SSC
The demand for 'Purna Swaraj' (complete independence) was adopted at the Lahore session of 1929 under the presidency of:
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Answer: Option A — Jawaharlal Nehru
Detailed Solution
The Lahore session of the Indian National Congress was held in December 1929, on the banks of the river Ravi. Jawaharlal Nehru, then 40 years old, presided over it. Mahatma Gandhi had supported his election as President.
At this session, the Congress passed a historic resolution declaring "Purna Swaraj" (complete independence) as the goal of the national movement. This was a major change, because earlier the Congress had demanded only dominion status (self-government within the British Empire), as in the Nehru Report of 1928.
The background was as follows:
The Simon Commission (1927), which had no Indian member, was boycotted across India.
The Nehru Report (1928), prepared by a committee headed by Motilal Nehru, demanded dominion status. Younger leaders, such as Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhas Chandra Bose, wanted complete independence.
At the Calcutta session (1928), the Congress gave the British government one year to accept dominion status, failing which it would demand complete independence.
The Irwin Declaration of October 1929 vaguely promised dominion status in the future, but did not satisfy the Congress.
At Lahore, the Congress also decided to boycott the First Round Table Conference and authorised the Congress Working Committee to launch a programme of civil disobedience, including non-payment of taxes.
At midnight on 31 December 1929, Nehru hoisted the tricolour flag on the banks of the Ravi. The Congress decided to celebrate 26 January 1930 as "Independence Day" (Purna Swaraj Day) across the country, when people took a pledge for independence. Later, the Constitution of India came into force on 26 January 1950 to honour this date, which is now celebrated as Republic Day.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Mahatma Gandhi presided over only one Congress session, at Belgaum (1924).
- ✗Motilal Nehru presided over the Calcutta session (1928) and the Amritsar session (1919).
- ✗Subhas Chandra Bose presided over the Haripura (1938) and Tripuri (1939) sessions.
Quick tip
Remember: Lahore 1929 = Jawaharlal Nehru, Purna Swaraj resolution, flag on the Ravi, 26 January 1930 as Independence Day (hence Republic Day on 26 January).
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Indian National Congress & Its Sessions — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Indian National Congress & Its Sessions, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
The Indian National Congress was founded in 1885 by A. O. Hume, and its first session was held in Bombay under W. C. Bonnerjee. This topic covers the important Congress sessions and their presidents, the moderate and extremist phases, the Surat split, and the founding and role of the Muslim League. Questions commonly ask who presided over a session, where a session was held, or what was decided there. For example, the 1929 Lahore session under Jawaharlal Nehru adopted the goal of Purna Swaraj, and the 1931 Karachi session passed the resolution on Fundamental Rights. The first woman president of the Congress was Annie Besant (Calcutta, 1917). Practise the Indian National Congress questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.