Introduction

The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) is presently ruling at the centre and Indian National Congress (INC) is the principal constituent of it. After independence, India has been ruled mostly by this party, sometime as a single party and sometimes in coalition with some other parties. Indian National Congress was born in 1885 in Bombay under the leadership of W. C. Bonnerjee. Right from the beginning it has been a party of moderates. It had the support of several Britishers. As a matter of fact, they were also among the founding fathers of the party. Initially, the party was formed to get legitimate rights of Indian people under the British rule. Gradually, by 1942, it moved towards demand for the independence of the country. After independence also it has not lost its moderate character and the policy of middle path on social and political questions. To understand the approach of ANC this lecture focuses on the manifesto of INC issued at the time of last parliamentary elections, i.e., elections held in year 2009.