Table of Contents
National Congress of Fiji
The rival current. Launched in 1965 by Ayodhya Prasad, it briefly challenged Federation before merging into the Alliance.
Key Facts
Founded
10 January 1965, in Lautoka, spearheaded by Ayodhya Prasad.
Purpose
To challenge A.D. Patel’s Federation Party during Fiji’s constitutional debates of the 1960s.
Notable Action
Petitioned the United Nations on Indo-Fijian grievances over political representation.
Alignment
Later aligned with Ratu Mara’s Alliance Party, becoming a rival current within Indo-Fijian politics.
Status
Defunct; most members moved into Alliance politics.
Origins
The National Congress of Fiji emerged in a highly contested moment in Fiji’s political history. As independence discussions accelerated, Ayodhya Prasad—already a seasoned cane-grower leader from the 1930s—founded the Congress on 10 January 1965 in Lautoka. The body positioned itself as an alternative to A.D. Patel’s Federation Party, reflecting divisions among Indo-Fijian leaders on how best to negotiate Fiji’s constitutional future.
Milestones
Timeline
1965
National Congress founded; petitions the UN on Indo-Fijian rights and representation.
1966
Engaged in public disputes with Federation leaders on electoral design and alliances.
1967
Aligned with Ratu Mara’s Alliance Party, contributing Indo-Fijian voices to the ruling coalition.
Why It Mattered
The Congress injected plurality into Indo-Fijian politics during the critical years leading to independence. While Federation dominated, the Congress ensured that Indo-Fijian political opinion was not monolithic, offering Ratu Mara’s Alliance a bridge to Indo-Fijian constituencies.
Legacy
Though short-lived, the National Congress demonstrated the contested nature of Indo-Fijian political life. Its eventual absorption into the Alliance symbolised the pull of multi-ethnic coalition politics in Fiji. Its cadre, many of whom transitioned into Alliance ranks, showed that Indo-Fijian leaders could influence both opposition and ruling coalitions.
Gallery
References
- Politics of Fiji — Pre-independence section
- Ayodhya Prasad biography
- Brij V. Lal, Broken Waves (1984) — chapters on Fiji’s constitutional negotiations and Indo-Fijian political divisions.