RAS question
The Surat Split (1907) of the Indian National Congress occurred over the issue of:
Correct answer: (A) Difference between Moderates and Extremists over methods of struggle.
The Surat Split of 1907 occurred because Moderates and Extremists in the Indian National Congress disagreed over the methods and programme of struggle against British rule.
Explanation
The Surat Split was the open break between the Moderate and Extremist currents inside the Congress. Both opposed British rule, but they differed over political methods: Moderates relied on constitutional reform, petitions and gradual pressure, while Extremists wanted a more vigorous programme built around Swaraj, Swadeshi, boycott and national education. The immediate crisis came around the Congress presidency and control of the programme. Extremists wanted leaders such as Tilak and Lajpat Rai to shape the session, while Moderates moved the venue to Surat and backed Rash Behari Ghosh. The 1907 split resulted from these internal differences and harmed the Congress and the national movement for a time.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) There was no proposed merger with the Muslim League; the dispute described for 1907 was internal to the Congress, between its Moderate and Extremist groups.
- (C) Opposition to Gandhi's leadership cannot explain the Surat Split because Gandhi was not yet the central national leader of the Congress in 1907.
- (D) The demand for Pakistan belongs to a much later phase of politics, not to the 1907 Congress conflict over methods, leadership and programme.
Concept
This tests the Moderate-Extremist phase of the national movement and the shift from petition-based politics to more assertive mass-oriented methods. RAS often returns to this theme because Congress sessions, ideological divisions and turning points help explain the evolution of anti-colonial politics.