Moderates, Extremists & Lal-Bal-Pal — Set 5

Correct Answer: A. A. They laid the foundation of organized nationalism and trained future leaders

The political legacy of the moderate leaders was laying the foundation of organized Indian nationalism. They created the Indian National Congress and made it a national platform. Leaders like Naoroji, Gokhale, and Banerjee documented British exploitation, articulated Indian grievances, and trained future leaders like Gandhi (who considered Gokhale his guru). Though they did not win complete independence, their groundwork was essential for the later, more militant phase of nationalism.

Correct Answer: A. A. Bal Gangadhar Tilak in contrast to the moderate petitioning approach

Bal Gangadhar Tilak argued that Swaraj must be wrested from the British through mass action and pressure, not obtained through polite petitioning. He contrasted this with the moderate approach which he characterized as 'begging' the British. His famous statement 'Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it' embodied this assertive approach. Tilak believed the British would only grant independence when forced to by popular pressure, not out of moral obligation.

Correct Answer: A. A. They made him a nationalist martyr and increased his popular support

Tilak's sedition trials — in 1897 and 1908 — paradoxically increased his popularity and influence. Each conviction demonstrated British repression and transformed him into a nationalist martyr. Indians who had been politically passive were radicalized by witnessing the British legal system being used to silence a popular leader. His defense speeches during the trials became nationalist manifestos. His 1908 conviction, with its 6-year sentence in Mandalay, created enormous sympathy for him across India.

Correct Answer: A. A. Tilak founded the Home Rule League in 1916, not 1906

Bal Gangadhar Tilak founded the Indian Home Rule League in April 1916 (not 1906) in Pune, while Annie Besant founded a separate Home Rule League in Madras in September 1916. The Leagues demanded self-governance for India within the British Empire. They held public meetings and published literature to spread their message. The movement attracted widespread support and was a major political force during World War I. The British response — interning Besant — increased sympathy for the movement.

Correct Answer: A. A. He was a moderate leader who helped expel Tilak's group from Congress

Pherozeshah Mehta was one of the leading moderate leaders who helped expel Tilak's extremist group from the Congress at the Surat session of 1907. As the 'Uncrowned King of Bombay' and a conservative moderate, Mehta strongly opposed the extremists' approach. He used his influence to ensure the moderates retained control of the Congress organization and its constitution. The Surat Split effectively removed the extremists from the INC for nearly a decade.

Correct Answer: A. A. They supported British war effort expecting post-war reforms as reward

The moderate leaders of the INC generally supported the British war effort in World War I (1914-18), believing that Indian loyalty and service would be rewarded with political reforms after the war. Even the returning Tilak supported the war effort to some extent. The British did announce the August Declaration of 1917 promising progressive self-governance. However, post-war reforms (Montagu-Chelmsford, 1919) were widely seen as inadequate, leading Gandhi to launch Non-Cooperation in 1920.

Correct Answer: A. A. The extremist group led by Tilak within the INC demanding aggressive nationalism

The 'New Party' was the informal name given to the extremist group within the INC led by Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal, and Lala Lajpat Rai. They demanded aggressive nationalism, Swaraj through mass agitation, swadeshi, and boycott. They contrasted themselves with the 'Old Guard' or moderates led by Gokhale, Naoroji, and Pherozeshah Mehta. The confrontation between the New Party and Old Guard culminated in the Surat Split of 1907.

Correct Answer: A. A. Rash Behari Ghosh was proposed by moderates

At the fateful Surat session of 1907, the moderates had proposed Rash Behari Ghosh as the INC president while the extremists wanted their own candidate. The extremists refused to accept Rash Behari Ghosh. Chaos ensued at the session with shoes reportedly being thrown. Rash Behari Ghosh was ultimately declared president by the moderates but the extremists refused to accept the outcome. The session ended in a permanent split between the two factions.

Correct Answer: A. A. Gandhi's mass politics superseded both moderate and extremist factions

The Nagpur session of the INC in 1920 marked the rise of Gandhi's mass politics which effectively superseded the moderate versus extremist debate. Gandhi's Non-Cooperation Movement, launched at the Nagpur session, represented a new approach that combined the moderates' non-violence with the extremists' demand for mass participation. By bringing millions of ordinary Indians into the movement, Gandhi transformed Indian nationalism beyond the elite debates of both moderates and extremists.

Correct Answer: A. A. Gita Rahasya commentary on the Bhagavad Gita

Bal Gangadhar Tilak's most famous scholarly work was 'Gita Rahasya' (Secret of the Gita) — a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita written during his imprisonment in Mandalay from 1908 to 1914. In this work, he argued that the Gita's message was one of action and duty, not passive renunciation. He also wrote 'The Arctic Home in the Vedas' arguing that the original home of the Vedic Aryans was the Arctic. His scholarship complemented his political activities.