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 nationalist.
In his speech to the INC in 1907, Tilak argued that Indians needed to institute more effective measures to gain independence. He tried to compromise and present his point of view as a non-extreme and practical course of action. In the first paragraph of his speech, he argued that the terms moderate and extreme were relative and would change with time. Throughout the speech, he tries to appeal to emotion, while trying to not sound too extreme. For example, he says “there is no necessity for arms either”. He proceeds by establishing that self-rule is necessary:
The point is to have the entire control in our hands. I want to have the key of my house, and not merely one stranger turned out of it. Self-government is our goal; we want a control over our administrative machinery. We don’t want to become clerks and remain [clerks]. At present, we are clerks and willing instruments of our own oppression in the hands of an alien government, and that government is ruling over us not by its innate strength but by keeping us in ignorance and blindness to the perception of this fact (Tilak).
Thereafter, he attempts to convince the audience that boycott is the “political weapon” that will be effective in gaining self-rule:
This is boycott and this is what is meant when we say, boycott is a political weapon. We shall not give them assistance to collect revenue and keep peace. We shall not assist them in fighting beyond the frontiers or outside India with Indian blood and money. We shall not assist them in carrying on the administration of justice. We shall have our own courts, and when time comes we shall not pay taxes (Tilak).
In the final paragraph, he suggests that the audience decide for themselves. Through this speech, Tilak aimed to bridge the gap between moderates and radicals in the INC.
However, eventually, radical members like Tilak grew impatient and publicly condemned the British. His followers “became convinced that Indian self-government could only be achieved by violent resolution” (James 426–427). This led to a split between the moderate and radical leaders of the INC:
Tilak’s activities split the INC between moderates and radicals, and he and his followers formed the New Party, which called for the use of terrorism and violence to achieve national independence. Tilak was eventually convicted of sedition (Duiker 99).
In conclusion, Tilak’s efforts were very impactful in the overall effort for Indian independence, and his methods of non-cooperation were later adopted by Gandhi and his followers. It was just as he predicted, “The Extremists of today will be Moderates tomorrow” (Tilak).
Sources
Duiker, William J. Contemporary World History. Sixth ed., Cengage Learning, 2015.
Edwardes, Michael. British India. Sidgwick & Jackson, 1968.
James, Lawrence. Raj: The Making and Unmaking of British India. St. Martin’s Griffin, 1998.
Kordas, Ann, et al. “9.4 Exploitation and Resistance — World History Volume 2, from 1400.” OpenStax, OpenStax, openstax.org/books/world-history-volume-2/pages/9–4-exploitation-and-resistance. Accessed 11 Sept. 2024.
Naoroji, Dadabhai. “Dadabhai Naoroji: The Benefits of British Rule, 1871.” Edited by Paul Halsall, Internet History Sourcebooks: Modern History, Fordham University, 1998, origin-rh.web.fordham.edu/Halsall/mod/1871britishrule.asp.
Tilak, Bal Gangadhar. “Bal Gangadhar Tilak (1856–1920): Address to the Indian National Congress, 1907.” Edited by Paul Halsall, Internet History Sourcebooks: Modern History, Fordham University, 1998, sourcebooks.fordham.edu/mod/1907tilak.asp.
