Indian National Congress, the torchbearers of British Empire

Most readers of British imperial history credit the ousting of British Empire from India to the Congress Party — and to Mahatma Gandhi as it’s iconic leader. The truth, of course, is far more nuanced & leaves more questions unanswered than it addresses.

The origins and growth of Indian National Congress is entangled in subversion and collusion not only with the Empire itself but at various times, influenced & controlled by out-of-India forces. In fact, the Congress Party was founded, in 1885, by Allan Octavian Hume under British policy, as a “safety valve” for the growing unrest.

the National Congress was in fact brought into being through the initiative and under the guidance of direct British imperialist policy, on a plan secretly pre-arranged with the Viceroy, as an intended weapon for safeguarding British rule against the rising forces of popular unrest and anti-British feeling in India [1]

The growth of INC can be categorized in three phases. The first phase was dominated by “brown Englishmen”, well versed in Western culture & ideals. They were convinced that Indian civilization had to be Europized, as a precursor to economic & social upheaval. Their conviction led them to focus on “social reform” rather than political & geographical independence. This, in turn, provided further justification for the Raj.

The moderates in Congress, led by leaders like Dadabhai Naoroji and Gopal Krishna Gokhale, wanted reform within the framework of British rule.[2]

Not until ardent nationalists like Bal Gangadhar Tilak, the father of Indian Independence Movement, joined Congress (later forced out) did the absolute self-rule of India came front & center on Congress agenda. The second phase had been cultivated. The trio of Lal-Bal-Pal were instrumental in setting the stage for “Swarajya”.

While the moral authority of Empire was being debated in British parliament, the Fabian Socialists among them conspired to shift the power center from Royal Family into International Socialism. Through it’s secretive “Fabian Society”, founded in 1884, a New World Order was being hatched. Headquartered in London with branches & members spread across the world, the Fabians co-opted with & were funded by mega industrialists from all continents — Rothschild in Europe, Rockefeller in United States and Tata in India!

In 1917, Annie Besant, a spokeswoman for Fabian Society, became president of Congress and turned the objectives away from total independence towards a “dominion” socialist State. The infiltration culminated into third phase of Congress agenda.

Jawaharlal Nehru, another Fabian Society member, heavily influenced by Annie Besant, took the socialist baton further. Impressed by the socialism of Soviet Union, during his 1927 visit for commemorating 10th anniversary of Bolshevik Revolution, he saw in it a working model for India. It solidified the already budding political values he had garnered in London from Fabian stalwarts like Bernard Shaw & Beatrice Webb.

In 1930, Clement Attlee, another fellow Fabian, former lecturer at London School of Economics (funded in part by Tata), was part of Simon Commission to study the progress of British policies & the question of self government. However, the official policy of Labour Party was more akin to changing the nomenclature & power structure of the Empire.

the old jingoist imperialism is untenable under the present circumstances; more liberal methods have to be adopted if the safety and permanence of the Empire is to be insured; the word Empire has become too odious, a more democratic term — Commonwealth — has to be introduced [3]

Eager to lend India it’s dominion status, Attlee’s efforts, however, got thwarted by changing priorities of WWII. Post war, he led Labour Party of England to victory and went on to become Prime Minister in 1945. Attlee scrupulously handed over the dominions of the Empire, now in complete control of the Fabians, onto fellow Fabians— Jawaharlal Nehru & Mohammad Ali Jinnah! (Although, Jinnah had already cut a deal with Churchill and stayed loyal to the old Empire — the alliance plays out even today!)

Nehru replicated the Fabian model in India. Keeping key tenets of socialism — centralization of finances, natural resources and expansion of welfare state — but controlled by the Society & it’s sponsors.

in particular key heavy industrial sectors such as steel, telecommunications, transportation, electricity generation, mining and real estate development. Private activity, property rights and entrepreneurship were discouraged or regulated through permits, nationalisation of economic activity and high taxes were encouraged, rationing, control of individual choices and Mahalanobis model considered by Nehru as a means to implement the Fabian Society version of socialism.

To this day, British Labour Party & Indian National Congress are part of Socialist International — an international umbrella organization, controlled by Fabian Society, with political parties around the world. London School of Economics was founded and funded by the Society. In turn, it doles out a platter of intellectually qualified “economists” to materialize socialist utopia. To keep the Empire alive.

Fabian Societies logo aptly summarizes it’s intentions: Wolf in sheep’s clothing.

It should be noted that even though eventual goals of socialism & communism are same, the implementation of British Fabian Socialism differs from and is in conflict with Soviet Communism. The former orchestrated evolutionary, gradualist approach while the later did not believe in “ahimsa” and “satyagraha” of Gandhi but wanted violent revolutionary control of politics. Both however were, and still are, united by their foreign funding, control & alliance of a larger world political Left.

Arguably, INC has been riddled with infiltration by soviet funded MP’s and policies (Nehru’s evil genius Krishna Menon) as revealed in Mitrokhin archives. It has pushed the party further Left during the course of Nehru dynasty (from Indira Gandhi to Sonia Gandhi).

When viewed through this lens, it becomes crystal clear about the camaraderie at display from all these inherently Socialist organizations on all the issues of economy, immigration, finance, healthcare policies and social values.

Further reading: From Empire to Commonwealth.