A retired British Officer Allan Octavian Hume, along with other 72 political workers, laid the foundation of Indian National Congress at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College in Bombay on December 28, 1885. Womesh Chunder Bannerjee was the chairman of its first session. The main cause of the foundation of Indian National Congress was to quell the dissatisfaction and resentment against the British Government.

At the time of its foundation, the party’s objective was to obtain greater participation of educated Indians in the government and to create a forum where political dialogues between educated Indians and the British Raj could be arranged. Besides, Congress was committed to support those Indians who were engaged in the task of national interest and who were acting as a link to develop a direct contact and friendship among people of different castes, colour and creed, developing the feeling of parasitism towards nationalism and improving the social and economic condition of Indians.