The Congress party evolved from a pressure group for the educated, professional, and commercial classes in 1885 to a mass movement in the twentieth century.
Its initial composition was dominated by English-speaking, upper-caste, upper-middle-class, and urban elites.
However, with each civil disobedience movement, the Congress party expanded its social base and brought together diverse groups with often contradictory interests.
It included peasants, industrialists, urban and rural dwellers, workers, owners, and people from various social classes and castes.
Over time, the Congress party's leadership expanded beyond the upper caste and upper-class professionals to include leaders with a rural orientation and agricultural backgrounds.
By the time of independence, the Congress party had transformed into a social coalition representing India's diversity in terms of classes, castes, religions, languages, and various interests.
While some groups merged their identity within the Congress, others maintained their distinct beliefs and continued to exist within the party. |
