RAS question
Who was the president of the first INC session in 1885?
Correct answer: (C) W.C. Bonnerjee.
W.C. Bonnerjee was the president of the first Indian National Congress session held in Bombay in 1885.
Explanation
Womesh Chunder Bonnerjee, usually written as W.C. Bonnerjee, presided over the first session of the Indian National Congress in 1885. The eGyanKosh IGNOU unit places the inaugural meeting on Monday, 28 December 1885, at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College in Bombay, after the planned Poona venue was shifted because of cholera. The honour of being the first Congress President belonged to W.C. Bonnerjee of Bengal, described as one of the early Indian barristers and a leading legal figure of his day. This matters because A.O. Hume organised the first meeting, but the presidency of the session was held by Bonnerjee. Dadabhai Naoroji presided later, in 1886, 1893 and 1906.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) A.O. Hume is linked with organising the first meeting of the Indian National Congress, but that role was distinct from the presidency, which belonged to W.C. Bonnerjee.
- (B) Dadabhai Naoroji was an important Congress leader, but his presidencies were in 1886, 1893 and 1906, not at the first session in 1885.
- (D) Surendranath Banerjee is associated with the Indian Association and the National Conference stream before the Congress merger, not with presiding over the first INC session.
Concept
This tests the early institutional history of the Indian National Congress, especially the distinction between founder-organiser, venue and session president. RAS repeatedly asks such foundation facts because they anchor the chronology of the moderate phase of the national movement.