100 years of Belgaum session

• Recently, Belgaum (Belagavi) has completed 100 years of the historic Indian National Congress session.

About Belgaum session

• Session: This was the 39th session of the Indian National Congress.
• Presiding: This was the only session of the Congress which was presided over by Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhiji was the Congress President from December 1924 to April 1925.
• Members involved: Many senior Congress leaders including Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Sarojini Naidu and Khilafat Movement leaders Muhammad Ali Johar and Shaukat Ali participated in this session. Apart from this, more than 30,000 delegates from all over the country participated.
• Significance: During this session, Gandhiji put forward the ideas of non-violence, communal harmony as well as 'Swaraj'.
  • Apart from this, during the session, Mahatma Gandhi emphasized on the strategies of non-cooperation and civil disobedience as essential tools against British rule.
  • The session witnessed the first public singing of 'Vande Mataram', which adds to its historical significance.

Impact on the freedom movement

• According to historians, this session was an important step towards promoting peasant consciousness.
• It resulted in the spread of Khadi in Karnataka and other parts of the country, promotion of rural industries and also encouraged the participation of peasants in Congress-led initiatives.