Question

How was the politics of the Radicals within the Congress different from that of the Moderates?

Answer 1

• Boycott of British goods and institutions were some of the methods preferred by radicals to fight for swaraj and for mass mobilisation.
• Some even wanted to explore the path of revolutionary violence to overthrow British rule.
• Radicals criticised the Moderates in their chosen path of politics of prayer and gave importance to constructive work and self -reliance.
• A very famous slogan, “Freedom is my birth-right and I shall have it!” was given by freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak.
• The doubts and questions on the political style of the Congress were raised by many leaders like Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal in Punjab, Maharashtra and Bengal, by the 1890s.
• These leaders wanted to explore more radical methods and objectives.
• Radicals argued that people must fight for swaraj and not rely on the good intentions of the government and emphasised that people must rely on their own strength.