Theory Dadabhai Naoroji, known as the ‘Grand Old Man of Indian Nationalism’, was a prominent early nationalist. He was elected to the Bombay Municipal Corporation and Town Council during the 1870s. Elected to the British Parliament in , he founded the India Society ( ) and the East India Association ( ) in London. He was elected thrice as the President of the INC.
own which helped future mass leaders like M. K Gandhi. From the late 1890s there were growing differences within the INC. Leaders like Bipin Chandra Pal, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Lala Lajpat Rai were advocating radical approaches instead of merely writing petitions, prayers and memorandums.
These advocates of radical methods came to be called the “extremists” as against those who were identified as moderates. Their objective became clear in when Tilak raised the clarion call “Swaraj is my birth right and I shall have it”. Tilak and his militant followers were now requesting Swaraj instead of economic or administrative reforms that the moderates were requesting through their petitions and prayers. Though they criticised each other, it would be wrong to place them in the opposing poles.
Both moderates and militants, with their own methods, were significant elements of the larger Indian nationalist movement. In fact, they contributed towards the making of the swadeshi movement. The partition of Bengal in , by the colonial government, which you will be studying in the next lesson, was vehemently opposed by the Indians. The swadeshi movement of , directly opposed the British rule and encouraged the ideas of swadeshi enterprise, national education, self-help and use of Indian languages.
The method of mass mobilisation and boycott of British goods and institutions suggested by the radicals was also accepted by the Moderates. Both the Moderates and the Radicals were of the same view when it came to accepting the fact that they needed to fulfil the role of educators. They tried to instil nationalist consciousness through various means including the press. When the INC was founded in , one- third of the members were journalists.
Most stalwarts of the early freedom movement Bal