RAS question
The Home Rule League established by Tilak (1916) was based in:
Correct answer: (B) Pune.
Bal Gangadhar Tilak's Home Rule League, established in April 1916, was based in Pune.
Explanation
Tilak's Home Rule League was based in Pune and was launched in April 1916. IGNCA's Constitutional History of India and National Movement states that Annie Besant's Home Rule League was inaugurated in Madras in September 1916, while Lokmanya Tilak had already launched a Home Rule League at Poona in April 1916. These dates and locations show that Tilak's league was based in Pune, not Madras or Bombay. The two organisations also had different areas of activity: Tilak's league covered Maharashtra, except Bombay city, along with Karnataka, Berar and the Central Provinces, while Besant's league covered the rest of India, including Bombay city. Both leagues demanded self-government within the British Empire.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Calcutta was neither the headquarters of Tilak's Home Rule League nor the city where it was launched; its headquarters was in Pune.
- (C) Bombay is wrong because the city fell within the area covered by Annie Besant's league, while Tilak's league operated from Pune.
- (D) Madras is wrong because Annie Besant's Home Rule League was inaugurated there, whereas Tilak's league was launched in April 1916 and based in Pune.
Concept
This tests the Home Rule Movement in Modern Indian History, especially the distinction between the separate leagues led by Tilak and Annie Besant at the same time. RAS often asks about their headquarters, areas of activity and leaders because these details show how nationalist mobilisation developed before the post-1919 phase.