The National Conference of 1883, held in Calcutta, was organised by which body?
- A.The British Indian Association
- B.The Indian Association
- C.The Madras Mahajana Sabha
- D.The Poona Sarvajanik Sabha
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, the Indian Association. Surendranath Banerjee's Association called the first National Conference in Calcutta in December 1883, bringing delegates from several parts of India to discuss questions of national importance, and it held a second conference in December 1885. In structure and purpose these conferences anticipated the annual sessions of the Congress, which is why the Indian Association is described as the direct forerunner of the Congress. A, the British Indian Association of 1851 remained a landlord body and did not call such conferences. C, the Madras Mahajana Sabha held its own conference in Madras in 1884 but did not organise the Calcutta National Conference. D, the Poona Sarvajanik Sabha worked mainly in the Deccan on revenue and famine questions. The second National Conference met in Calcutta in the same week of December 1885 in which the Congress was meeting in Bombay, and the two streams merged the following year.
Read the full article: Political Associations before the Congress: Years and Founders
Practice Questions
View allWhich organisation is generally regarded as the first political association founded in India?
- A.Landholders' Society
- B.Bangabhasha Prakasika Sabha
- C.British Indian Association
- D.Indian Association
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It discussed questions of public interest and sent representations to the government, and because it came before every other body of its kind it is counted as the first political association in India.
Read the full explanation →The British Indian Association of 1851 was formed by the merger of which two bodies?
- A.Bombay Association and Madras Native Association
- B.Landholders' Society and Bengal British India Society
- C.Indian League and Indian Association
- D.East India Association and London Indian Society
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The Landholders' Society of 1838 spoke for the zamindars of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, while the Bengal British India Society of 1843 was set up with the help of George Thompson to collect and publish information on the condition of the people.
Read the full explanation →The East India Association was founded in London in 1866 by whom?
- A.Dadabhai Naoroji
- B.Surendranath Banerjee
- C.Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee
- D.Mahadev Govind Ranade
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He had already formed the London Indian Society in 1865, and in 1866 he founded the East India Association in London, with branches later opened in Bombay, Calcutta and Madras.
Read the full explanation →The Poona Sarvajanik Sabha was founded in 1870 by
- A.Bal Gangadhar Tilak and G. G. Agarkar
- B.Mahadev Govind Ranade and Ganesh Vasudeo Joshi
- C.Jyotirao Phule and Gopal Hari Deshmukh
- D.Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Pherozeshah Mehta
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The Sabha was set up in Poona in 1870 to act as a bridge between the government and the people, and its members held written authority from the villages around Poona to speak on their behalf, which gave it a representative character unusual for the time.
Read the full explanation →The Indian Association, founded in Calcutta in 1876, was established by
- A.Sisir Kumar Ghosh and Motilal Ghosh
- B.Surendranath Banerjee and Anand Mohan Bose
- C.Debendranath Tagore and Radhakanta Deb
- D.Badruddin Tyabji and K. T. Telang
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It aimed to create a strong body of public opinion, to unify Indians on common political questions, to promote Hindu and Muslim friendship and to draw the masses into public movements, and it kept the membership fee low so that poorer people could join.
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