‘Every venture or cause has a humble beginning’. Congress as a National Party was established in the year 1885 by Allan Octavian Hume along with Dadabhai Naoroji and others. Since its founding, Congress has been a party of visionaries contributing to the growth and development of our nation and its citizens.

The Indian National Congress played a pivotal role in the Indian Independence Movement, with over 15 million members and over 70 million participants in its struggle against the British colonial rule in India. Since 1947, Congress has played a central part in our nation’s progress. Over the course of the years, many prominent personalities have been associated with the party.

Mahatma Gandhi, the father of our nation guided the party through the Independence Movement, stressing on non-violent methods to achieve independence from the British Raj. A selfless personality, he dedicated his entire life for the cause of the Indian people. He also led nationwide campaigns for easing poverty, expanding women’s rights, building religious and ethnic amity, ending untouchability and increasing economic self-reliance. He, along with other foremost leaders like Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Dr. B.R.Ambedkar and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel were instrumental in India’s freedom struggle movement and her gaining independence.

Legacy of Congress Prime Ministers and their Progressive Visions for our nation:

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister, lovingly referred to as ‘Chacha Nehru’ in addition to playing a central role in our nation’s independence also chalked out measures and policies which still guides our nation’s development in various sectors. He initiated the Five Year Plans of growth and progress. He advocated the policy of non-alignment which ensured India remain independent of both the cold-war power blocks and pursue its own independent foreign policies. Nehru took the necessary steps to put our nation on the path to development by construction of large dams, irrigation works, generation of hydroelectricity and setting up of heavy industries. He also pioneered a series of community development programs aimed at spreading diverse cottage industries and increasing efficiency in rural India. He launched India’s program to harness nuclear energy.

Lal Bahadur Shastri, India’s second Prime Minister, known for his slogan ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kisan’ initiated the White Revolution and Green Revolution. White Revolution increased the production and supply of milk-National Dairy Development Board was set up in his tenure. He also supported the Amul Milk Co-operative Society, Gujarat. He encouraged the Green Revolution which increased our nation’s agriculture production capacity. He advocated Pandit Nehru’s policy of non-alignment and socialism.

Indira Gandhi, known as the ‘Iron Lady of India’, was responsible for transforming India into a global power with considerable political, economic and military developments. She was responsible for nationalizing the banks. Her bold decisions and actions in various sectors depicted India on a global platform as a serious player. The Green Revolution culminated under her leadership reached its goal of ensuring food security for our country. The principle of equal pay for equal work for both men and women was enshrined in the Indian Constitution under her administration. India entered the nuclear age under her leadership with the successful completion of our country’s first nuclear test coded named as ‘Smiling Buddha’.

Rajiv Gandhi, a youth icon, was the youngest Prime Minister of our nation. He ushered an era of scientific and technological revolution in India. IT, airlines and tele-communication industries grew significantly under his leadership. He initiated a ‘National Policy on Education’ to modernize and expand higher education programs across India. He founded the ‘Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya System’ , a Central Government based institution for the upliftment of the rural section of society by providing free residential education from the 6th till the 12th grades. He introduced Panchayat Raj; taking democracy to the grass roots and in the real sense of the word, transferring power to the villagers, thus ensuring even the remotest villages took part in the national democratic process. Stressing on the importance of youth in democracy, he was instrumental in lowering the voting age from 21 years to 18 years.

P.V. Narasimha Rao, known as the ‘Father of Indian Economic Reforms’, was responsible for overseeing a major economic transformation of India. Under his tenure, the Indian economy was liberalized opening it up for foreign investments, which ushered in an era of financial development and prosperity. He energized the national nuclear security and ballistic missiles program, which ultimately resulted in the 1998 Pokhran nuclear tests. He launched the ‘Look East’ foreign policy which brought India closer to ASEAN.

Dr.Manmohan Singh, known as the ‘Architect of Indian Economic Reforms’, is responsible for the liberalization and globalization of the Indian economy. He laid the stepping stones for our nation’s rise as a global super power. He opened up the Indian economy to foreign investment and business competition, creating a competitive and prosperous economy in the process. The Right to Information Act (RTI) was passed by the parliament during his tenure in 2005. It has proved to be an effective tool in tackling corruption. Furthermore, he has initiated various effictive people-friendly programs.

India as a nation and Congress as a party go hand-in-hand. Congress is an integral part of India, founded during the pre-independence period to lay a path for a politically strong independent India with secular approach. Over the years, Congress has grown into a mature political party in India. The Congress party has always been, is and will always be headed by visionaries who envision a nation with sustained all-round growth that is never-ending and limitless.