. Revolutionary Extremism Around , the decline of the militant nationalists and the rise of revolutionary activities marked an important shift from non-violent methods to violent action. It also meant a shift from mass-based action to elite response to the British rule. In Bengal, revolutionary terrorism had developed even earlier; around the 1870s, when the akharas or gymnasiums were setup in various places to develop what Swami Vivekananda had described as strong muscles and nerves of steel.
Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s novel, Anandmath also had a significant impact. Anandmath was widely read by the revolutionaries in Bengal. The Bande Mataram song, which is part of the novel, became the anthem of the swadeshi movement. Bankim Chandra Chatterjee Surat Split Congress Split at Surat The tension between the militants and the moderates became more pronounced with the appointment of Lord Minto as the new Viceroy to India in .
As the tension was rising between the two groups, a split was avoided, in the Calcutta session, by accepting demands of moderate leaders and electing Dadabhai Naoroji as president. Most of the moderates, led by Pherozeshah Mehta, were defeated in the election. The militants managed to pass four resolutions on Swadeshi, Boycott, National Education, and Self- Government. The next session of Congress was originally planned to be held in Poona, considered to be a stronghold of militants.
Fearing a repeat of the Calcutta session, the moderates shifted the venue to Surat. The militants proposed Lala Lajpat Rai’s name for the next Congress presidency opposing the moderate’s candidate Rash Behari Ghosh. Lala Lajpat Rai, however, turned down the offer to avoid the split. The matter finally boiled down to the question of retaining the four resolutions that were passed in the Calcutta session in .
The Pherozeshah Mehta Rise of Extremism and Swadeshi Movement Khudiram Bose Prafulla Chaki A conspiracy was hatched there to kill Douglas Kingsford, notorious for his cruel ways of dealing with the swadeshi agitators. Two young revolutionaries - -year-old Khudiram Bose and -year-old Prafulla Chaki – were entrusted