Book Description
The last decade of the 19th Century and first decade of 20th Century witnessed the emergence of a younger group within the Congress which was sharply critical of the methods of the old leadership. The new group came to be called the Extremists while the older one to be referred as Moderates. The credit of leavening Indian polities with this national spirit undoubtedly goes to Bal Gangadhar Tilak. He was the first Indian leader to impress upon the men of learning and light in the country that unless they had the support of the people, they would not attain their objective. Tilak clashed with Moderates over the question of social reforms. The controversy over the Anti cow killing movement, the age of consent Bill, the Ganpati and the Shivaji festivals divided the Congress in two groups in Maharashtra, one under Tilak and the other led by K. T. Telang, Mahadev Govind Ranade, Pheroze Shah Mehta, Gopal Krishan Gokhale and others. Ranade a great social reformer, was the father of public life in Maharashtra. Gandhi declared that he could hardly talk in his presence.
