Tag: civics

After joining the Indian National Congress, and taking part in political agitation in Punjab, Lajpat Rai was deported to Mandalay, Burma, without trial, in May 1907. In November, however, he was allowed to return when the viceroy, Lord Minto, decided that there was insufficient evidence. Lajpat Rai’s supporters attempted to secure his election to the presidency of the party session at Surat in December 1907, but elements favouring co-operation with the British refused to accept him, and the party split over the issues.

 Lala Lajpat Rai wrote Unhappy India. He said, ” A man without a soul is a mere animal. A nation without a soul is only a dumb driven cattle.“

The main objective of the Assertive Nationalist was the immediate attainment of ‘swaraj’. This means complete independence and not just self-government as in the colonies of Australia, New Zealand, etc.

• The efforts made by the moderate leaders through their writings, agitations and petitions to the British government, exposed the true character of the British rule in India.
• It was felt that the British rule was responsible for the economic ruin of India and her growing poverty.    
• Some of the political events from  1892 to 1905, like the reduction in the number of  Indian members in the Calcutta Corporation, the restrictions of the Press, etc., made  Indians realise that instead of giving them more rights the British were taking away their few existing rights.
• All this convinced the Indians that India could not make progress unless British imperialism was replaced by a government run by them.

In 1928 while leading a procession at Lahore against the Simon Commission he was injured in a lathi charge. He succumbed to his injuries a mount later on November 17, 1928. On the day he was wounded, he said, "Lathi blows inflicted on me would prove some day as nails in the coffin of the British empire."

Because of the efforts and sacrifices made by Assertive leaders that the Partition of Bengal was annulled in 1911. This gave fresh self-confidence to Indian Nationalists.

Bal Gangadhar Tilak is known as the father of the Assertive Nationalism. He played a leading role in popularizing the cult of patriotism and making the Congress movement broad-based.

Lala Lajpat Rai was popularly known as "Punjab Kesari" or "Sher-e-Punjab". He was an eminent lawyer, prolific writer, enlightened educator, social reformer and a staunch fighter against the British rule. He was born at Dhudike, Jagraon in Punjab.

Bal Gangadhar Tilak, born on 23 July 1856 at Ratnagiri in Maharashtra was an Indian nationalist, teacher, social reformer, lawyer and an independence activist. He published an article in his newspaper Kesari opposing Rand, the assistant collector of Pune's brutal methods of stopping the spread of plague. Later, Rand was killed and Tilak was charged with incitement to murder and sentenced to eighteen months' imprisonment. When he emerged from the prison he was a national hero and earned the title of  "Lokmanya" which literally meant "Beloved leader of the People".