Meanwhile the Congress party was rocked by confrontation between the softliners and the hard liners. Both the sides had hardened their stands and there was no scope for any compromise. And finally, on 27th December, 1907 the party split in two groups to the dismay of the people.
The British rulers were gladdened. No news could be better than the split in Congress, the only political challenge to it in the country. It was apparent that in some devious way the Englishmen were behind it, invisibly driving down the wedge between the two groups. They badly wanted to isolate Bal Gangadhar Tilak and his group from the mainline Congressmen. The softline leaders had unwittingly played into the hands of the wily British. They were made to believe that the hardliners were about to seize control of the Congress organisation and expel the soft line group.
The two groups openly clashed. The Englishmen watched with glee from the sidelines as the Indians quarrelled among themselves, threw mud at one another and tried to run down each other in the most ugly fashion. Shoes and abuses were freely hurled at each other. It was so shameful, the quarrelsome Indians at their worst.
Here it should be noted that the softline leaders were no dummies who could be easily dumped or dismissed. They were also men of merit and had their own strong points, ideals and mass following. Among them were well known thinkers, strategists, ideologues, social reformers, social workers, famed writers and humanitarians. And they were better educated academically. The soft line group organised Bombay Provincial Congress Session in Surat.
In the session, resolutions were passed rejecting Bal Gangadhar Tilak’s ‘Boycott’ and ‘National Education’ programmes. In the follow up they banned the singing of ‘Bande Matram’ in the session that was held at Raipur. It was done so because the hardliners were using that song to arouse the sentiments and as a rallying mantra.
Thus, in session after session softline leaders were making it clear that Congress party was no place for hot line thinkers like Bal Gangadhar Tilak and his comrades. They didn’t want any premature confrontation with British government whereas the hardline group was pushing the party just towards that point. It was no secret that trio of Bal-Pal-Lal were itching for throwing a direct challenge to the British government of India.
It all happened in the Surat session of the Congress. The hardliners were trying to have Lala Lajpat Rai as the president of the session.
The softliners didn’t like it. They suspected that if Lajpat Rai became the president he would force the party to become a launch vehicle for Tilak’s ‘Boycott’ movement to challenge the government directly.
When Lala Lajpat Rai and Bal Gangadhar Tilak reached Surat to attend the session they were given a tumultuous welcome by their supporters and other floating Congressmen.
The softliners watched it in chagrin. But they were not in a mood to concede presidentship to the hard line group. Lala Lajpat Rai had been released from jail only a few days before. The Congressmen had sentimental sympathy for him. The hardliners were taking advantage of that fact.
Before the beginning of the session, the copies of the proposed resolutions were distributed among the delegates in tent enclosures. To their shock the hard liners found that their ‘Boycott Rasolution’ was changed. Its text was so doctored that it had become meaningless. It enraged the hardliners who felt that it was an act of cheating and was meant to be an insult to them and their leaders.
Tempers rose.
An atmosphere of confrontation built up. The warring groups stood in front of each other in a combat mood. All the efforts to work out some kind of compromise failed.
Bal Gangadhar Tilak proposed that a committee be set up under the chairmanship of a neutral person Dr. Rutherford with a member from each group. The decision of the committee was to be final and binding.
Dr. Feroze Shah Mehta rejected the proposal.
Tilak requested for a permission to say a few words to the delegates after the voting on the election resolution. The request was turned down.
Madan Mohan Malviya and Feroze Shah Mehta didn’t want to give any chance to Tilak.
Tilak could not tolerate the refusal. He was not a person to take such an affront lying down.
He walked up to the chair and began to thunder.
The young elements of both the groups stood up in a pose of confrontation. They were trying to shout down each other. Slogans were being raised. Then, some soft line youth pounced on Tilak.
Gopal Krishna Gokhale rushed to take Bal Gangadhar Tilak in his arms to protect him.
A shoe came flying that hit the chairman and fell upon Feroz Shah Mehta who was sitting right below the dias. The enraged young men of soft group at once launched themselves on the hardliners.
Scuffles, punching, slapping and violent fighting broke out. All hell broke loose. It was a very embarrassing and shameful scene.
Tilak tried to cool down the warring groups but the tempered were too frayed for anyone to care to listen to his appeals.
The British spies watched the battle with unconcealed glee. The enemy stood divided. Now the government could target Bal Gangadhar Tilak and hardliners. They were sure that the main-line Congress won’t go to their help.
The British press and pro-British press of India had been spitting poison on Tilak for a long time condemning his acts and views. The press always presented Tilak as a criminal in politician’s guise.
The administration was laying a trap for Tilak.
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