Q. What led to the Congress split at Surat in 1907 ?

Ans. 

 The gulf between the moderates and the extremists in the Congress became very wide. They could no more pull together. At the Surat Session of 1907, differences arose between the two wings on the method of achieving Swaraj. Moderates were opposed to the method of boycott. They wanted that the minor issues with the government should be settled by deliberations. But the extremists were anxious to start a vigorous national agitation against the foreign rulers. Her.^, they decided to dominate the Congress during the Surat Session. The quarrel started on the question of election of the President. The exti'emists wanted to have elected a President of their own choice. There were scenes of noisy disorder in the meeting. It resulted in an open breach between the moderate and the extremist sections. The extremists decided to form a separate party of their own. The moderates were led by men like Feroze Shah Mehta, Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Surendra Nath Banerji. On the other hand, the extremists were led by Bal Gangadhar Tiiak, Bipin Chandra Pal and Lala Lajpat Rai, a trio of firebrand leaders who came to be known as Lai, Bal, Pal. Though the Congress was controlled by the moderates till 1916, yet the masses were attracted more towards the extremist leaders who had become very popular.