SSC
The only session of the Indian National Congress presided over by Mahatma Gandhi was held in 1924 at:
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Answer: Option B — Belgaum
Detailed Solution
The only session of the Indian National Congress presided over by Mahatma Gandhi was the 39th session, held at Belgaum (Belagavi, in present-day Karnataka) in December 1924.
About the Belgaum session:
- It was held on 26-27 December 1924, at a place called Vijayanagar in Belgaum.
- It was held after Gandhi was released from prison in February 1924, on grounds of ill health.
- Its main purpose was to bring unity between the Swarajists (who wanted to enter the legislatures) and the No-Changers (who wanted to continue Gandhi's constructive programme).
- Gandhi supported an agreement under which the Swarajists could work in the legislatures on behalf of the Congress.
- He also stressed the constructive programme: spinning and khadi, Hindu-Muslim unity, and the removal of untouchability.
- A resolution made spinning a qualification for membership of the Congress: members had to spin a certain amount of yarn every month.
The centenary:
In 2024, the centenary of the Belgaum session was commemorated, and a special Congress Working Committee meeting was held at Belagavi.
Gandhi and the Congress:
- Gandhi remained the most important leader of the Congress for nearly three decades, though he presided over only one session.
- He resigned from the primary membership of the Congress in 1934, but continued to guide it.
Other important Congress sessions of the 1920s:
- Kakinada (1923): presided over by Maulana Mohammad Ali.
- Kanpur (1925): presided over by Sarojini Naidu, the first Indian woman President of the Congress.
Gauhati (1926): presided over by S. Srinivasa Iyengar.
Madras (1927): presided over by M. A. Ansari.
Calcutta (1928): presided over by Motilal Nehru.
Lahore (1929): presided over by Jawaharlal Nehru; the Purna Swaraj resolution was passed.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Kakinada, Kanpur and Gauhati were sessions with other Presidents.
Quick tip
Remember: only Congress session presided by Gandhi = Belgaum, December 1924 (unity of Swarajists and No-Changers; spinning made a qualification); Kanpur 1925 = Sarojini Naidu.
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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.