Congress party president Mallikarjun Kharge shared a social media post on the organisation’s Foundation Day on Sunday (December 28), writing that the “140-year-old glorious history of the Indian National Congress, narrate the great saga of truth, non-violence, sacrifice, struggle and patriotism.”Beginning in 1885, the organisation initially sought to influence British policy in India. It then transformed into helming India’s nationalist movement, before becoming a hegemonic force in post-Independence India, and finally witnessing a decline in its political influence.Here is a brief look at its journey, and how its most famed member perceived it.1. Founded in 1885 by AO HumeThe Indian National Congress (INC) was founded by English bureaucrat Allan Octavian Hume, who advocated for greater self-governance (not independence) for the people of India. On December 28, 1885, 72 social reformers, journalists and lawyers congregated for the first session of the INC at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College, Bombay (now Mumbai).At that point, the INC aimed to influence British policies in favour of Indians. Its objective is often described as providing a “safety valve” through which Indians could air out their grievances and frustrations. A. O. Hume, the founder of the Indian National Congress, is shown in the middle (third row from the front). To his right is Dadabhoy Nairoji; to his left, in sequence, are: W. C. Bonnerjee, Pherozeshah Mehta, and Gopal Krishna Gokhale. (Wikimedia Commons)“The fundamental objects of this national movement were… First, the fusion into one national whole of all the different elements that constitute the population of India; second, the gradual regeneration along all lines, spiritual, moral, social, and political, of the nation thus evolved; and third, the consolidation, oft, the union between England and India,” William Wedderburn, another founding member of the INC, wrote in his 1913 biography of Hume.2. Transition from petitions to agitationWhile members frequently protested against the injustice meted out by the British, these were usually limited to prayers and petitions. The party came under fire from the British for upsetting the status quo, while simultaneously being criticised by Indians for not doing enough. Notably, it largely consisted of educated, upper-class people, many of whom had studied abroad.Story continues below this adAs the party further diversified into the provinces, major differences emerged regarding its functioning and larger purpose. These differences would eventually manifest in 1906, with a split between the moderates, led by Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Surendranath Banerjea, and the extremists, led by Bal Gangadhar Tilak.As their respective names suggest, the two groups envisioned different responses to the Bengal Partition of 1905. The party would reunite in 1915, just as Mahatma Gandhi was entering the scene. Gandhi would rapidly become the most influential figure in the party and transform its politics for good: from attending dinner parties with the British, the Congress came to be at the helm of the largest mass movement in history.Under Gandhi, it also became a social movement. While it largely comprised Hindu upper caste men, it had influential members from ethnic and religious minorities, adding to its mass appeal among the people.At the 1929 Lahore session of the Congress, under the presidency of Gandhi’s protege Jawaharlal Nehru, the party declared Purna Swaraj (complete independence) as its ultimate goal. “The British government in India has not only deprived the Indian people of their freedom but has based itself on the exploitation of the masses, and has ruined India economically, politically, culturally and spiritually… Therefore… India must sever the British connection and attain Purna Swaraj or complete independence,” Nehru declared.Story continues below this adThis goal would eventually be attained in 1947, albeit alongside the bitter reality of the Partition of India.3. Post-Independence dominance, declineGandhi initially saw the Congress as an organisation that “brought together Indians from different parts of India, and enthused us with the idea of nationality… To treat the Congress as an institution inimical to our growth as a nation would disable us from using that body.”But by the 1940s, he believed that decentralised action to achieve self-rule was the best path to create his ideal society, beginning with self-sufficiency at the village level. Shortly before his assassination in 1948, he wrote about the Congress, “It must be kept out of unhealthy competition with political parties and communal bodies. For these and other similar reasons, the A.I.C.C. (All India Congress Committee) resolves to disband the existing Congress organisation and flower into a Lok Sevak Sangh (Society to Serve the People).”That did not mean the end of the Congress, but certainly implied reimagining it as an entity with an entirely different purpose.Story continues below this adExplained | Did Gandhi really want the Congress party to be dissolved after Independence?Its leaders, however, chose to follow the path of electoral politics. The legacy of the national movement, combined with Congress’s organisational strength, meant that it would enjoy a dominant position in nascent India. It would sweep the first six general elections. Under the leadership of Nehru, the party embraced secularism, socialistic economic practices based on state-driven industrialisation, and a non-aligned and non-confrontational foreign policy.However, its dominance did not preclude it from internal party politics. Nehru was succeeded by Shastri, who passed away suddenly in 1966. This was followed by a power struggle between the Congress old guard and his daughter, Indira Gandhi.A relatively inexperienced Indira was made PM by this old guard, led by the likes of Morarji Desai and K Kamaraj, with hopes of being able to exercise significant control. However, Indira had a mind of her own. This would lead to another split in the party — Congress (R) led by Indira, and Congress (O) led by Desai. Indira’s government would survive and, in 1971, come back to power with a resounding mandate.On the back of the Emergency (1975-77) and its excesses in north India, in particular, the Congress would lose the 1977 general elections, marking its first electoral loss on the national stage. It would come to power about three years later, and hold it until 1989 under the prime ministership of Indira (assassinated in 1984) and then her son Rajiv.Story continues below this adThe 1989 electoral loss was a shocking setback for the party. While it remained the single largest political party in the country, it fell 68 seats short of a majority, leading to a coalition of parties to come to power instead. This coalition would last for a couple of years, followed by another five-year Congress government under PV Narasimha Rao.But the era of its dominance was over. In the 1990s, the Bharatiya Janata Party emerged as a national alternative to the Congress, and for the first time in India’s history, the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led non-Congress government lasted for a full five years.It would again return to power from 2004-14 before being reduced to under 50 seats in the 2014 and 2016 elections. The 2024 Lok Sabha elections saw it fall just short of a three-digit figure, at 99 seats, while the BJP failed to secure the majority on its own. However, the party’s subsequent lacklustre performance in state elections since 2024 has again raised serious questions about its revival.