Q. What was the main reason for the split in the Indian National Congress at Surat in 1907? (UPSC Prelims 2016)
Answer: Extremists' lack of faith in the capacity of the moderates to negotiate with the British Government
Notes: The correct answer is [B] Extremists' lack of faith in the capacity of the moderates to negotiate with the British Government. The Surat Split of 1907 was a landmark event where the Indian National Congress divided into two factions: the Moderates and the Extremists.

• Ideological Conflict (Statement B – Correct): The Extremists, led by Lal-Bal-Pal (Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, and Bipin Chandra Pal), believed that the Moderate method of "Prayers, Petitions, and Protests" was ineffective. They wanted to expand the Swadeshi and Boycott movements beyond Bengal to the rest of India and transform it into a full-scale passive resistance. The Moderates, however, feared that such radical steps would provoke British suppression and were only willing to negotiate within the constitutional framework.
• Immediate Trigger: The conflict peaked over the choice of the Congress President for the 1907 session. The Extremists wanted Tilak or Lala Lajpat Rai, while the Moderates proposed Rash Behari Ghosh. The session ended in chaos and a physical scuffle, leading to the expulsion of the Extremists.
• Communalism and Lord Minto (Statement A – Incorrect): While Lord Minto’s policies (like the Morley-Minto Reforms of 1909) later introduced separate electorates, this was a British strategy of "Divide and Rule" rather than the primary cause of the internal Congress split.
• Muslim League (Statement C – Incorrect): The Muslim League was founded in 1906 in Dacca. While it represented a shift in the political landscape, it was an external factor and not the internal reason for the Congress breaking apart.
• Aurobindo Ghosh (Statement D – Incorrect): Although Aurobindo Ghosh was a prominent leader of the Extremists and supported Tilak’s candidacy, his personal inability to be elected was not the "main reason" for the split; the conflict was deeply rooted in fundamental differences over political goals and methods.

Following the split, the British government cracked down on the Extremists, and the Congress remained under Moderate control until the Lucknow Pact of 1916, where the two factions finally reunited.