gandhi being popularly known as Congress(I) with an 'I' for Indira. Congress(I) was routed in the general elections by the Janata Party, but the resulting coalition government lasted for two years, much shorter than the INC's long [[Totalitarianism|dictatorship]]. The Congress party returned to power in the ensuing 1980 elections. In 1984 Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two of her [[Sikh]] bodyguards, in revenge for the disastrous [[Operation Blue Star]]. In the following days [[1984 anti-Sikh riots|anti-Sikh riots]] broke out in [[Delhi]] and elsewhere in which more than six thousand Sikhs were killed, purportedly by activists and leaders of the Congress Party.<ref name="Leaders">{{cite web | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4130962.stm | title=Leaders 'incited' anti-Sikh riots | publisher=BBC News | date=August 8, 2005 | accessdate=November 23, 2012}}</ref>
 
===The post-Indira era===
[[File:Gandhisonia05052007.jpg|thumb|upright|સોનિયા ગાંધી, Chairperson of the [[United Progressive Alliance]] and President of ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ]]
Following the assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984, the ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ party leaders nominated [[Rajiv Gandhi]] to be the next Prime Minister. He took office by storm, winning major election victory, and leading the Congress party by winning 411 seats out of 542, in the Indian Parliament. He helped improve the economic, foreign and security policies of the country, during his tenure.
 
Afterward, former treasurer [[Sitaram Kesri]] took over the reins of the party and oversaw the Congress support to the [[United Front (India)|United Front]] governments that ran from 1996 to 1998. During his tenure, several key leaders broke away from the party, and serious infighting broke out among those left. In 1998, [[સોનિયા ગાંધી]] finally accepted the post of Congress President, in a move that may have saved the party from extinction.
 
After her election as party leader, a section of the party, which objected to the choice, broke away and formed the [[Nationalist Congress Party]]. The use of "Congress (I)" continues to denote the party run by Indira Gandhi's successors. સોનિયા ગાંધી's autocratic era in power has been criticised by some, including the ultra-nationalist right-wing [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] (Indian People's Party) and the ultra-left wing [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]] as well as other, mostly affilliated, groups on the basis that she is a foreigner of Italian ethnicity.
 
Although the Congress expedited the downfall of the [[National Democratic Alliance (India)|National Democratic Alliance]] (NDA) government in 1999 by promising an alternative, Ms. Gandhi's decision was followed by fresh elections and the Congress party's worst-ever tally in the lower house. The party spent the interval period forging alliances and overseeing changes in the state and central institutions to revive the party. It has had many electoral successes which led up to the formation of a Congress-led government in 2004. In the next general election in 2009 which made મનમોહન સિંહ the Prime Minister once again, and Congress was the first party to get 206 seats during a coalition era of politics.
 
==Recent Electoral History==
[[File:Congressrallydelhi (91).JPG|thumb|right|280px|A Congress rally in New Delhi.]]
In the [[Indian general elections, 2004|2004 general elections]], the [[United Progressive Alliance|Congress alliance]] won the largest number of seats and got an assurance of support from the Left Front upsetting the [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]]-led [[National Democratic Alliance (India)|National Democratic Alliance]], which was variously forecast to win outright victory or at least emerge as the largest alliance. Shortly thereafter, સોનિયા ગાંધી was nominated by the Congress-led [[United Progressive Alliance]] to be the next Prime Minister. But સોનિયા ગાંધી refused to take the position based on her "inner voice". She backed eminent economist, former Union Finance Minister and senior Congress leader Dr. [[મનમોહન સિંહ]] for the post of Prime Minister, and he was sworn-in as Prime Minister on 22 May 2004.
Despite strong opposition from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), AIADMK, SP, RJD, LJP, TDP, [[Communist Party of India]], [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]] and [[Bahujan Samaj Party]] (BSP), the ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ won the elections again in 2009, the people gave their mandate to the Congress party and it was the only party to achieve 206 seats in 20 years. The youth supported the Congress under the leadership of [[Rahul Gandhi]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2012}} The Congress's popularity increased by 61% during the elections.{{Citation needed|date=May 2012}}
 
==Ideology and policies==
{{Refimprove section|date=January 2013}}
Historically, the party has supported and advocated in favour of farmers, laborers, [[worker's union]]s ([[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 tax]]es. However, in recent years the party has turned towards [[Centrism|centrist]] economic and [[social democratic]] policies. Today, the INC advocates [[Neoliberalism|neo-liberal]] policies including populism, social liberalism, secularism and [[Capitalism|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.{{citation needed|date=November 2012}}
 
===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 underprivillaged and socially disprivilleged sections of society. This includes publicising employment generation efforts for the rural population (through schemes such as National Rural Employment Generation Scheme) etc. The party supports the somewhat controversial concept of family planning with birth control but hasn't overtly supported [[elective abortion|elective abortion (i.e. Gender-Selective abortion)]]{{citation needed|date=November 2012}} , which would be controversial and dangerous as certain groups (e.g. [[Feminism|Feminists]]) could consider that to be sexist or insensitive and the INC wouldn't have been able to survive under such pressure. The INC supports the highly controversial 'Reservation' system (i.e. reserving jobs and other things for underprivileged factions of society) which could lead to an inexperienced poorer person getting a job instead of an experienced wealthier person, though it could also be vice versa.
 
===Economic policy===
Initially and for a long time, the economic policy of the INC was centred around the public sector and aimed at establishing a "socialistic pattern of society". However, after the recent adoption of [[Economic Liberalism|Economically Liberal]] policies started by [[મનમોહન સિંહ]] the then Finance Minister{{citation needed|date=January 2013}} 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.{{citation needed|date=November 2012}}
 
===Foreign policy===
{{see also|Foreign relations of India}}
Traditionally, [[Non-Aligned Movement|nonalignment]] has been the bedrock of the foreign policy of the INC.{{citation needed|date=November 2012}}
 
==Organisational Structure==
The organisational structure created by [[Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi|Mohandas Gandhi's]] re-arrangement of the Congress in the years of 1918 to 1920 has largely been retained till today.
 
In every Indian state and union territory or ''pradesh'', there is a [[Pradesh Congress Committee]] (PCC), which is the state-level unit of the party, responsible for directing political campaigns at local and state levels and assisting the campaigns for Parliamentary constituencies. Each PCC has a Working Committee of 10–15 key members, and the state president is the leader of the state unit. The Congressmen elected as members of the states legislative assemblies form the Congress Legislature Parties in the various state assemblies, and their chairperson is usually the party's nominee for Chief Ministership.
 
The [[All India Congress Committee]] (AICC) is formed of delegates sent from the PCCs around the country. The delegates elect various Congress committees, including the [[Congress Working Committee]], which consists of senior party leaders and office bearers, and takes all important executive and political decisions.
 
The [[Congress President|President of the ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ]] is in effect the party's national leader, head of the organization, head of the Working Committee and all chief Congress committees, chief spokesman and the Congress choice to become the [[Prime Minister of India]].
 
Constitutionally, the president is to be elected by the vote of the PCCs and members of the AICC. However, this procedure has often been by-passed by the Working Committee, choosing to elect its own candidate as a result of conditional circumstances.
 
The [[Congress Parliamentary Party]] (CPP) is the group of elected MPs in the [[Lok Sabha]] and [[Rajya Sabha]]. It is headed by senior Congress leader [[Pranab Mukherjee]]. Since the current Prime Minister Dr.[[મનમોહન સિંહ]] is not an elected member of the Lok Sabha, Pranab is the CPP president. Dr. Singh is Leader of the Rajya Sabha. There is also a CLP leader in each state. The CLP (Congress Legislative Party) consists of all Congress [[Member of the Legislative Assembly (India)|Members of the Legislative Assembly]] (MLAs) in each state. It also comes under the CPP so Pranab is head of the MLAs also. In cases of states where the Congress is single-handedly ruling the government, the CLP leader is the [[Chief Minister]].
 
==Congress in Pradesh (States)==
{{Main|Pradesh Congress Committee}}
* [[Andaman and Nicobar Pradesh Committee|Andaman and Nicobar PCC]]
* [[Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee|Andhra Pradesh PCC]]
* [[Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee|Arunachal Pradesh PCC]]
* [[Assam PCC]]
* [[Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee|Bihar PCC]]
* [[Chhatisgarh PCC]]
* [[Dadra and Nagar Haveli Pradesh Congress Committee|Dadra and Nagar Haveli PCC]]
* [[Daman and Diu Pradesh Congress Committee|Daman and Diu PCC]]
* [[Delhi PCC]]
* [[Goa Pradesh Congress Committee|Goa PCC]]
* [[Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee|Gujarat PCC]]
* [[Haryana PCC]]
* [[Himachal Pradesh PCC]]
* [[Jammu & Kashmir PCC]]
* [[Jharkhand PCC]]
* [[Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee|Karnataka PCC]]
* [[Kerala PCC]]
* [[Lakshadweep Pradesh Congress Committee|Lakshadweep PCC]]
* [[Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee|Madhya Pradesh PCC]]
* [[Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee]]
* [[Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee]]
* [[Meghalaya PCC]]
* [[Mizoram PCC]]
* [[Nagaland PCC]]
* [[Orissa PCC]]
* [[Pondicherry PCC]]
* [[Punjab PCC]]
* [[Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee|Rajasthan PCC]]
* [[Sikkim Pradesh Congress Committee|Sikkim PCC]]
* [[Tamil Nadu Pradesh Congress Committee|Tamil Nadu PCC]]
* [[Tripura PCC]]
* [[Uttarakhand PCC]]
* [[Uttar Pradesh PCC]]
* [[West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee|West Bengal PCC]]
 
==Congress in various states==
[[File:Indian state governments led by various political parties.png|thumb|Indian states by political parties corrected, Congress Ruled States in Green]]
*Congress is currently in power in 34 states ([[[Manipur]], Meghalaya, [[Mizoram]] and [[Karnataka]]) where the party enjoys a majority of its own.
*In six other states — [[Assam]], Uttarakhand, [[Jammu and Kashmir]], Kerala, [[West Bengal]] and [[Maharashtra]] — 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 union territories, various opposition parties are in power.
 
==Prime Ministers of the Republic 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)
* [[મનમોહન સિંહ]] (2004–2014)
 
==List of current Congress Chief Ministers==
*[[Nabam tuki]] – [[Arunachal Pradesh]]
*[[Nallari Kiran Kumar Reddy]] – [[Andhra Pradesh]]
*[[Tarun Gogoi]] – [[Assam]]
*[[Sheila Dikshit]] – [[Delhi]]
*[[Bhupinder Singh Hooda]] – [[Haryana]]
*[[Prithviraj Chavan]] – [[Maharashtra]]
*[[Okram Ibobi Singh]] – [[Manipur]]
*[[Pu Lalthanhawla]] – [[Mizoram]]
*[[Ashok Gehlot]] – [[Rajasthan]]
*[[Mukul Sangma]] – [[Meghalaya]]
*[[Oommen Chandy]] – [[Kerala]]
*[[Vijay Bahuguna]] - [[Uttarakhand]]
 
==List of presidents of the party==
{{Main|Congress President}}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Name of President
! Life Span
! Year of Presidency
! Place of Conference
|-
| [[Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee]]
| 29 December 1844– 1906
| 1885
| [[Bombay]]
|-
| [[Dadabhai Naoroji]]
| 4 September 1825– 1917
| 1886
| [[Calcutta]]
|-
| [[Badruddin Tyabji]]
| 10 October 1844– 1906
| 1887
| [[Madras]]
|-
| [[George Yule]]
| 1829–1892
| 1888
| [[Allahabad]]
|-
| [[William Wedderburn|Sir William Wedderburn]]
| 1838–1918
| 1889
| [[Bombay]]
|-
| [[Pherozeshah Mehta|Sir Pherozeshah Mehta]]
| 4 August 1845– 1915
| 1890
| [[Calcutta]]
|-
| [[P. Anandacharlu]]
| August 1843– 1908
| 1891
| [[Nagpur]]
|-
| [[Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee]]
| 29 December 1844– 1906
| 1892
| [[Allahabad]]
|-
| [[Dadabhai Naoroji]]
| 4 September 1825– 1917
| 1893
| [[Lahore]]
|-
| [[Alfred Webb]]
| 1834–1908
| 1894
| [[Madras]]
|-
| [[Surendranath Banerjea]]
| 10 November 1848– 1925
| 1895
| [[Pune]]
|-
| [[Rahimtulla M. Sayani]]
| 5 April 1847– 1902
| 1896
| [[Calcutta]]
|-
| [[C. Sankaran Nair|Sir C. Sankaran Nair]]
| 11 July 1857– 1934
| 1897
| [[Amraoti]]
|-
| [[Ananda Mohan Bose]]
| 23 September 1847– 1906
| 1898
| [[Madras]]
|-
| [[Romesh Chunder Dutt]]
| 13 August 1848– 1909
| 1899
| [[Lucknow]]
|-
| [[Narayan Ganesh Chandavarkar|Sir Narayan Ganesh Chandavarkar]]
| 2 December 1855– 1923
| 1900
| [[Lahore]]
|-
| [[Dinshaw Edulji Wacha|Sir Dinshaw Edulji Wacha]]
| 2 August 1844– 1936
| 1901
| [[Calcutta]]
|-
| [[Surendranath Banerjea]]
| 10 November 1825– 1917
| 1902
| [[Ahmedabad]]
|-
| [[Lalmohan Ghosh]]
| 1848–1909
| 1903
| [[Madras]]
|-
| [[Henry John Stedman Cotton|Sir Henry Cotton]]
| 1845–1915
| 1904
| [[Bombay]]
|-
| [[Gopal Krishna Gokhale]]
| 9 May 1866– 1915
| 1905
| [[Benares]]
|-
| [[Dadabhai Naoroji]]
| 4 September 1825– 1917
| 1906
| [[Calcutta]]
|-
| [[Rashbihari Ghosh]]
| 23 December 1845– 1921
| 1907
| [[Surat]]
|-
| [[Rashbihari Ghosh]]
| 23 December 1845– 1921
| 1908
| [[Madras]]
|-
| [[Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya]]
| 25 December 1861– 1946
| 1909
| [[Lahore]]
|-
| [[William Wedderburn|Sir William Wedderburn]]
| 1838–1918
| 1910
| [[Allahabad]]
|-
| [[Bishan Narayan Dar|Pandit Bishan Narayan Dar]]
| 1864–1916
| 1911
| [[Calcutta]]
|-
| [[Rao Bahadur Raghunath Narasinha Mudholkar]]
| 1857–1921
| 1912
| [[Bankipur (Bihar)|Bankipur]]
|-
| [[Nawab Syed Muhammad Bahadur]]
| ?- 1919
| 1913
| [[Karachi]]
|-
| [[Bhupendra Nath Bose]]
| 1859–1924
| 1914
| [[Madras]]
|-
| [[Satyendra Prasanno Sinha, 1st Baron Sinha|Lord Satyendra Prasanna Sinha]]
| March 1863– 1928
| 1915
| [[Bombay]]
|-
| [[Ambica Charan Mazumdar]]
| 1850–1922
| 1916
| [[Lucknow]]
|-
| [[Annie Besant]]
| 1 October 1847– 1933
| 1917
| [[Calcutta]]
|-
| [[Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya]]
| 25 December 1861– 1946
| 1918
| [[Delhi]]
|-
| [[Syed Hasan Imam]]
| 31 August 1871– 1933
| 1918
| [[Bombay]] (Special Session)
|-
| [[Motilal Nehru|Pandit Motilal Nehru]]
| 6 May 1861– 6 February 1931
| 1919
| [[Amritsar]]
|-
| [[Lala Lajpat Rai]]
| 28 January 1865– 17 November 1928
| 1920
| [[Calcutta]] (Special Session)
|-
| [[C. Vijayaraghavachariar]]
| 1852– 19 April 1944
| 1920
| [[Nagpur]]
|-
| [[Hakim Ajmal Khan]]
| 1863– 29 December 1927
| 1921
| [[Ahmedabad]]
|-
| [[Chittaranjan Das|Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das]]
| 5 November 1870– 16 June 1925
| 1922
| [[Gaya, India|Gaya]]
|-
| [[Maulana Mohammad Ali]]
| 10 December 1878– 4 January 1931
| 1923
| [[Kakinada]]
|-
| [[Maulana Abul Kalam Azad]]
| 1888– 22 February 1958
| 1923
| [[Delhi]] (Special Session)
|-
| [[Mahatma Gandhi]]
| 2 October 1869– 30 January 1948
| 1924
| [[Belgaum]]
|-
| [[Sarojini Naidu]]
| 13 February 1879– 2 March 1949
| 1925
| [[Kanpur]]
|-
| [[S. Srinivasa Iyengar]]
| September 11, 1874– 19 May 1941
| 1926
| [[Gauhati]]
|-
| [[Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari|Dr. M A Ansari]]
| 25 December 1880– 10 May 1936
| 1927
| [[Madras]]
|-
| [[Motilal Nehru|Pandit Motilal Nehru]]
| 6 May 1861– 6 February 1931
| 1928
| [[Calcutta]]
|-
| [[Jawaharlal Nehru|Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru]]
| 14 November 1889– 27 May 1964
| 1929 & 30
| [[Lahore]]
|-
| [[Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel]]
| 31 October 1875– 15 December 1950
| 1931
| [[Karachi]]
|-
| [[Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya]]
| 25 December 1861– 1946
| 1932
| [[Delhi]]
|-
| [[Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya]]
| 25 December 1861– 1946
| 1933
| [[Calcutta]]
|-
| [[Nellie Sengupta]]
| 1886–1973
| 1933
| [[Calcutta]]
|-
| [[Rajendra Prasad|Dr. Rajendra Prasad]]
| 3 December 1884– 28 February 1963
| 1934 & 35
| [[Bombay]]
|-
| [[Jawaharlal Nehru|Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru]]
| 14 November 1889– 27 May 1964
| 1936
| [[Lucknow]]
|-
| [[Jawaharlal Nehru|Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru]]
| 14 November 1889– 27 May 1964
| 1936& 37
| [[Faizpur]]
|-
| [[Subhas Chandra Bose|Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose]]
| 23 January 1897– Unknown<ref name="ReferenceA">[[Disappearance of Subhas Chandra Bose]]</ref>
| 1938
| [[Haripura]]
|-
| [[Subhas Chandra Bose|Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose]]
| 23 January 1897– Unknown<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
| 1939
| [[Jabalpur]]
|-
| [[Maulana Abul Kalam Azad]]
| 1888– 22 February 1958
| 1940–46
| [[Ramgarh Cantonment|Ramgarh]]
|-
| [[Jivatram Kripalani|Acharya J.B. Kripalani]]
| 1888– 19 March 1982
| 1947
| [[Delhi]]
|-
| [[Bhogaraju Pattabhi Sitaramayya|Dr Pattabhi Sitaraimayya]]
| 24 December 1880– 17 December 1959
| 1948 & 49
| [[Jaipur]]
|-
| [[Purushottam Das Tandon]]
| 1 August 1882– 1 July 1961
| 1950
| [[Nasik]]
|-
| [[Jawaharlal Nehru|Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru]]
| 14 November 1889– 27 May 1964
| 1951 & 52
| [[Delhi]]
|-
| [[Jawaharlal Nehru|Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru]]
| 14 November 1889– 27 May 1964
| 1953
| [[Hyderabad (India)|Hyderabad]]
|-
| [[Jawaharlal Nehru|Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru]]
| 14 November 1889– 27 May 1964
| 1954
| [[Kalyani, West Bengal|Kalyani]]
|-
| [[U N Dhebar]]
| 21 September 1905– 1977
| 1955
| [[Avadi]]
|-
| [[U N Dhebar]]
| 21 September 1905– 1977
| 1956
| [[Amritsar]]
|-
| [[U N Dhebar]]
| 21 September 1905– 1977
| 1957
| [[Indore]]
|-
| [[U N Dhebar]]
| 21 September 1905– 1977
| 1958
| [[Gauhati]]
|-
| [[U N Dhebar]]
| 21 September 1905– 1977
| 1959
| [[Nagpur]]
|-
| [[Indira Gandhi]]
| 19 November 1917– 31 October 1984
| 1959
| [[Delhi]]
|-
| [[Neelam Sanjiva Reddy]]
| 19 May 1913– 1 June 1996
| 1960
| [[Bangalore]]
|-
| [[Neelam Sanjiva Reddy]]
| 19 May 1913– 1 June 1996
| 1961
| [[Bhavnagar]]
|-
| [[Neelam Sanjiva Reddy]]
| 19 May 1913– 1 June 1996
| 1962 & 63
| [[Patna]]
|-
| [[K. Kamaraj]]
| 15 July 1903– 2 October 1975
| 1964
| [[Bhubaneswar]]
|-
| [[K. Kamaraj]]
| 15 July 1903– 2 October 1975
| 1965
| [[Durgapur, West Bengal|Durgapur]]
|-
| [[K. Kamaraj]]
| 15 July 1903– 2 October 1975
| 1966 & 67
| [[Jaipur]]
|-
| [[S. Nijalingappa]]
| 10 December 1902– 9 August 2000
| 1968
| [[Hyderabad (India)|Hyderabad]]
|-
| [[S. Nijalingappa]]
| 10 December 1902– 9 August 2000
| 1969
| [[Faridabad]]
|-
| [[Jagjivan Ram]]
| 5 April 1908– 6 July 1986
| 1970 & 71
| [[Bombay]]
|-
| [[Shankar Dayal Sharma|Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma]]
| 19 August 1918– 26 December 1999
| 1972– 74
| [[Calcutta]]
|-
| [[Dev Kant Baruah]]
| 22 February 1914– 1996
| 1975– 77
| [[Chandigarh]]
|-
| [[Indira Gandhi]]
| 19 November 1917– 31 October 1984
| 1978– 83
| [[Delhi]]
|-
| [[Indira Gandhi]]
| 19 November 1917– 31 October 1984
| 1983 -84
| [[Calcutta]]
|-
| [[Rajiv Gandhi]]
| 20 August 1944– 21 May 1991
| 1985 -91
| [[Bombay]]
|-
| [[P. V. Narasimha Rao]]
| 28 June 1921– 23 December 2004
| 1992 -96
| [[Tirumala - Tirupati|Tirupati]]
|-
| [[Sitaram Kesri]]
| November 1919– 24 October 2000
| 1997 -98
| [[Kolkata]]
|-
| [[સોનિયા ગાંધી]]
| 9 December 1946–
| 1998–2017
| [[Kolkata]]
|-
|[[રાહુલ ગાંધી]]
|19 June 1970–
|2017—Present
|
|}
 
==Controversies and criticisms==
{{POV|date=June 2012}}
{{Disputed|date=June 2012}}
 
===1947: Anti-Godse riots===
After the knowledge that the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi, [[Nathuram Godse]], was a Maharashtrian [[Brahmin]], some workers of the Congress Party went on a [[rampage]], against the supporters of Savarkar and Nathuram Godse, burning their houses and putting thousands in jail.<ref name="GodsesWar">{{cite journal | url=http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?238938 | title=Godse's War | author=Datta, Saikat | journal=Outlook India | date=November 17, 2008}}</ref>
 
===1975-1977: State of Emergency===
{{Main| Indian Emergency (1975-1977)}}
On 12 June 1975 the High Court of Allahabad declared Indira Gandhi's election to the Lok Sabha void on grounds of electoral malpractice. But Mrs Gandhi rejected calls to resign and announced plans to appeal to the Supreme Court.
 
Indira had already been accused of authoritarianism. By using her strong parliamentary majority, her ruling Congress Party had amended the Constitution and altered the balance of power between the Centre and the States in favour of the Central Government. She had twice imposed "President's Rule" under Article 356 of the Constitution by declaring states ruled by opposition parties as "lawless and chaotic", and thus seizing control. In response to her new tendency for authoritarian use of power, public figures and former freedom-fighters like Jaya Prakash Narayan, Satyendra Narayan Sinha and Acharya Jivatram Kripalani toured India, speaking actively against her and her government.
 
Indira Gandhi moved to restore order by ordering the arrest of most of the opposition participating in the unrest. Her Cabinet and government then recommended that President [[Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed]] declare a state of emergency, because of the disorder and lawlessness following the Allahabad High Court decision. Accordingly, Ahmed declared a State of Emergency caused by internal disorder, based on the provisions of [[Article 352]] of the Constitution, on 26 June 1975.
It is one of the most controversial periods in the [[History of the Republic of India|history of independent India]].<ref name="MostControversial">"India in 1975: Democracy in Eclipse", ND Palmer – Asian Survey, vol 16 no 5. Opening lines.</ref>
 
===1984: anti-Sikh riots===
{{Main|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"<ref name=coverup-1>{{cite news | last = Mustafa |first = Seema | title = 1984 Sikhs Massacres: Mother of All Cover-ups | work = Front page story | page = 1| publisher = The Asian Age | date = 2005-08-09| url =| accessdate = 2008-12-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last = Agal |first = Renu | title = Justice delayed, justice denied | work =| pages =| publisher = BBC News | date = 2005-08-11| url =| accessdate = 2008-12-30}}</ref> There are allegations that the violence was led and often perpetrated by ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ activists and sympathizers during the riots.<ref name=Leaders/> The government, then led by the Congress, was widely criticized 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.
 
===Bofors scandal===
{{main|Bofors scandal}}
The Bofors scandal was a major corruption scandal in [[India]] in the 1980s. Late Prime Minister [[Rajiv Gandhi]], who was simultaneously serving as the president of Congress (I), and his associates the late Win Chadha and Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi were accused of receiving [[kickbacks]] to help [[Bofors]] win a bid in 1986 to sell [[Haubits FH77|155&nbsp;mm field howitzer]]s to the [[Indian Army]]. The scale of this corruption was far worse than any that India had seen before, and directly led to the defeat of Gandhi's ruling Congress party in the November 1989 general elections. It has been speculated that the scale of the scandal was to the tune of Rs. 400 million.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/index.php?issueid=89&id=39264&option=com_content&task=view&sectionid=4 | title=Key Players in Bofors Scandal | work=India Today | date=April 28, 2009 | accessdate=November 26, 2012 | location=New Delhi}}</ref>
 
The case came to light during [[Vishwanath Pratap Singh]]'s tenure as defence minister, and was revealed through investigative journalism by [[Chitra Subramaniam]] and [[N. Ram]] of the newspapers the ''[[Indian Express]]'' and ''[[The Hindu]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.rediff.com/news/1999/sep/23vir.htm | title=Bofors' Ghosts | publisher=Rediff on the NeT | date=September 23, 1999 | accessdate=November 26, 2012 | author=Singhvi, Vir}}</ref>
 
In January 2011, an [[Income tax]] tribunal ruled that Rs. 41.2 crore was paid as kickbacks to the late Win Chadha and Italian businessman [[Ottavio Quattrocchi]] in the Swedish howitzer deal and the two are liable to tax in India on such income.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.hindu.com/2011/01/04/stories/2011010460250100.htm | location=Chennai, India | work=The Hindu | title=I-T Tribunal nails Chadha, Quattrocchi | date=4 January 2011}}</ref>
 
===Charges of bidding for seats===
In November 2008, senior Congress leader, [[Margaret Alva]], made a charge that Congress seats for the elections were up for [[bidding]] as opposed to a [[meritocratic]] appointment to run. The party responded to the charge by denying such a claim, as well as dropping her as general secretary of the party, the [[Congress Working Committee]] and the party's [[Central Election Committee]]. She was also stripped of her charge of the Congress party in [[Maharashtra]], [[Punjab (India)|Punjab]], Haryana and [[Mizoram]]. Congress spokesperson, [[Shakeel Ahmad]], added that "Congress president Mrs [[સોનિયા ગાંધી]] has taken the decision on the report submitted by Mr AK Antony, chairperson of the Disciplinary Action Committee."<ref>[http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=2&theme=&usrsess=1&id=230673]{{dead link|date=June 2012}}</ref> This followed an outburst by the son of the congress chairperson, [[Rahul Gandhi]], that "Democracy in political parties is non-existent in India. You cannot enter unless you are well connected." In response the recent allegations he said, "I had made some recommendations to include some younger boys. I am not unhappy with the distribution of tickets."<ref>[http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=2&theme=&usrsess=1&id=230659]{{dead link|date=June 2012}}</ref>
 
===Allegations of religious bias===
{{Disputed section|date=January 2013}}
====Pro Islamic Bias====
The Congress party and its allies are sometimes accused of "pseudo" [[secularism]]{{by whom?|date=January 2013}}, in which only Hindus are expected to be secular while Muslims and other minorities remain free to practice exclusionary practices.<ref>[http://www.upiasiaonline.com/Politics/2007/12/26/a_hindu_backlash_hits_sonia_gandhi/7005/ A Hindu backlash hits Sonia Gandhi–upiasiaonline.com]</ref>{{dead link|date=January 2013}}
 
====Softness shown towards religious extremism and terrorism====
{{POV section|date=January 2013}}
Rivalling parties such as those from the [[National Democratic Alliance (India)|NDA coalition]] (i.e. the [[BJP]]) have often claimed that the Congress party and other UPA coalition members might be too soft on [[Islamic extremism|Islamic extremist]] and [[Islamic fundamentalism|fundamentalist]] ideologies and actions such as [[Islamic terrorism]] and [[Islamism]] by scrapping the [[Prevention of Terrorist Activities Act]] (POTA) immediately after it won the elections in 2004. Senior BJP leaders such as [[Nitin Gadkari]] and [[Narendra Modi]] have accused Congress Party of being soft on Indian terrorist groups such as [[Indian Mujahideen]] for the sake of [[vote bank]] politics.<ref name="SoftonTerror">{{cite news | url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/gadkari-says-cong-soft-on-terror-for-voteban/616552/ | title=Gadkari says Cong soft on terror for votebank politics | work=The Indian Express | date=May 10, 2010 | accessdate=November 23, 2012 | author=Sharma, Ashwani}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Economic Times|url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2008-09-14/news/27693899_1_national-executive-political-resolution-prime-ministerial-candidate|title=Modi says Cong soft on terror | work=The Times Of India|date=14 September 2008}}</ref>
 
Congress and its allies are insulted by political rivals for not retalliating against Islamic terrorists in [[Kashmir]] and solely focusing on the issues of the Indian Muslim community to gain Muslim votes. [[Kashmiri Pandit]]s have been in exile since January 1990 following the outbreak of terrorism in Kashmir.<ref>{{Cite news|author=ndtv|url=http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/after-21-years-in-exile-kashmiri-pandits-focus-on-raising-numbers-81048|title=21 years of exile for Kashmiri Pandits}}</ref>
 
===2G spectrum scam===
{{main|2G spectrum scam}}
The scam was bought into limelight in 2010 when case filed against Minister for Communications and Information Technology [[A. Raja]] had been reported. 2G licenses were issued to private telecom players at throwaway prices in 2008. The CAG estimated on the basis of 3G auction that the 2G Spectrum scam had cost the government Rs. 1.76 lakh crore. Rules and procedures were flouted while issuing licenses.<ref>[http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/what-is-2g-spectrum-scam-66418 2G Spectrum Scam]</ref> The CBI in the Supreme Court has since indicated that the factual loss is around Rs 30 000 crore.<ref>[http://www.2gscam.co.in/the-truth-in-the-2G-scam-is-slowly-emerging.asp The truth in the 2G scam is slowly emerging<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
 
The 2G spectrum scam came in a year that was full of scams for the Congress (UPA) government. The government meanwhile also faced the accusation of using the CBI for covering up scandals, in wake of which, the BJP chief [[Nitin Gadkari]] termed the CBI as "Congress Bureau of Investigation".<ref>[http://news.rediff.com/report/2010/jul/26/cbi-is-congress-bureau-of-investigation-says-bjp.htm CBI-Congress Bureau of Investigation]</ref>
 
===Bribes to Members of Parliament===
As per United States secret diplomatic cable number 162458 dated 17 July 2008, Congress Party insider [[Satish Sharma]]'s political aide Nachiketa Kapur told a US diplomat on 16 July 2008 that the party paid INR 100 million (about $2.5 million) each to four Members of Parliament<ref name=hindu-cable162458>{{cite news| url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/the-india-cables/article1544916.ece | location=Chennai, India | work=The Hindu | title=162458: Cash-for-votes ahead of confidence motion | date=17 March 2011}}</ref> in order to help the party narrowly survive a [[no-confidence motion]].<ref name="CSM">{{cite news | url=http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-South-Central/2008/0723/p25s10-wosc.html | title=Indian Government Survives No-Confidence Vote | work=The Christian Science Monitor | date=July 23, 2008 | accessdate=November 26, 2012 | author=Ridge, Mian | location=New Delhi, India}}</ref>
Another Congress Party insider told the US Political Counsel in New Delhi that Congress Party cabinet minister [[Kamal Nath]] was also helping bribe Members of Parliament in order to help secure the votes.<ref name=hindu-cable162458/>
 
===Other Charges of Corruption===
Since the party has dominated the political landscape of India for over a century, there are many charges of corruption and [[authoritarianism]] against it, with people questioning India's [[Democracy]]. In the wake of the [[2G Spectrum scam]], the [[Concerns and controversies over the 2010 Commonwealth Games|2010 Commonwealth Games Scam]] and the [[Adarsh Housing Society Mumbai]], a survey by an Indian magazine [[Outlook (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.<ref name="Transparent">{{cite news | url=http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?270152 | title=It's a Bit too Transparent | work=Outlook | date=January 31, 2011 | accessdate=November 23, 2012}}</ref>
 
==See also==
{{Portal|Politics}}
* [[Congress Working Committee]]
* [[All India Congress Committee]]
* [[Pradesh Congress Committee]]
* [[Statewise Election history of Congress Party]]
* [[Jinnah's People's Memorial Hall]]
* [[Nehru - Feroze Gandhi family]]
* [[List of political parties in India]]
* [[Politics of India]]
 
==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
 
==બાહ્ય કડીઓ==
===Bibliography===
* Bipan Chandra, Amales Tripathi, Barun De. ''Freedom Struggle''. India: National Book Struggle. ISBN 81-237-0249-X{{Please check ISBN|reason=Check digit (X) does not correspond to calculated figure.}}.
{{Refend}}
 
==Further reading==
* ''The ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ: An Historical Sketch'', by Frederick Marion De Mello. Published by H. Milford, Oxford university press, 1934.
* ''The ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ'', by Hemendra Nath Das Gupta. Published by J. K. Das Gupta, 1946.
* ''ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ: A Descriptive Bibliography of India's Struggle for Freedom'', by Jagdish Saran Sharma. Published by S. Chand, 1959.
* ''Social Factors in the Birth and Growth of the ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ Movement'', by Ramparkash Dua. Published by S. Chand, 1967.
* ''Split in a Predominant Party: The ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ in 1969'', by Mahendra Prasad Singh. Abhinav Publications, 1981. ISBN 81-7017-140-7.
* ''Concise History of the ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ, 1885–1947'', by B. N. Pande, Nisith Ranjan Ray, Ravinder Kumar, Manmath Nath Das. Published by Vikas Pub. House, 1985. ISBN 0-7069-3020-7.
* ''The ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ: An Analytical Biography'', by Om P. Gautam. Published by B.R. Pub. Corp., 1985.
* ''A Century of ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ, 1885–1985'', by Pran Nath Chopra, Ram Gopal, Moti Lal Bhargava. Published by Agam Prakashan, 1986.
* ''The Congress Ideology and Programme, 1920–1985'', by Pitambar Datt Kaushik . Published by Gitanjali Pub. House, 1986. ISBN 81-85060-16-9.
* ''Struggling and Ruling: The ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ, 1885–1985'', by Jim Masselos. Published by Sterling Publishers, 1987.
* ''The Encyclopedia of ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ'', by A. Moin Zaidi, Shaheda Gufran Zaidi, Indian Institute of Applied Political Research. Published by S.Chand, 1987.
* ''ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ: A Reconstruction'', by Iqbal Singh, Nehru Memorial Museum and Library. Published by Riverdale Company, 1988. ISBN 0-913215-32-5.
* ''INC, the Glorious Tradition'', by A. Moin Zaidi, ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ. AICC. Published by Indian Institute of Applied Political Research, 1989.
* ''ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ: A Select Bibliography'', by Manikrao Hodlya Gavit, Attar Chand. Published by U.D.H. Pub. House, 1989. ISBN 81-85044-05-8.
* ''The Story of Congress PilgrFile: 1885–1985'', by A. Moin Zaidi, ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ. Published by Indian Institute of Applied Political Research, 1990. ISBN 81-85355-46-0. (7 vols)
* ''ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ in England'', by Harish P. Kaushik. Published by Friends Publications, 1991.
* ''Women in ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ, 1921–1931'', by Rajan Mahan. Published by Rawat Publications, 1999.
* ''History of ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ, 1885–2002'', by Deep Chand Bandhu. Published by Kalpaz Publications, 2003. ISBN 81-7835-090-4.
 
==External links==
{{commons|ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ}}
* [http://www.aicc.org.in/ ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ]&nbsp;— Official website
* [http://www.congress4india.com/ ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ Discussion Group]
* [http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/freedom/congress/ Congress Archives]
* [http://www.congressmedia.net/home Congress Media]
* [http://www.congresssandesh.com/ Congress Sandesh]
* [http://www.nsui.in/ National Students Union of India]
* [http://www.iyc.in/sns/ Indian Youth Congress]
<!-- links to official sites or documents go above here-->
* {{dmoz|Regional/Asia/India/Society_and_Culture/Politics/Parties/Indian_National_Congress/|ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ}}
 
{{ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ}}
{{Indian political parties}}
{{India topics}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2012}}
 
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