Bombay Presidency Association

The Bombay Presidency Association (BPA) was established during a period of heightened political consciousness in western India, serving as a critical precursor to the formation of the Indian National Congress. Prior to the BPA, the Bombay Association (founded in 1852 by Jagannath Shankarsheth) was the primary political body in the region, but it had grown inactive and was dominated by conservative commercial interests. The reactionary policies of Viceroy Lord Lytton (1876–1880)—specifically the Vernacular Press Act of 1878, the Arms Act of 1878, and the massive diversion of Indian revenues to the Second Anglo-Afghan War—created widespread resentment among the newly educated Indian middle class. The subsequent controversy surrounding the Ilbert Bill (1883) under Lord Ripon, where European residents organized a fierce racist campaign to defeat a law allowing Indian judges to try Europeans, convinced Indian leaders of the absolute necessity for a well-organized, robust political body to protect native interests.

Foundation and Key Leadership

The Bombay Presidency Association was formally established on January 31, 1885. Its foundation was marked by a public meeting held at the Framji Cowasji Institute in Bombay. The organization was steered by three highly influential, English-educated lawyers popularly referred to as the “Triumvirate” or the “Three Stars” of Bombay’s public life.

The Triumvirate and Core Leadership

• Pherozeshah Mehta: A brilliant Parsi barrister known for his unmatched oratorical skills and constitutional expertise.
• Kashinath Trimbak Telang (K.T. Telang): An erudite scholar, judge, and indologist who acted as the intellectual backbone of the association.
• Badruddin Tyabji: A distinguished jurist who championed secular nationalism and modern education within the Muslim community.
• Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy: A prominent merchant-philanthropist who was elected as the first President of the Association, providing it with financial backing and social respectability.

Objectives and Moderate Methodology

The BPA was deeply rooted in the philosophy of the Moderate Phase of Indian nationalism. The leadership firmly believed in British justice and fair play but sought structural reforms within the colonial framework through constitutional agitation.

Primary Objectives

• To focus public opinion on local and national grievances against colonial misrule.
• To promote inter-communal harmony, particularly among Hindus, Muslims, and Parsis, creating a unified political front.
• To advocate for the expansion of civil liberties, freedom of the press, and legal rights for Indian citizens.
• To send representations to the British Parliament regarding the political advancement of Indians.

Moderate Methods of Functioning

• Petitions and Memorandums: Submitting meticulously researched legal and economic briefs to the British administration.
• Public Mobilization: Organizing town hall meetings to pass formal resolutions condemning specific legislative acts.
• Electoral Interventions: Deputing delegates to Britain during the British General Elections to brief the British electorate and politicians on Indian grievances.

Key Contributions and Political Interventions

The BPA acted as an effective pressure group that challenged administrative policies, successfully bridging regional grievances with pan-Indian national demands.

Major Demands and Interventions

• The Indian Civil Services (ICS) Reforms: The BPA continuously agitated against the reduction of the maximum age limit for the ICS exam from 21 to 19 years, a move designed to exclude Indians. They demanded simultaneous examinations in London and India.
• Opposition to Financial Impositions: The association strongly criticized the imposition of custom duties on Indian textiles while letting British imports enter duty-free.
• Advocacy for Local Self-Government: The BPA aggressively backed Lord Ripon’s Local Self-Government resolutions and worked to ensure that municipalities in the Bombay Presidency had genuine elected Indian representation.

Comparative Analysis: Regional Pre-Congress Bodies in Western India

Integration with the Indian National Congress

The Bombay Presidency Association acted as the immediate host and logistical backbone for the birth of the Indian National Congress (INC).

Evolution into the INC

• Venue Organization: The first session of the INC was originally scheduled to be held in Poona, but a cholera outbreak forced a change in venue. The leaders of the BPA took charge and organized the historic first session at the Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College in Bombay from December 28 to December 31, 1885.
• Leadership Transition: The core leadership of the BPA seamlessly transitioned into the national stage. Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee presided over the first session, but the organizational blueprint was heavily driven by BPA members like Pherozeshah Mehta and K.T. Telang.
• Secular Nationalism: Badruddin Tyabji’s prominent position within the BPA helped counter colonial propaganda that the nationalist movement was exclusive to the Hindu majority. Tyabji went on to become the first Muslim President of the INC at its third session in Madras (1887).

Historical Facts and Trivia for UPSC Prelims

• The Lion of Bombay: Pherozeshah Mehta, a core pillar of the BPA, dominated the Bombay Municipal Corporation for decades and was fondly called the “Lion of Bombay” (Bombay Ka Sher) for his fierce defense of civic rights.
• The 1885 Deputation: Just before the formal launch of the INC, the BPA joined forces with the Indian Association of Calcutta and the Madras Mahajan Sabha to send a joint delegation to England. N.G. Chandavarkar represented Bombay to sensitize the British public before the British general elections.
• Media Synergy: The leadership of the BPA frequently utilized the columns of the Bombay Chronicle (founded later by Pherozeshah Mehta) and closely interacted with Dinshaw Wacha and Dadabhai Naoroji to popularize the “Drain of Wealth” theory across western India.
• Judicial Elevation: K.T. Telang was appointed as a judge of the Bombay High Court in 1889, making him one of the earliest Indians to achieve this distinction, which somewhat limited his active political career in his later years.