SURAT SPLIT OF INC (1907)

• Event: Surat Split of the Indian National Congress
• Year: 1907
• Place: Surat (Gujarat)on the banks of the Tapti River.
• Session: 23rd Session of the Indian National Congress
• President of INC (1907): Rash Behari Ghosh(Moderate)

Background Causes of Surat Split

• Rise of Extremist nationalism after the Partition of Bengal (1905).
• Difference in methods and ideology between Moderates and Extremists.
• Moderates believed in constitutional reforms, petitions, and dialogue.
• Extremists believed in Swadeshi, Boycott, Passive Resistance, and Mass Movement.
• Popularity of leaders like Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai, and Bipin Chandra Pal.
• Success of the Swadeshi Movement (1905–08) strengthened extremist influence.
• British repression and arrests increased political anger.
Bengal Partition Issue: Extremists wanted to extend the Swadeshi and Boycott movement beyond Bengal to the whole country; Moderates wanted to keep it restricted to Bengal.
Resolution Conflict: Tensions arose over the four resolutions passed in the 1906 Calcutta session: Swaraj, Swadeshi, Boycott, and National Education. Extremists wanted to reiterate them; Moderates wanted to dilute them.

Immediate Cause of Surat Split

• Dispute over election of the INC President for 1907 session.
• Extremists wanted Bal Gangadhar Tilak or Lala Lajpat Rai as President.
• Moderates supported Rash Behari Ghosh.
• Clash over resolution on Swadeshi, Boycott, and National Education.

Major Groups Involved

• Moderates:
– Gopal Krishna Gokhale
– Pherozeshah Mehta
– Dadabhai Naoroji
– Rash Behari Ghosh

• Extremists:
– Bal Gangadhar Tilak
– Lala Lajpat Rai
– Bipin Chandra Pal
– Aurobindo Ghosh

The Split

• Heated arguments led to chaos and physical disruption at the session.
• Congress session broke down without completing proceedings.
• INC officially split into Moderates and Extremists.
• Extremists were expelled from Congress leadership.

 

British Role in Surat Split

• British policy of “Divide and Rule” indirectly encouraged the split.
• Government supported Moderates to weaken mass nationalism.

 

Aftermath and Consequences

• Moderates gained control of the INC from 1907 to 1916.
• Extremists were pushed outside Congress politics.
• Extremist leaders faced arrests, exile, and repression.
• Tilak arrested in 1908 and sentenced to imprisonment in Mandalay.
• National movement lost unity and momentum temporarily.
• Congress became less effective as a mass organization.
• British passed repressive laws during this period.

Long-Term Impact of Surat Split

• Extremists continued revolutionary and cultural nationalism.
• Split weakened Indian nationalism until reunification.
• Reunification occurred in 1916 through the Lucknow Pact.
• Surat Split highlighted the need for unity in national movement.

Exam-Important Facts

• Surat Split = Moderates vs Extremists
• the session was originally scheduled for Nagpur. Moderates moved it to Surat—a stronghold of Gopal Krishna Gokhale—specifically to prevent Bal Gangadhar Tilak from becoming president, as a leader from the host province could not preside over the session.
• Year = 1907
• Place = Surat, Gujarat
• INC President = Rash Behari Ghosh
• Result = Division of Indian National Congress
The split occurred during the tenure of Lord Minto II (1905–1910).

Surat Split (1907): Additional Important Points Session & Venue Details

• Surat session was held on the banks of the Tapti River.
• The session is also called the “Surat Fiasco”(The "Shoe" Incident: Shoes thrown from audience struck Surendranath Banerjea and Pherozeshah Mehta, escalating the chaos that led to the session's suspension) in some historical writings.
• It is considered the first open split in the Indian National Congress.
Following the chaos, the Moderates held a separate convention and expelled the Extremists from the INC.

Organizational Impact

• After the split, Congress sessions became less representative of masses.
• Extremists were denied permission to use the Congress platform.
• Moderate leadership emphasized loyalty to the British Crown.

Ideological Clarifications

• Moderates accepted the goal of self-government within the British Empire.
• Extremists aimed at Swaraj as a birthright (popularized by Tilak later).
• Extremists supported direct political action, not just resolutions.

Role of Key Leaders (Extra Facts)

• Gopal Krishna Gokhale acted as the main strategist of the Moderates.
• Pherozeshah Mehta played a key role in organizing the Surat session.
• Bipin Chandra Pal openly criticized moderate politics after the split.
• Aurobindo Ghosh later withdrew from active politics after repression.He was arrested in 1908 for the Alipore Bomb Case.

British Reaction

• British authorities felt relieved after the split, as unity was broken.
• Government encouraged constitutional reforms only through Moderates.
• Split helped the British isolate militant nationalism.

Legal & Repressive Measures (Related)

• Seditious Meetings Act (1907) used to curb extremist activities.
Criminal Law Amendment Act (1908)
Indian Newspapers (Incitement to Offenses) Act (1908)
Explosive Substances Act (1908)
• Indian Press Act (1910) targeted nationalist newspapers.

• Tilak’s articles in Kesari were cited during his arrest.
Leader Arrests: Bal Gangadhar Tilak was sentenced to six years in Mandalay Jail (Myanmar) for sedition.

Critical Pre-Split Context (1905–1906)
1905 Banaras Session: Presided by G.K. Gokhale. This was the first time "Swaraj" was formally discussed. The differences surfaced over the Extremists' demand to extend the Swadeshi movement beyond Bengal.
1906 Calcutta Session: Presided by Dadabhai Naoroji. A split was narrowly avoided here. Naoroji declared "Swaraj" as the goal of the INC for the first time.
Four Compromise Resolutions: Resolutions on Swaraj, Swadeshi, Boycott, and National Education were passed. The Extremists wanted these applied nationwide; the Moderates wanted them restricted to Bengal.

Key Post-Split Developments
Arundel Commission: A committee appointed to review the Partition of Bengal; Moderates saw it as British benevolence, while Extremists saw it as a result of their pressure.
1908 Allahabad Convention: Moderates amended the INC Constitution to mandate that the Congress would pursue its goals strictly through constitutional means, effectively barring Extremists permanently until 1916.
The "Mehta Congress": For the next few years, the INC was dominated by Pherozeshah Mehta’s rigid control, leading to a period of political passivism.

Related Exam Traps

• Surat Split was not caused by Partition of Bengal directly, but by methods of protest.
• INC was not dissolved; it continued under Moderate control.
• Extremists were not anti-Congress, they were anti-moderate methods.

 

Chronology-Based Facts

• Partition of Bengal → 1905
• Swadeshi Movement → 1905–08
• Surat Split → 1907
• Tilak’s arrest → 1908
• Congress reunion → 1916 (Lucknow Pact)

Historical Significance (One-Liners)

• Surat Split exposed the class divide within Indian nationalism.
• It marked the shift from elitist to mass-based politics.
• Demonstrated limits of early constitutional nationalism.

Frequently Asked MCQ Statements

• Rash Behari Ghosh belonged to the Moderate group.
• Surat session ended without passing key resolutions.
• Extremists later influenced Home Rule Movement (1916).

CORE LINE
The Surat Split (1907) symbolized the ideological conflict between constitutional moderation and assertive nationalism in the Indian freedom struggle.