Political Associations In Bengal
- The Bangabhasha Prakasika Sabha was formed in 1836 by associates of Raja Rammohan Roy.
- The Zamindari Association, more popularly known as the ‘Landholders’ Society’, was founded to safeguard the interests of the landlords. Although limited in its objectives, the Landholders’ Society marked the beginning of the organized political activity and the use of methods of constitutional agitation for the redressal of grievances.
- The Bengal British India Society was founded in 1843 with the object of “the collection and dissemination of information relating to the actual condition of the people of British India... and to employ such other means of peaceful and lawful character as may appear calculated to secure the welfare, extend the just rights and advance the interests of all classes of our fellow subjects”.
- In 1851, both the Landholders’ Society and the Bengal British India Society merged into the British Indian Association.
- The Indian League was started in 1875 by Sisir Kumar Ghosh with the object of “stimulating the sense of nationalism amongst the people” and of encouraging political education.
- The Indian Association of Calcutta (also known as the Indian National Association) superseded the Indian League and was founded in 1876 by younger nationalists of Bengal led by Surendranath Banerjee and Ananda Mohan Bose.
o Create a strong public opinion on political questions
o Unify Indian people in a common political program
o It protested against the reduction of age limit in 1877 for candidates of the Indian Civil Service examination.
o It protested against the reduction of age limit in 1877 for candidates of the Indian Civil Service examination.
o The association demanded the simultaneous holding of civil service examination in England and India and Indianisation of higher administrative posts.
o It led a campaign against the repressive arms act and the vernacular press act.
o The association sponsored an all-India Indian National Conference which first took place in Calcutta on December 28 to 30, 1883. So, in a way, the association was a forerunner of the Indian National Congress as an all-India nationalist organization. It later merged with the Indian National Congress in 1886.