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Who was the first Muslim President of the Indian National Congress (Madras session, 1887)?
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Answer: Option A — Badruddin Tyabji
Detailed Solution
Badruddin Tyabji (1844-1906) was a lawyer, judge and social reformer from Bombay. He presided over the third session of the Indian National Congress, held at Madras in December 1887, becoming the first Muslim President of the Congress.
Tyabji came from a prominent family of the Sulaimani Bohra community of Bombay. He studied in England and became the first Indian barrister in Bombay (1867). He later became the first Indian to be appointed Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court (acting, 1902).
Tyabji was one of the founders of the Bombay Presidency Association (1885), along with Pherozeshah Mehta and K.T. Telang, which played a role in the formation of the Congress. At a time when Sir Syed Ahmad Khan was advising Muslims to stay away from the Congress, Tyabji urged Muslims to join it, believing that Indians of all communities had common political interests. In his presidential address, he stressed that the Congress represented all communities and that no proposal opposed by a large majority of Hindus or Muslims should be taken up, to protect minority interests.
Tyabji also worked for the education of Muslims and the emancipation of women. He opposed the purdah system and helped found the Anjuman-i-Islam in Bombay (1876), which promoted modern education.
The first few sessions of the Congress were:
1885, Bombay: W.C. Bonnerjee.
1886, Calcutta: Dadabhai Naoroji.
1887, Madras: Badruddin Tyabji.
1888, Allahabad: George Yule, the first English President.
Rahimtulla M. Sayani was the second Muslim President (Calcutta, 1896). Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was the youngest President (Delhi special session, 1923, aged 35) and served the longest continuous term (1940-46).
Why not the other options?
Rahimtulla M. Sayani was the second Muslim President (1896).
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was the youngest President (1923).
Hakim Ajmal Khan presided over the Ahmedabad session (1921).
Quick tip
Remember: Congress Presidents = Bonnerjee (1885), Naoroji (1886), Tyabji (1887, first Muslim), George Yule (1888, first Englishman); Azad = youngest (1923).
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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.