RAS question
The Surat Split of the Indian National Congress occurred in which year?
Correct answer: (C) 1907.
The Surat Split of the Indian National Congress occurred at the Surat Session on 26 December 1907.
Explanation
The Surat Split belongs to the 1907 annual session of the Indian National Congress at Surat. The official INC timeline records an entry titled "The Surat Split" dated 26 December 1907. The immediate issue was the widening gap between the Extremists and the Moderates. Extremist leaders such as Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai and Bipin Chandra Pal pressed for resolutions on Swaraj, Boycott and national education, while Moderate leaders such as Surendranath Banerjea and Gopal Krishna Gokhale favoured a softer approach. Because the two sections found no meeting ground, the session broke down into confusion and had to be suspended, making 1907 the correct year.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) 1905 is tied to the Partition of Bengal, while the Surat Session split is dated 26 December 1907 in the official INC timeline.
- (B) 1906 is associated with the founding of the Muslim League, while the INC timeline places the Surat Split in 1907.
- (D) 1909 refers to the Morley-Minto Reforms, whereas the Congress split at Surat is recorded under 1907.
Concept
The Moderate-Extremist phase of the Indian national movement is a recurring RAS theme because it links Congress sessions with ideological shifts. The Surat Split is often asked as a year-based marker within early twentieth-century nationalist politics.