All India Rahul Gandhi Brigade Congress (AIRGBC) is a true inheritor of the rich and glorious political legacy handed to the Congress by early stalwarts. The Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi himself, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Indra Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul & Priyanka Gandhi. This legacy is one of ardent nationalism and of secular ethos, the fountain-head of which is the very history of our civilization. It is also one of standing for individual freedom - social, economic and political.

 

The AIRGBC is a major part of or group of Congress political party in India. It is the largest and oldest democratic political party in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in Indian political spectrum.

 

History

 

The history of the Congress falls into two distinct eras: The pre-independence era, when the party was at the forefront of the struggle for independence and was instrumental in the whole of India.

The post-independence era, when the party has enjoyed a prominent place in Indian politics, ruling the country for 48 of the 60 years since independence in 1947.

In the pre-independence era, the congress was divided in two groups, moderate and activist. The moderates were more educated and wanted to win people's faith to lead the nation to independence without bloodshed.the activists however wanted to follow a revolutionary path and make it a militant organization.

 

Founded in 1885 by Allan Octavian Hume, Dadabhai Naoroji, Dinshaw Wacha, Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee, Surendranath Banerjee, Monomohun Ghose, Mahadev Govind Ranade and William Wedderburn, the Indian National Congress became the leader of the Indian Independence Movement, with over 15 million members and over 70 million participants in its struggle against British rule in India. After independence in 1947, it became the nation's dominant political party.

 

Leadership change

 

In 1947, the Congress presidency passed upon Jivatram Kripalani, a veteran Gandhian and ally of both Nehru and Patel. India's duumvirate expressed neutrality and full support to the elected winner of the 1947, 1948 and 1949 presidential races.

However, a tug of war began between Nehru and his socialist wing, and Patel and Congress traditionalists broke out in 1950's race. Nehru lobbied intensely to oppose the candidacy of Purushottam Das Tandon, whom he perceived as a Hindu revivalist with "problematic" views on Hindu-Muslim relations. Nehru openly backed Kripalani to oppose Tandon, but neglected courtesy to Patel upon the question.

With Patel's tacit support (especially in Patel's home state of Gujarat, where due to Patel's work, Kripalani received not one vote) Tandon won a tight contest, and Nehru threatened to resign. With Patel's convincing, Nehru did not quit.

However, with Patel's death in 1950, the balance shifted permanently in Nehru's favor. Kripalani, C. Rajagopalachari and Tandon were marginalized, and the Congress Party's election fortunes began depending solely on Nehru's leadership and popularity. With the 1952 election sweep, the Congress became India's main political party.