Tilak and the Indian National Congress
In the late 19th century, Indians were getting frustrated with British rule. It caused them many detriments, such as excessive taxation and impoverishment. To resolve such issues by instituting political reform, the Indian National Congress (INC) was founded by Dadabhai Naoroji (1825–1917) and other English-speaking middle-class intellectual Indians in 1885 (Kordas et al.). However, these individuals were moderate and did not necessarily aim to dismantle British rule completely. In fact, many of them believed that there were also several benefits to British rule, such as many freedoms and technological advancements. Naoroji expresses this in his writing:
To sum up the whole, the British rule has been: morally, a great blessing; politically, peace and order on one hand, blunders on the other; materially, impoverishment, relieved as far as the railway and other loans go. The natives call the British system “Sakar ki Churi,” the knife of sugar. That is to say, there is no oppression, it is all smooth and sweet, but it is the knife, notwithstanding (Naoroji).
Many such members of the INC wanted to diplomatically bring about minor reforms. In contrast, some radicals took a more extreme stance against British rule, as they considered its detriments to far outweigh the benefits. Bal Gangadhar Tilak (1856–1920) was one such passionate and radical Indian…
