Vyomesh Chandra Banerjee

July 24, 2023

July 21^st marks the 116^th anniversary of the passing of Womesh Chandra Banerjee.
He was one of the pioneer leaders of the nationalist movement.
He also played a significant role in establishing a Congress branch in London and also served as the general secretary of the London Indian Society, an organization founded by Dadabhai Naoroji.
Notably, Bonnerjee became the first Indian to contest a seat in the British Parliament as a representative of the Liberal Party, although he was unsuccessful in the election.
He became the first Indian to be appointed as a permanent lawyer.
One of his notable cases was defending Surendranath Banerjee in a contempt of court case in the High Court of Calcutta in 1883.
He holds the distinction of being the co-founder and inaugural president of the Indian National Congress at Bombay in 1885, with 72 members in attendance.
- He was elected as Congress President once again during its Allahabad session in 1892.
He was a strong supporter of the Swadeshi movement. Among other things, he dejected the salt tax, calling it completely unjust.