What were the Methods Used by Extremists against the British Rule in India?

The extremists’ leaders reacted violently to the repressive measures of the British and decided to follow certain specific methods to demorallise the British administartors and paralyse the British administration in India before they were totally ousted from the country. These methods included Swadeshi, Boycott, National Education and involvement of the masses.

The resolution of Swadeshi, boycott and national education were accepted in the Annual Session of the Congress at Calcutta in 1906 just after the partition of Bengal. It was realised that Swadesh and Boycott were complementary. One would not succeed without the other. In the meeting the held in Calcutta Town Hall on 7^th August 1905 it was resolved to boycott the purchase of British goods.

The boycott movement soon spread all over the country. Students were called upon to boycott schools and colleges run by the British Government. Lala Lajpat Rai asked other provinces of India to follow the examples of Bengal in the matter of Swadeshi and Boycott.

The call Swadeshi and Boycott was given at thousands of public meetings all over Bengal and in most of the major cities and towns of India. It had two aspects. On the one hand British goods were burnt at public places and shops selling them were picketed, on the other a vigorous drive was made for the production and sell of Swadeshi goods.

Swadeshi Movement was instrumental in the establishment of textile mills, national banks, and chemical works. Swadeshi stores were opened up to supply goods to the people. Acharya Prafulla Chandra Roy set upon his Bengal Chemicals Factory at Calcutta and Rabndranath Tagore himself set up a Swadeshi store to help the nationalist consumers. The Swadeshi movement was also reflected in the writings of nationalist writers and journalists.

The patriotic poems and prose pieces roused the sense of nationalism and patriotism in the minds of the mass. Bankim Chandra’s patriotic poem ‘Bande Mataram’ becomes popular not only among the people but also among the people of other states of India. It became a stirring call of patriotism and self sacrifice. Tilak stressed that the basic goal of Swadeshi, Boycott and national education was the attainment of Swaraj.

He proclaimed “Swaraj is my birth right and I shall have it.” He carried the cult of Boycott and Swadeshi to Western India. He burnt at Poona a large number of foreign clothes and opened a co-operative store as the head of the “Swadeshi Vastu Pracharani Sabha.” A Swadeshi weaving company was also formed at Poona.

Another instrument of the extremists was national education. The national leaders recommended national universities and colleges, independent of Government control all over the country. The Bengal National College was established at Calcutta by the Bengal Council of National Education. A large numbers of national schools sprang up in East Bengal.

In Punjab many educational institutions of national character were established under supervision of D.A.V. Society. Many educated Indians were resigned from the Government job and joined as teacher in nationalist schools and colleges with a very small salary. Aurobindo, for example, become the principal of the Bengal National College founded in 1906.

The extremists wanted to widen the base of their movement by bringing the common mass into their fold. The nationalist movement was no longer confined to a few intelligent people but the message of liberty and nationalism spread to the peasant class, irrespective of caste, creed and sex. Many young men and women were driven into the path of terrorism and revolution. The extremists also encouraged co-operative organisations.

Voluntry associations were set up for rural sanitation, regulation of fairs and pilgrims gathering for providing relief during famines and other natural calamities. The extremists talked of broadening the social base of the national movement. Most of them represented the urban lower middle class and aimed at spreading the Congress message to the people. Thus the role of peasants and workers became significant.

Surat Split 1907:

The extremist elements in the congress wanted to take the leadership of the organisation. In the annual session of the congress at Calcutta in 1906 there was a tussle between the moderates and the extremists. It culminated at Surat session in 1907. Here the extremists were determinede to set up Lala Lajpat Rai as a candidate for the president ship but the moderates were not willing to accept Lajpat.

They, on the other hand, nominated Rash Bihari Ghose for presidentship. In order to save himself and the congress from an embrassing situation Mr. Ghosh withdrew his candidature. The moderates tried to repudiate the resolutions on Boycott, Swadeshi and National Education, which were adopted at Calcutta session in 1906. This was too much for the extremists to tolerate. They violently protested.

This disagreement led to a split between the moderates and the extremists. The Surat Split was regarded as the saddest episode in the history of Indian National Congress, because the clash between the Moderates and the Extremists culminated in the free use of sticks and hurling of shoes and chains at one another.