It is generally believed that ‘associations brought nineteenth century India across the threshold of modern politics’. The foundation of the Indian National Congress in 1885 was a landmark in the history of associations. Since then the complexities of modern politics have shaped its creed, character and composition both at central and local level.

Until the First World War the nationalist Congress confronted imperialism using techniques ranging from the policy of petitioning favoured by the Moderates to the passive resistance of the Extremists. By the end of the war however, nationalist politics began to reach sections of the populace who had earlier remained outside it. Their potential as active participants in modern politics could not be ignored. A point had been reached where institutional politics could not remain oblivious of the politics of the people. This set the trend for nationalist politics in future years as the two streams interacted, each moulding the other.

This work attempts to identify the links between institutional politics and the politics of the people, exploring its impact on both groups and also on the course of the nationalist movement, especially during the period of Gandhian nationalism. Rather than concentrate on the history of a locality at a specific time when the nationalist struggle was at its height, this study has tried to establish a link between micro and macro studies over a period of 20 years in order to broaden the perspective of nationalist politics.