Indian Independence Movement

Ashtapradhan (Council of Eight) was the administrative council of Shivaji's Maratha Empire, formalized in 1674. The eight ministers were: Peshwa (Prime Minister), Amatya (Finance Minister), Sachiv (Secretary), Mantri (Interior Minister), Senapati (Commander-in-Chief), Sumant (Foreign Minister), Nyayadhish (Chief Justice), and Pandit Rao (Royal Priest/Household Management). Harihara I (option A) founded the Vijayanagara Empire. Krishnadevaraya (option B) was its greatest ruler with a different administrative structure. Balaji Baji Rao (option D) was a later Peshwa, not associated with Ashtapradhan.

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad served as President of the Indian National Congress from 1940 to 1946, spanning the critical Quit India Movement period and World War II years. He was a key leader in the Congress, a champion of Hindu-Muslim unity, and strongly opposed partition. Jawaharlal Nehru (option A) was President in 1929, 1930, 1936-37, and later. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (option B) never served as Congress President. Rajendra Prasad (option D) was President in 1934, 1939, and later independent India's first President.

The first session of the Indian National Congress was held in Bombay in December 1885 and was presided over by Womesh Chunder Bannerjee (W.C. Bannerjee), a prominent Bengali lawyer. A.O. Hume was the founder and organizer of the Congress but did not preside over sessions. Hume was a retired British civil servant who wanted to provide a safe outlet for Indian political aspirations.

The All Parties Conference was convened in 1928 to address the constitutional future of India. Motilal Nehru, Jawaharlal Nehru's father, chaired the committee that drafted the Nehru Report recommending dominion status. This report was a counter to the Simon Commission.

Subhash Chandra Bose formed the Forward Bloc in 1939 after resigning from the Congress presidency. He created this party as an alternative platform within the freedom movement, emphasizing more radical approaches. Sardar Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad were revolutionaries but didn't form this party, and Nehru remained with the Congress.

Jawaharlal Nehru, independent India's first Prime Minister, also served as the first Chairman of the Planning Commission (established in 1950). The Commission was responsible for formulating India's Five-Year Plans for economic development.

A.O. Hume, a retired British civil servant, was the first General Secretary of the Indian National Congress founded in 1885. He believed that Congress would provide a safety valve for Indian political discontent and prevent another uprising. Dadabhai Naoroji was the first President, while W.C. Bonnerjee was the first President of the 1885 session.

Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the first President of India (1950-1962) and is the only President to have served two full terms. He was elected unanimously and was respected across party lines.

Jai Prakash Narayan was a strong advocate of partyless democracy as part of his Total Revolution movement in the 1970s. He believed that political parties promoted corruption, casteism, and division in society. His vision emphasized direct people's participation in governance through grassroots democracies like gram sabhas.

Dr. Rajendra Prasad served as the President of the Constituent Assembly of India from 1946 to 1949. He was a key figure in the constitution-making process and later became the first President of India. The Constituent Assembly was responsible for drafting the Constitution of India.

Dadabhai Naoroji, known as the 'Grand Old Man of India', prepared the first systematic estimate of India's national income in his 1901 work 'Poverty and Un-British Rule in India' using the 'drain theory' approach. The CSO and NSSO were established much later in 1949 and 1950 respectively.

The Ashok Mehta Committee (1977) was appointed to review the working of the Panchayati Raj institutions and recommend reforms. This committee suggested constitutional status for Panchayati Raj and emphasized greater participation of weaker sections. The earlier Balwant Rai Mehta Committee (1957) had first recommended the three-tier Panchayati Raj system.