Why safety valve theory rejected by bipin?
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Introduction
Congress was to play an important role in the struggle of India’s independence and was formed at a national convention held in Bombay in December 1885 under the presidency of W.C.Banerjee.O. Hume was crucially involved in this process.Congress men were mostly form Bombay and Calcutta like Firozshah Mehta, Badruddin tyabji, Manmohan and Lalmohan Ghosh most of them had studied for ICS (now civil services exam) or law in London.They came together under Dadabhai Naroji.Those who did not join civil services took initiative in starting local associations.These were middle class rather than zamindar led associations.Most important were Poona Sarvajanik Sabha, Indian association, and Madras Mahajan Sabha.There were various attempt at bringing together of such groups at an all India scale but only the attempt launched by Allan Octavian Hume succeeded permanently.And 72 self-appointed delegated met in the first session of Indian national Congress in December 1885.
Origin of Theory
Hume’s involvement gave rise to a lot of conspiracies relating to origin of Congress.Controversy was created by W. C. Banerjee statement that Hume was acting under Lord Dufferin.P. Dutt analysed that the Congress was formed under a British viceroy to act as a safety valve against popular discontent.This theory originated from William Wedderburn‘s biography of Hume published in 1913.He wrote that in 1878 Hume came across seven volumes of secret reports showing discontent among the lower classes and conspiracy to overthrow British rule.He met Lord Dufferin and they decided to form an organisation with educated Indians serving as a safety valve by opening up a communication between rulers and the ruled preventing mass revolution.The imperialist historians discredited Congress as being a creation of the British.Marxist historians used it to build up a conspiracy theory.P. Dutt argued that Congress was born out of a conspiracy of the British to end any possibilities of an uprising and bourgeois leaders were a part of it.This conspiracy theory is discredited by opening of Dufferin s private papers revealed that no one in ruling circles took Humes predictions of chaos seriously as Sumit Sarkar points out.This was also proved wrong as there was no evidence found of the existence of the seven volumes of secret report in any archives of either India or London.Dufferin criticised Congress as representing only a microscopic minority and this statement shuns the safety valve conspiracy theory.Historians like Bipan Chandra have called the seven volume report a fiction.
Involvement of A.O.Hume
Hume was a political liberal and he visualised an all Indian organisation representing Indian interests and would act as her majesty’s opposition.The idea of a national organisation had existed for long.Hume only took advantage of the situation and realised it and his influence was exaggerated.
Safety Vavle Theory
The concept of Safety Valve Theory says that the British had seen the political situation in the country leading to another rebellion on the lines of the Mutiny of 1857; and they wished to avoid such a situation.So, they wanted to provide a platform to the people, where they could discuss their political problems.Indian National Congress was founded by a Retired Civil Servant and not by any Indian.It was said that the INC was started by Viceroy Lord Dufferin with the help of an ex Civil Services member as a “Safety Valve” against the popular discontent.The following arguments were put forward to the safety valve theory: A O Hume and other British thought that the educated Indians may become leaders of the Indian public and organize a rebellion against the government.So if the Government itself provides them a platform to raise their voice, it may be possible to stop such nuisance.
Conclusion
This theory has been discarded now.But still, the contribution of British cannot be disregarded in creation of first all India political front in which majority of the people were Hindus.The Muslims took congress negatively in the beginning but there were leaders such as Badruddin Taybji who were active leaders.The contribution of British in foundation of this organization was accepted and verbalized by Gopal Krishna Gokhle in 1913 as follows: “No Indian could have started the Indian National Congress…if an Indian had come forward to start such a movement embracing all Indians, the officials in India would not have allowed the movement to come into existence. If the founder of the Congress had not been an Englishman and a distinguished ex-official, such was the distrust of political agitation in those days that the authorities would have at once found some way or the other to suppress the movement”
Congress was to play an important role in the struggle of India’s independence and was formed at a national convention held in Bombay in December 1885 under the presidency of W.C.Banerjee.O. Hume was crucially involved in this process.Congress men were mostly form Bombay and Calcutta like Firozshah Mehta, Badruddin tyabji, Manmohan and Lalmohan Ghosh most of them had studied for ICS (now civil services exam) or law in London.They came together under Dadabhai Naroji.Those who did not join civil services took initiative in starting local associations.These were middle class rather than zamindar led associations.Most important were Poona Sarvajanik Sabha, Indian association, and Madras Mahajan Sabha.There were various attempt at bringing together of such groups at an all India scale but only the attempt launched by Allan Octavian Hume succeeded permanently.And 72 self-appointed delegated met in the first session of Indian national Congress in December 1885.
Origin of Theory
Hume’s involvement gave rise to a lot of conspiracies relating to origin of Congress.Controversy was created by W. C. Banerjee statement that Hume was acting under Lord Dufferin.P. Dutt analysed that the Congress was formed under a British viceroy to act as a safety valve against popular discontent.This theory originated from William Wedderburn‘s biography of Hume published in 1913.He wrote that in 1878 Hume came across seven volumes of secret reports showing discontent among the lower classes and conspiracy to overthrow British rule.He met Lord Dufferin and they decided to form an organisation with educated Indians serving as a safety valve by opening up a communication between rulers and the ruled preventing mass revolution.The imperialist historians discredited Congress as being a creation of the British.Marxist historians used it to build up a conspiracy theory.P. Dutt argued that Congress was born out of a conspiracy of the British to end any possibilities of an uprising and bourgeois leaders were a part of it.This conspiracy theory is discredited by opening of Dufferin s private papers revealed that no one in ruling circles took Humes predictions of chaos seriously as Sumit Sarkar points out.This was also proved wrong as there was no evidence found of the existence of the seven volumes of secret report in any archives of either India or London.Dufferin criticised Congress as representing only a microscopic minority and this statement shuns the safety valve conspiracy theory.Historians like Bipan Chandra have called the seven volume report a fiction.
Involvement of A.O.Hume
Hume was a political liberal and he visualised an all Indian organisation representing Indian interests and would act as her majesty’s opposition.The idea of a national organisation had existed for long.Hume only took advantage of the situation and realised it and his influence was exaggerated.
Safety Vavle Theory
The concept of Safety Valve Theory says that the British had seen the political situation in the country leading to another rebellion on the lines of the Mutiny of 1857; and they wished to avoid such a situation.So, they wanted to provide a platform to the people, where they could discuss their political problems.Indian National Congress was founded by a Retired Civil Servant and not by any Indian.It was said that the INC was started by Viceroy Lord Dufferin with the help of an ex Civil Services member as a “Safety Valve” against the popular discontent.The following arguments were put forward to the safety valve theory: A O Hume and other British thought that the educated Indians may become leaders of the Indian public and organize a rebellion against the government.So if the Government itself provides them a platform to raise their voice, it may be possible to stop such nuisance.
Conclusion
This theory has been discarded now.But still, the contribution of British cannot be disregarded in creation of first all India political front in which majority of the people were Hindus.The Muslims took congress negatively in the beginning but there were leaders such as Badruddin Taybji who were active leaders.The contribution of British in foundation of this organization was accepted and verbalized by Gopal Krishna Gokhle in 1913 as follows: “No Indian could have started the Indian National Congress…if an Indian had come forward to start such a movement embracing all Indians, the officials in India would not have allowed the movement to come into existence. If the founder of the Congress had not been an Englishman and a distinguished ex-official, such was the distrust of political agitation in those days that the authorities would have at once found some way or the other to suppress the movement”
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