Question

In spite of the British Government’s high handedness the Assertives spread the nationalist movement with full vigour. In this context describe the attitude of the British Government towards the Assertives.

Answer 1

The British Government used all possible measures to suppress the activities of the Assertives. It also tried to win over the sympathy of the Moderates by encouraging them in various ways. The Minto-Morley Reforms of 1909 were basically introduced to appease the Moderates. They were also elected to the Legislative Council and the activities of the Assertives were banned. Many of the top leaders were jailed. Lord Minto issued several ordinances curtailing the right of free speech, political processions, meetings and demonstrations, Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai, Aurobindo. Ghosh and many others were arrested and jailed for several years. Many national dailies and weeklies were suppressed. The important among them were the ‘Sandhya’, the ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Yugantar’. The British Government took all steps but could not suppress the Indian national spirit.