After 64 years, Congress returns to Gujarat to hold AICC Session

New Delhi: Congress Sessions in Gujarat – five total since 1902 and the latest one after a gap of 64 years – have been eventful with one being suspended over pandemonium, one saw the emergence of Mahatma Gandhi as sole leader, one rejected British plans to give states powers to be independent units in a federation and one had the party chief asking ministers to move to organisational work.

The latest session in Ahmedabad on Tuesday and Wednesday comes after the sessions in Ahmedabad in 1902 and 1921, Surat in 1907 and Haripura in 1938 during the pre-independence era.

The last time an AICC Session was held in Gujarat was in Bhavnagar from January 6-7 in 1961 when then Congress president Neelam Sanjiva Reddy urged Congressmen in power for a period of ten years to voluntarily relinquish their posts and take up organisational work.

The session saw resolutions on the 3rd Five Year Plan, Panchayati Raj, National Integration and Election Manifesto.

The Bhavnagar ‘Plenary’ Session, which came within a year of formation of Gujarat state, also saw 12 leaders fighting for seven seats in the Congress Working Committee (CWC) and Indira Gandhi bagging 331 votes —the highest number— followed by YB Chavan who got 250.

Addressing the delegates, then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru said people have won political ‘swaraj’ but they have to work to achieve “economic swaraj”. Moving the resolution on National Integration, Indira had said unity in diversity was in danger and a tendency to communalism and linguism would assuage a “dangerous magnitude” if it was allowed to grow further.

When an amendment was moved to the resolution for adding a provision for banning communal parties, Indira said that one needs to examine the legal aspects as it involves principles of the Constitution that provides for fundamental rights. The session also saw the leadership insisting on spreading Congress ideology, as is one of the themes of the latest session.

The most tumultuous session was held in Surat fromDecember 26 to 27 in 1907 when moderates and extremists in the party clashed over the course of action.

Rash Behary Ghose’s election as President was challenged by Bal Gangadhar Tilak and the session fell into pandemonium after stick-wielding delegates created ruckus. A shoe hurled at the dais hit Surendra Nath Banerjee and Pheroze Shah Mehta and later the session was called off.

The first session in Gujarat was held in Ahmedabad from December 23 to 26 in 1902 when Banerjee was the president and 471 delegates were in attendance.

It saw the Congress vociferously protesting the British decision to impose Rs 7.86 lakh per year on India for stationing the British Army here.

The 1921 Session in Ahmedabad with Hakim Ajmal Shah at the helm as president CR Das was in jail saw the party readying itself for a full-scale Civil Disobedience Movement if the British refused to heed the demands of the Non-Cooperation Movement.

Sardar Vallabhai Patel was the Reception Committee Chairman and it saw Gandhi being appointed as the sole executive authority of the Congress and invested with the full powers of the AICC and also the power to nominate a successor.

The Hajipura Session from February 19 to 21 in 1938 with Subhash Chandra Bose at the helm saw the Congress reiterating ‘Poorna Swaraj’ and rejecting British plans to give states powers to be independent units and the continued financial stranglehold.

The 1939 session saw Bose resigning as Congress president despite being elected due to Gandhi’s opposition to him.