New Delhi: The special Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting in Belagavi assumes a lot of significance — not just because it will take up crucial and critical challenges facing the party and country, but also because it commemorates the centenary of Mahatma Gandhi presiding over the Congress’s historic Belgaum (now Belagavi) session as the party president in 1924. It was the only time he presided over a Congress meeting. Mahatma Gandhi was Congress president between December 1924 and April 1925.
Historic importance of Belgaum session in 1924
In February 1924, Mahatma Gandhi was released from prison following surgery. After he was released, Gandhi ji expressed his discontent over the lack of unity between Hindus and Muslims during the freedom struggle. To drive attention to this, he went on a 21-day fast from September 18 to October 8 in 1924. He also sought to address the issue of widespread and growing factionalism within the Congress party.
Mahatma Gandhi’s address in Belgaum in 1924 focused largely on non-violence and non-cooperation as methods to achieve political freedom, the abolition of untouchability, fostering unity among communities, addressing socio-economic disparities, and reinforcing justice and equality. During the address, he also gave a call for non-cooperation and made an appeal for spinning Khadi. The entire session focused on social change.
बेलगावी में नव सत्याग्रह ✊ pic.twitter.com/rIVEMYS8nG
— Congress (@INCIndia) December 26, 2024
Congress MP KC Venugopal stated the Belgaum session became a cornerstone of India’s freedom movement. And that could be the reason that the CWC meeting this Thursday and Friday, held to mark the centenary of the 1924 session of the party, is being dubbed as ‘Nav Satyagrah Baithak’.
The Belgaum meeting was the 39th session of the Indian National Congress. Subhas Chandra Bose, Motilal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sarojini Naidu, Annie Besant, Shaukat Ali, Saifuddin Kitchlew, and others were also present at the session held 100 years ago. It stands as a pivotal moment in the India’s freedom struggle.
