Which of the following statements about the formation of the Indian National Congress are true? 1. The Indian National Congress was formed at a national convention held in Calcutta in December 1885 under the Presidency of Motilal Nehru. 2. The Safety Valve Theory regarding the formation of the Indian National Congress emerged from a biography of A. O. Hume written by William Wedderbum. 3. An early decision was that the President would be from the same region where the session was to be held. 4. W. C. Baneijee was the first President of the Indian National Congress. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

The Indian National Congress (INC) was founded in December 1885 at Bombay, not Calcutta, and its first session was presided over by W. C. Bonnerjee, not Motilal Nehru [2]. Thus, statement 1 is false and statement 4 is true. The 'Safety Valve Theory' suggests that A. O. Hume founded the INC to provide a peaceful outlet for Indian discontent. This theory was first popularized in the biography of A. O. Hume written by William Wedderburn in 1913. Therefore, statement 2 is true. Regarding statement 3, while the INC adopted a convention to hold sessions in different parts of the country to promote national unity, the established rule was that the President should belong to a region other than where the session was being held to maintain an all-India character. Consequently, only statements 2 and 4 are correct.

Sources

1. [1] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 11: Indian National Congress: Foundation and the Moderate Phase > Summary > p. 256
2. [2] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 11: Indian National Congress: Foundation and the Moderate Phase > Foundation of Indian National Congress > p. 247