Surat Split of INC, 1907 | History Optional for UPSC (Notes) PDF Download

Background and Factors Leading to Surat Split

• The political situation in India during 1906-7 was quite confused. The Bengal moderates wanted to stay allied with the Bombay group but were pushed towards a more radical approach due to local politics. They strongly opposed the partition of Bengal and supported boycott, swadeshi, national education.
• Bombay leaders like Pherozshah Mehta, Dinshaw Wacha, Gokhale could not understand these radical tendencies.
• Among non-Bengali extremists, Lala Lajpat Rai advocated for restraint and wanted a reconciliation between moderates and extremists. Even Tilak was not entirely in favor of a confrontation; it was only Ajit Singh in Punjab who was firmly against any compromise.
• The central issue in all-India politics during this period was how to incorporate the radicalism from the Bengal swadeshi movement into the broader Congress agenda.
• By the end of 1905, there were reports of political unrest in various regions including the United Provinces,Punjab,Madras Presidency,Bombay Presidency, Central Provinces. Widespread agrarian riots were noted in Rawalpindi and Lahore.
• In Poona, the plague and the government’s interventionist measures stirred political emotions, leading to a radicalization of public life, albeit at an elite level, deepening the rift between Gokhale and Tilak.

Benaras Session (1905):

• In December 1905, during the Benaras session of the Indian National Congress, chaired by Gokhale, differences between the Moderates and Extremists became evident.
• The Extremists aimed to extend the Boycott and Swadeshi Movement beyond Bengal and include all forms of association with the colonial government in the boycott program, seeking to initiate a nationwide mass movement.
• The Extremists pushed for a strong resolution supporting their agenda at the Benaras session.
• Conversely, the Moderates opposed extending the movement beyond Bengal and were against the boycott of councils and similar associations.
• They advocated for strictly constitutional methods to protest against the partition of Bengal.
• As a compromise, a milder resolution condemning the partition of Bengal and Curzon's reactionary policies was passed, supporting the swadeshi and boycott program in Bengal, preventing an immediate split.

Calcutta Session (1906):

• At the Calcutta session, the Moderates' enthusiasm had waned due to the rising popularity of the Extremists, revolutionary terrorists, communal riots.
• The Bengal extremists connected with the Tilak group in Maharashtra to realign the Congress program at the December 1906 Congress.
• Disputes almost erupted over the presidentship, with the Extremists favoring either Tilak or Lajpat Rai, while the Moderates proposed Dadabhai Naoroji, respected by all nationalists.
• Ultimately, Naoroji was elected president, to appease the militants, the Congress goal was defined as 'swarajya or self-government like the United Kingdom or the colonies.'
• Despite Gokhale's opposition and Mehta's efforts, the Extremists, aided by Bengal moderates, achieved a significant victory.
• Four resolutions on Swadeshi, Boycott, National Education, Self-Government were passed, the partition was condemned.
• This marked the birth of the Extremist Party, led by Tilak, focused on upholding the four Calcutta resolutions, while Bombay moderates aimed to revise them in the next Congress session.
• Throughout 1907, the two factions contested differing interpretations of the four resolutions.
• The term swaraj was mentioned for the first time, but its meaning was left ambiguous, allowing for various interpretations by the Moderates and Extremists.
• Emboldened by the Calcutta session, the Extremists called for widespread passive resistance and boycott of schools, colleges, legislative councils, municipalities, law courts, etc.
• The Moderates, encouraged by impending council reforms, decided to soften the Calcutta program.
• Both sides appeared to be heading toward a confrontation.

Extremists:

• They believed that the people were stirred up and the fight for freedom had started.
• They thought it was time for a strong effort to push the British out and saw the Moderates as a hindrance to the movement.
• Most of them, led by Aurobindo Ghose, felt it was time to break away from the Moderates, remove them from Congress leadership, split the organization if the Moderates couldn’t be ousted.

Moderates:

• They believed it was risky to align with the Extremists at that point, fearing that the Extremists’ anti-imperialist activities would be harshly suppressed by the colonial government.
• The Moderates viewed the council reforms as a chance to achieve their goal of Indian involvement in administration.
• They felt that any rash action by Congress under Extremist pressure would upset the Liberals in power in England.
• Most Moderates, led by Pherozeshah Mehta, were also ready to part ways with the Extremists.

Both sides had it wrong:

• The Moderates failed to see that the council reforms were more about isolating the Extremists than rewarding them.
• The Extremists did not recognize that the Moderates were their natural defense line against the colonial state and that they lacked the strength to confront the colonial power alone.
• Both sides overlooked the fact that in a vast country like India under a powerful imperialist rule, only a broad-based nationalist movement would be effective.
• It wasn’t that the entire leadership was unaware of the risks. Key leaders from both sides,Tilak(Extremists) and Gokhale(Moderates), understood the dangers of disunity in the nationalist movement, but neither could prevent the split.

Split of Congress in Surat Session, December 1907

• The Extremists wanted the 1907 session to be held in Poona, with Tilak or Lajpat Rai as the president, to reiterate the resolutions on swaraj,swadeshi,boycott, national education.
• The Moderates, led by Gokhale and Firuz Shah Mehta, preferred Surat to exclude Tilak from the presidency, as a leader from the host province could not preside over the session.
• Lala Lajpat Rai, who had returned from Mandalay, was proposed by the Extremists as the next Congress president, while the Moderates nominated Rash Behari Ghosh.
• Rai, not wanting a split, declined the nomination, the conflict centered on the acceptance or rejection of the four Calcutta resolutions.
• The Extremists were alarmed by rumors that the Moderates intended to discard the four resolutions and sought assurance for their passage.
• The dispute escalated, with the Extremists objecting to the elected President Rash Behari Ghose.
• The atmosphere at the session was charged with anger and excitement, leading to shouting, physical confrontations, thrown objects.
• Tilak attempted to prevent the split but was unable to control his followers, viewing the division as a catastrophe.
• Tilak later expressed regret to his opponents, accepted Rash Behari Ghose as President, offered to work towards Congress unity.
• The moderate leaders, having taken control of the Congress, excluded the militant elements, the Congress collapse at Surat was seen as a victory by Minto.

Aftermath and Effect of Split:

• After the Surat Split, the Congress was dominated by the Moderates. They quickly reaffirmed their commitment to achieving self-government within the British Empire through constitutional methods.
• In the subsequent sessions of Congress in Banaras and Allahabad, led by Firozshah Mehta, the moderates reiterated their loyalty to the British Raj, marking a rejection of the Bengal model of politics.
• The Extremists, on the other hand, formed the Liberal Party and identified themselves as Neo-Nationalists.
• The government launched a strong crackdown on the Extremists between 1907 and 1911, implementing several new laws to curb anti-government activities. These included:
  (i) Seditious Meetings Act, 1907
  (ii) Indian Newspapers (Incitement to Offences) Act, 1908
  (iii) Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1908
  (iv) Indian Press Act, 1910
• Extremist newspapers faced suppression, prominent leaders like Tilak were jailed. Others like Aurobindo Ghose and B.C. Pal stepped back from politics, while Lajpat Rai left for abroad.
• The Extremists failed to establish an effective alternative party to continue the movement, while the Moderates also struggled.
• The Moderates abandoned radical measures and excluded the Extremists from the party, attempting to rebuild Congress but lacking popular support.
• In the long run, the split was detrimental to both factions. The Moderates lost touch with younger nationalists, the British government utilized a "Divide and Rule" strategy.
• To appease moderate nationalists, the British introduced constitutional reforms through the Indian Councils Act of 1909.
• In 1911, the government reversed the partition of Bengal, reuniting Western and Eastern Bengal and creating a new province of Bihar and Orissa. The seat of the Central Government was also moved from Calcutta to Delhi.
• After 1908, the national movement declined until Tilak revived it with the Home Rule Movement in 1914. Upon his release from jail, Tilak adopted a more moderate stance.
• The Congress was revitalized and the two factions reunited under Gandhi's leadership in 1920.