Who is regarded as the father and founder of the Indian National Congress?

Answer: Option C

The important role of Allan Octavian Hume (1829-1912) in the establishment and early development of the Indian National Congress is generally acknowledged. It was not, indeed, without good reason that many first generation leaders of the movement regarded Hume as the 'Father of Congress'. Hume has been called "the Father of Indian Ornithology" and, by those who found him dogmatic, "the Pope of Indian ornithology".