Haripura Congress of 1938

The Haripura Congress Session of February 1938 was the 51st annual session of the Indian National Congress, held in Haripura village in the Surat district of Gujarat. Presided over by Subhash Chandra Bose, the session marked a crucial juncture in the Indian national movement by integrating rural organizational expansion with modern national economic planning. Coming shortly after the formation of Congress provincial ministries in 1937, the Haripura Assembly defined the party’s official stance on princely states, world affairs, and industrial policy.

Leadership and Organizational Highlights

Subhash Chandra Bose’s Presidential Address

• Subhash Chandra Bose was unanimously elected President of the 51st Congress session, supported by Mahatma Gandhi and the Congress Working Committee.
• His presidential address laid out a vision for post-independence India centered on state-led industrialization, socialist economic principles, and rapid social reform.
• Bose advocated a uncompromising anti-imperialist posture, warning against British attempts to impose the federal scheme of the Government of India Act 1935.
• He called for radical agrarian measures, including the abolition of the zamindari system, liquidation of agricultural debt, and extension of credit facilities to peasants.

Art and Architecture by Nandalal Bose

• Mahatma Gandhi requested artist Nandalal Bose from Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan, to design the venue using purely local, eco-friendly materials.
• Nandalal Bose created 83 iconic painted panels, known as the “Haripura Posters,” depicting rural Indian life, artisans, musicians, and farmers.
• The session venue was constructed out of bamboo, thatch, and khadi cloth, demonstrating rural architecture and local self-reliance.

Major Policy Resolutions and Decisions

National Planning Committee Formulation

• The Haripura Session laid the foundation for structured economic planning in India.
• Following the session, Subhash Chandra Bose convened a conference of provincial Industry Ministers in Delhi in October 1938.
• This initiative led to the setting up of the National Planning Committee (NPC) in late 1938 under the chairmanship of Jawaharlal Nehru.
• The NPC aimed to draft a comprehensive plan for industrialization, infrastructure development, and resource distribution.

Stance on Princely States and Praja Mandals

• The session re-evaluated the policy of non-intervention in the internal affairs of the Princely States (Deshi Riyasats).
• Congress declared that Princely States formed an integral part of India and supported the struggle for democratic rights waged by the Praja Mandals.
• It restricted the Congress party organization from launching direct satyagraha campaigns inside Princely States in its own name to avoid direct conflict with local rulers.
• Individual Congress workers were permitted to participate in democratic protests in their personal capacities.

Rejection of the Imperial Federal Scheme

• The resolution strongly rejected the federal structure proposed under the Government of India Act 1935.
• Congress argued that the federal scheme was designed to freeze imperial control by combining democratic British Indian provinces with autocratic Princely States.
• The party demanded a Constituent Assembly elected on the basis of adult franchise to draft an independent constitution for India.

Foreign Policy and International Stance

• The session condemned international fascist aggression in Europe, Asia, and Africa, specifically expressing solidarity with China, Spain, and Abyssinia (Ethiopia).
• It sent a medical mission led by Dr. M. Atal to China in 1938 to assist Chinese forces fighting Japanese invasion; Dr. Dwarkanath Kotnis was a key member of this medical team.
• Congress declared that India would not allow its resources or manpower to be utilized in an imperialist war waged by Great Britain.

Key Aspects of the Haripura Session

Facts for Quick Revision

• The 51st session at Haripura was the second Congress session held in a rural setting, following the Faizpur session of 1936.
• Subhash Chandra Bose arrived at the Haripura venue in a ceremonial chariot pulled by 51 pairs of bullocks.
• The venue was named Vithal Nagar in memory of Vithalbhai Patel, the prominent nationalist leader and former President of the Central Legislative Assembly.
• Seth Jamnalal Bajaj served as the Chairman of the Reception Committee for the Haripura Congress Session.
• Dr. Dwarkanath Kotnis was part of the five-member Indian Medical Mission sent to China following the international policy resolution passed at Haripura.
• The National Planning Committee established in 1938 had 15 members, along with 29 sub-committees handling individual economic sectors.
• The Haripura Session preceded the internal crisis of the 1939 Tripuri Session, where ideological differences between Subhash Chandra Bose and Mahatma Gandhi led to Bose’s resignation from the Congress Presidency.