The British India Association was formed as a result of the merger of the Landholders' Society and the Bengal British India Society in 1851 with Raja Radhakant Dev and Debendranath Tagore as its President and secretary respectively. The organization also consisted of various other members such as Ramgopal Ghosh, Peary Chand Mitra and Krishnadas Pal. Its membership was made open only to Indians. This article will discuss the various aspects of the British India Association which is important for aspirants preparing for the UPSC examination.

British India Association - Background

• The main reason for the formation of this political organization was the European community's opposition to the four bills drafted by Bethune, a law member of the British Government, in 1849.
• These bills were an order to extend the jurisdiction of the East India Company's criminal courts over British-born subjects.
• While the Indian community strongly supported these Bills, the European community in Bengal dubbed them "Black Acts" and staged a protest.
• Following the European Union's outrage, the government was forced to withdraw the Bills.
• These events astounded educated Indians, who saw the need for a strong political organization to protect their interests against organized attacks by Europeans.
• Following the abolition of the zamindari system in West Bengal in 1954, the Indian Association ceased to exist.

British India Association - Objectives

• It petitioned the British Parliament to include some of its suggestions in the Company's renewed Charter, including:
  • the establishment of a separate legislature of a popular character;
  • the separation of executive and judicial functions;
  • salary reductions for higher officers; and
  • the abolition of the salt duty, abkari, and stamp duties.

British India Association - Features

• The British Indian Association was created on 31 October 1851.
• It was one of the first political associations that brought together the Indians.
• It propagated its ideology among the masses through the newspaper “Hindu Patriot” which had a very critical political tone. Its editor was Harish Chandra Mukherjee.
• When the new Charter Act was being debated in Parliament in 1852, a petition was sent in the name of the British Indian Association and other native inhabitants of the Bengal Presidency, complaining about grievances and pleading for relief.
• The petition was partially accepted when the Charter Act of 1853 provided for the addition of six members to the governor general's council for legislative purposes.
• It worked towards securing structural changes in the local administration of the country and in the system of government laid down by the Parliament.
• The British India Association provided leadership to remove the existing lacunae in the laws and civil administration of the country and to promote the greater welfare of the Indians.
• It sent a petition to the Parliament in 1852 and brought to their notice that Indians were not benefited by their connection with Great Britain 'to the extent they had expected them to be'.
• They fought for decreasing the pressure on the revenue systems, and the improvement of judicial administration.
• Advocated for the protection of the life and property of the people from molestation, relief from monopolies of the East India company.
• They laid emphasis on the encouragement of indigenous manufacture, education of the people, and the admission of the Indians to the higher administrative services.
• The British India Association demanded that two-thirds of the Indian Legislative Council should be represented by the Indians.
• In 1860, it compelled the Government to set up a Commission of Enquiry for solving the question of indigo cultivation.

British India Association - Limitations

• The Association was unable to establish itself as a popular representative organization. The British India Association was mainly concerned with the interests of the landlords and of the upper class.
• Its membership was restricted to the wealthy; only Calcutta's Zamindars formed the majority of its membership and provided the majority of its financial support.
• It laid more focus on those measures of the administration that affected their class interests.
• It was exclusive in terms of memberships and also had a very high rate of an annual subscription which came under public criticism.
• As a result, after 1858, the British Indian Association became increasingly identified with the interests of the landed aristocracy and ceased to represent the political aspirations of the Indian people.
• According to legend, the British Indian Association usually supported British rule in order to protect its own interests.
  • This attitude was reflected in a petition sent to the British Parliament in 1859, which urged the government to implement permanent settlements throughout India.
• Though the leaders of the British India Association were patriotic and public-spirited, their primary goal was to protect and advance their own interests.
• The British Indian Association was limited to petitioning the authorities and holding public meetings on occasion to reinforce its demands.
• The Association was unable to meet the aspirations of Bengal's rapidly growing middle class. It was unable to secure any benefits for the educated class in that province.
• The Muslims of Bengal who largely consisted of raiyats and peasants had little interest and connection with the British India Association.

Conclusion

The British India Association was formed in 1851 with a vision to secure improvements in the local administration of the country and bring about changes in the system of governance laid down by the Parliament. This association provided leadership to bring about changes in the laws and civil administration of the country and to promote the welfare of the Indians. But this association has never been a popular organization among the people of India as a whole. The Association also fell short of meeting the aspirations of the rapidly expanding middle class.