Formation of Indian National Congress

ABSTRACT

The openness and transparency with which the Congress approached its publications provided an implicit argument that it was a well-ordered and logical organisation, one that was suitable to take over from the British Raj. This project is organised around a number of issues on the discursive strategy of the INC, which are as follows: 1) When the party acts as its own representative before the colonial state, what kind of results does it achieve? 2) Does the INC engage in strategic self-representation, and does this self-representation adapt when the organizations aims shift? 3) In what ways do the Indian National Congress discursive interactions with the colonial state before to independence impact the party legitimacy in the process of India transition to becoming independent? The responses to these questions have led me to the conclusion that the manner in which the party represents itself through published sources compelled the colonial Government of India to meet the party on the party own terms. I base this conclusion on the fact that the party has a history of using published sources to influence public opinion.

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