Indian National Movement & Leadership

The movement that contributed to the split in the Indian National Congress, resulting in the emergence of 'moderates' and 'extremists', was the Swadeshi Movement. The Swadeshi Movement saw two distinct groups emerge within the Indian National Congress:
1. Moderates: This group, led by leaders like Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Surendranath Banerjee, believed in constitutional and peaceful methods to achieve independence. They supported the boycott of British goods but opposed the use of violence or extreme measures. 2. Extremists (also known as Radicals or Nationalists): This group, led by Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai, and Bipin Chandra Pal (the Lal-Bal-Pal trio), advocated for more aggressive and revolutionary methods to drive out the British. They supported the use of boycotts, civil disobedience, and even violence if necessary. The ideological differences between the moderates and extremists intensified during the Swadeshi Movement, eventually leading to the Surat Split in 1907, where the two factions clashed openly at the Congress session, resulting in a temporary split in the party.

Statement 1 is correct: A committee named the 'Sedition Committee' was set up in 1918 by the British Raj, led by Sir Sidney Rowlatt, a British judge. The purpose of this committee was to investigate political activities considered seditious by the British government, particularly in Bengal and Punjab. Statement 2 is correct: Gandhi believed the Rowlatt Act, passed based on the committee's recommendations, was unjust. It gave the British authorities broad powers to arrest and detain people suspected of revolutionary activities without trial. While not the primary tool used by Gandhi, Gandhi did attempt to leverage the support and networks of the Home Rule Leagues to mobilize people against the Rowlatt Act. Statement 3 is incorrect: Demonstration against the Simon Commission was held in 1928, while the Rowlatt Act was passed in 1919.

Statement 1 is correct: The Cabinet Mission (1946) recommended the establishment of a federal government in India with a weak centre controlling only defence, foreign affairs, and communications, and the provinces grouped into sections with autonomy in other matters. Statement 2 is incorrect: The Mission did not propose any changes in the powers of Indian courts; its purpose was to plan the constitutional framework for transfer of power, not judicial reforms. Statement 3 is incorrect: The Mission made no recommendation regarding the Indian Civil Services (ICS) or increasing Indian participation in it.

The Congress Socialist Party (CSP) was a socialist caucus within the Indian National Congress. It was founded in 1934 by Congress members who rejected what they saw as the anti-rational mysticism of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Influenced by Fabianism as well as Marxism-Leninism, the CSP included advocates of armed struggle or sabotage (such as Yusuf Meherally, Jai Prakash Narayan, and Basawon Singh (Sinha)) as well as those who insisted upon ahimsa or nonviolent resistance (such as Acharya Narendra Deva). The CSP advocated decentralized socialism in which cooperatives, trade unions, independent farmers, and local authorities would hold a substantial share of the economic power. - It was in favour of socialist ideas within the Congress. - It believed in democratic socialism. - It did not favour separate electorates.

This session was very significant because in this Lahore session the prominent party Indian National Congress, took the resolution of Poorna Swaraj or complete independence. In this, the Indian tricolour flag was hoisted by Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru on the bank of the Ravi River.

* The Ghadr (or Ghadar) movement was a revolutionary movement that aimed to overthrow British colonial rule in India during the early 20th century. * It was launched by Indian immigrants, mainly Sikhs and Hindus, residing in North America, particularly in the United States and Canada. * The Ghadr Party was formed in 1913 in San Francisco, California, to liberate India from British rule through an armed revolution. * Prominent leaders of the Ghadr movement included Lala Har Dayal, Sohan Singh Bhakna, Kartar Singh Sarabha, and Vishnu Ganesh Pingle.

The Partition of Bengal implemented by Lord Curzon in 1905 lasted until King George V abrogated Curzon's Act at the Royal Durbar in Delhi in 1911. The widespread protests and nationalist movements against the partition led to its reversal in 1911.

Indians fiercely opposed the Simon Commission's arrival in 1928 because it had no Indian members. This exclusion from a body deciding India's future governance was seen as insulting and undemocratic, fueling the fight for independence.

Statement 1 is correct: Annie Besant started the Home Rule Movement in 1916 in India, around the same time as Bal Gangadhar Tilak started his own Home Rule League. The movement sought self-government for India within the British Empire. Statement 2 is incorrect: The Theosophical Society was founded in 1875 in New York by Madame H.P. Blavatsky and Colonel H.S. Olcott. Annie Besant later became its prominent leader after it moved to Adyar (Madras), but she was not the founder. Statement 3 is correct: Annie Besant was elected as the President of the Indian National Congress in 1917 (Calcutta Session).

* The Quit India Movement was launched in 1942 in response to the failure of the Cripps Proposals. * The Cripps Mission, led by Sir Stafford Cripps, aimed to secure Indian cooperation in World War II by offering limited self-government after the war. However, the proposals were rejected by both the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League as they were deemed inadequate. * The Wavell Plan was an event of 1945 and the Cabinet Mission Plan was announced in 1946, much later than the Quit India movement while the Simon Commission arrived in India in 1928.