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What was the main reason for the split in the Indian National Congress at Surat in 1907?
[2016]
  • a)
    Introduction of communalism into Indian politics by Lord Minto
  • b)
    Extremists’ lack of faith in the capacity of the moderates to negotiate with the British Government
  • c)
    Foundation of Muslim League
  • d)
    Aurobindo Ghosh’s inability to be elected as the President of the Indian National Congress
Correct answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer?
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What was the main reason for the split in the IndianNational Congress ...
Reason for the split in the Indian National Congress at Surat in 1907:
The main reason for the split in the Indian National Congress at Surat in 1907 was the lack of faith of the Extremists in the capacity of the Moderates to negotiate with the British Government.

Extremists' Lack of Faith in Moderates:
- The Extremists, led by Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Bipin Chandra Pal, believed in a more aggressive approach towards the British rule and advocated for Swaraj or self-rule.
- They felt that the Moderates, led by leaders like Dadabhai Naoroji and Gopal Krishna Gokhale, were too moderate in their demands and methods.
- The Extremists believed that the Moderates' policies of petitioning and gradual reforms were ineffective in achieving independence.

Conflict at Surat:
- The split in the Congress occurred at the Congress session in Surat in 1907 when the Extremists demanded the election of their candidate, Lala Lajpat Rai, as the President of the Congress.
- The Moderates, on the other hand, supported the candidature of Rash Behari Ghosh, causing a rift between the two factions.
- The session descended into chaos and violence, leading to the split in the Congress between the Extremists and the Moderates.

Consequences of the Split:
- The split weakened the Indian National Congress as a unified political force, with the Extremists forming their own group known as the Garam Dal.
- This division hindered the effectiveness of the Indian independence movement as the Congress was no longer able to present a united front against British rule.
- The split also paved the way for the rise of more radical and militant forms of nationalism in India.
In conclusion, the lack of faith of the Extremists in the Moderates' ability to negotiate with the British Government led to the split in the Indian National Congress at Surat in 1907, marking a significant turning point in the Indian independence movement.
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What was the main reason for the split in the IndianNational Congress ...
(i) Extremists and moderates both seemed to be locking horns. The Extremists thought that the people had been encouraged and the battle for freedom had begun.
They felt the time had come for the big push to drive the British out and considered the Moderates to be a stumbling block to the movement.
(ii) So, Surat split occurred because extremists were dissatisfied with Moderates’ capacity to negotiate with the British.
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Passage 1By going through literature on communalism, certain important aspects that are worth noting arise. First, arbitrary definitions and explanations, often due to the development of opposing schools of thought, have created vagueness around the phenomenon of communalism and its associations with the concept of community. Second, most of the writings on communalism are not on communalism per se. They are on Hindu communalism, Muslim communalism and the Hindu fundamentalism. The connection between communalism and communities is not addressed properly. Third, features of religious communalism - a presumed homogenous community and community consciousness - are also exhibited by sects, cults, castes and linguistic and regional communities. Such communities and their politics are not seen as a part of the restricted idea of communalism. This is why the use of the idea of the ethnic is considered more appropriate, for it can bring under its consideration the full range of such expressions. Fourth, occurrences of communal violence in southern Indian states, its spread to rural and hill areas where tribals and dalits are either involved or attacked, and a range of new subjects for contestation in contemporary times show that communalism is not a peculiar north Indian and urban phenomenon.Writings on communalism, even while highly analytical, consider community in terms of religion. This narrowing of communalism to apply only to religious communities has been uncritically inherited from colonial understandings of communities in India. To begin a discussion on communalism, it is necessary to see how it has been defined and explained, and how it has been associated with the term community. In a crude way, a group of people with some common bonds or notion of common identity can be treated as a community. Apparently, the association of communalism with community looks simplistic. An analysis of the characteristic features of communalism shows that the complex relationship between communalism and community has largely been overlooked. Jones defines communalism as consciously shared religious heritage which becomes the dominant form of identity for a given segment of society.Q. What is the reason that communalism has come to be identified only with religion?

Passage 1By going through literature on communalism, certain important aspects that are worth noting arise. First, arbitrary definitions and explanations, often due to the development of opposing schools of thought, have created vagueness around the phenomenon of communalism and its associations with the concept of community. Second, most of the writings on communalism are not on communalism per se. They are on Hindu communalism, Muslim communalism and the Hindu fundamentalism. The connection between communalism and communities is not addressed properly. Third, features of religious communalism - a presumed homogenous community and community consciousness - are also exhibited by sects, cults, castes and linguistic and regional communities. Such communities and their politics are not seen as a part of the restricted idea of communalism. This is why the use of the idea of the ethnic is considered more appropriate, for it can bring under its consideration the full range of such expressions. Fourth, occurrences of communal violence in southern Indian states, its spread to rural and hill areas where tribals and dalits are either involved or attacked, and a range of new subjects for contestation in contemporary times show that communalism is not a peculiar north Indian and urban phenomenon.Writings on communalism, even while highly analytical, consider community in terms of religion. This narrowing of communalism to apply only to religious communities has been uncritically inherited from colonial understandings of communities in India. To begin a discussion on communalism, it is necessary to see how it has been defined and explained, and how it has been associated with the term community. In a crude way, a group of people with some common bonds or notion of common identity can be treated as a community. Apparently, the association of communalism with community looks simplistic. An analysis of the characteristic features of communalism shows that the complex relationship between communalism and community has largely been overlooked. Jones defines communalism as consciously shared religious heritage which becomes the dominant form of identity for a given segment of society.Q. Consider the following statements:I. Most writings on communalism have been charged by religious sentimentII. Colonial understandings of communities in India are less relevant todayWith reference of the passage, which of the following assumptions is/are valid?

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What was the main reason for the split in the IndianNational Congress at Surat in 1907?[2016]a)Introduction of communalism into Indian politics byLord Mintob)Extremists’ lack of faith in the capacity of the moderates to negotiate with the British Governmentc)Foundation of Muslim Leagued)Aurobindo Ghosh’s inability to be elected as thePresident of the Indian National CongressCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer?
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