The Two Home Rule Leagues: Tilak and Besant’s Parallel Paths to Swaraj

The Indian reaction to the First World War displayed a more calculated and influential strategy with the Home Rule Movement, in contrast to the daring yet less productive actions of overseas Indians, exemplified by the idealized Ghadar movement. The Home Rule Movement gave rise to two Indian Home Rule Leagues, drawing inspiration from the Irish Home Rule Leagues, signifying the emergence of a more assertive political stance. Prominent figures like Annie Besant and Bal Gangadhar Tilak spearheaded this new direction.

Two Strands of Home Rule League

Tilak’s Cautious Approach: Lokamanya Tilak, despite initiating his political endeavors, was cautious not to unsettle the Moderates or give the impression that he was sidelining the Congress. 

• Initiatives in Maharashtra: This prudence is evident in his actions; during a meeting of his supporters in Poona in May 1915, they resolved to begin by establishing an agency aimed at educating villagers about the Congress’ objectives. 
  • Similarly, the local associations formed in several Maharashtra towns in August and September of that year primarily focused on advocating for unity within the Congress rather than significantly escalating political activities. 
• Tilak’s Balanced Approach: Although occasionally resorting to pressure tactics to influence the more conservative Moderates, Tilak’s overarching strategy was to win over the majority by showcasing his moderation and careful approach in the hope that they would accept him.

• • Compulsions to Go Independent: However, their attempts to bridge the gap between Moderates and Extremists at the 1914 Congress session were unsuccessful. Consequently, Tilak and Besant decided to reinvigorate their political activities independently.
    • Annie Besant’s Call for Self-Government in 1915: By early 1915, Annie Besant initiated a campaign to demand self-government for India after the war, modelled on the self-governing white colonies. 
    • Mobilizing Support: She conducted this campaign through her newspapers, New India, as well as through public gatherings and conferences. 
    • Tilak and Besant’s Impact: At the 1915 annual Congress session, the efforts of Tilak and Besant yielded some positive results. It was decided to admit the Extremists into the Congress. 
      • Revival of Committees: While Besant’s proposal for Home Rule Leagues did not gain Congress approval, Congress did commit itself to an educational propaganda program and the revival of local-level Congress committees.
    • Formation of Separate Leagues: However, due to the lack of a timely response from Congress, Besant decided not to wait for too long. She set a condition that if Congress did not fulfill its commitments, she would establish her league, which she ultimately did. 
      • To avoid any potential conflicts, Tilak and Besant established separate leagues.

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• The All India Home Rule League became Swarajya Sabha in 1920. Its demands included Swarajya, the formation of linguistic states, and education in the vernacular.

Tilak’s League

In April 1916, Bal Gangadhar Tilak established his Home Rule League, which was confined to specific regions, namely Maharashtra (excluding Bombay city), Karnataka, Central Provinces, and Berar. This league consisted of six branches, and its key demands included the attainment of “Swarajya” (self-rule or self-governance), the creation of linguistic states, and the promotion of education in the vernacular languages.

• Methods Used for Gaining Support: Tilak’s League furthered its propaganda efforts by publishing six Marathi and two English pamphlets, of which 47,000 copies were sold. Pamphlets were brought out in Gujarati and Kannada as well. 
  • The League was organized into six branches, one each in Central Maharashtra, Bombay City, Karnataka, and Central Provinces, and two in Berar.
• Ideology of Tilak’s League: Tilak actively championed the Home Rule movement, embarking on a tour across Maharashtra, using his lectures to elucidate and popularize the call for Home Rule. 
  • He depicted India as a grown son ready for self-governance, asserting that it was time for the trustees (or the ruling power) to grant what was rightfully due to the people of India. 
  • He linked the idea of self-rule (Swaraj) with the need for linguistic states and education in native languages. Tilak advocated for separate states for Marathi, Telugu, and Kanarese provinces, emphasising education in vernacular languages. 
  • His stance was clear during the Bombay Provincial Conference in 1915 when he urged V.B. Alur to speak in Kannada to uphold the language’s rights.
  • Advocacy for Linguistic Equality: Tilak held no sentiments of regional or linguistic Marathi superiority or chauvinism. Instead, his focus was on linguistic equality and the necessity of vernacular education, advocating for the recognition and preservation of diverse languages within the fabric of Indian society.

Annie Besant’s Leagues

• Flexible Set-up: In September 1916, Annie Besant officially founded her League, which had a more flexible organizational structure when compared to Tilak’s. In Besant’s League, a branch could be formed with just three members, whereas Tilak’s League had well-defined branches with specific geographical areas and designated activities. 
  • Besant’s League witnessed the establishment of approximately two hundred branches, with some encompassing entire towns and others forming groups of villages. 
  • Executive Council: While a formal Executive Council of seven members was elected to serve for three years by thirty-four founding branches, much of the work was personally supervised by Annie Besant and her associates, including Arundale, C.P. Ramaswamy Aiyar, and B.P. Wadia, who operated from their headquarters at Adyar. 
• Mode of Communication: Instructions were not systematically distributed but were instead communicated through individual members and Arundale’s column on Home Rule in New India newspaper.

• Membership and Branches: Although the membership of Annie Besant’s League grew, its expansion rate was slower than that of Tilak’s. By March 1917, her League had 7,000 members. 
  • It attracted her existing Theosophical followers and other notable figures like Jawaharlal Nehru in Allahabad, and B. Chakravarti and J. Banerjea in Calcutta, who joined the Home Rule League. However, the League’s strength could not be solely assessed by the number of branches, as some were highly active, while others remained closely tied to Theosophical societies. 
  • For instance, in Madras City, many branches were inactive. 
  • In contrast, the branches in Bombay City, the four branches in the U.P. towns, and numerous village branches in Gujarat were highly active.

Government Response

The government responded to the Home Rule movement with severe repression, particularly in Madras, where students were prohibited from attending political meetings. 

• Legal action was initiated against Bal Gangadhar Tilak, but it was later revoked by the high court. Tilak was also barred from entering Punjab and Delhi. 
• In June 1917, Annie Besant, along with her associates B.P. Wadia and George Arundale, were arrested, leading to widespread protests across the nation. In a dramatic gesture, Sir S. Subramaniya Aiyar renounced his knighthood, while Tilak advocated a program of passive resistance in response to the government’s actions.
• Government Repression: The repression tactics employed by the government only served to strengthen the resolve of the agitators and intensify their resistance. Edwin Montagu, the Secretary of State for India, famously commented that “Shiva …cut his wife into fifty-two pieces only to discover that he had fifty-two wives. 
  • This is what happens to the Government of India when it interns Mrs. Besant.” Annie Besant was eventually released in September 1917.

Factors responsible for the end of the League Movement

The Home Rule agitation experienced a decline and had fizzled out by 1919, with several factors contributing to this.

• Organizational Structure: The movement suffered from an inadequate organizational framework and a lack of effective coordination.
• Sectarian Unrest: Sectarian conflicts erupted during 1917-18, diverting attention and resources away from the Home Rule campaign.
• Appeasing the Moderates: Those moderate leaders who had joined the Congress following Annie Besant’s arrest were pacified through discussions of reforms, especially those presented in Montagu’s statement of August 1917, which outlined self-government as the ultimate objective of British rule in India. 
  • Annie Besant’s release also contributed to their pacification.
• Deterrence Caused by Extremist Advocacy of Passive Resistance: The Extremists’ endorsement of passive resistance dissuaded Moderates from engaging in political activities starting from September 1918.
• Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms Led Division: The Montagu-Chelmsford reforms, which were unveiled in July 1918, created divisions within the nationalist ranks as different leaders held varying views on the reforms.
• Leadership Vacuum: In September 1918, Bal Gangadhar Tilak had to travel abroad for a legal case, and Annie Besant hesitated in her response to the reforms and the use of passive resistance tactics. 

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• • With both Tilak and Besant unable to provide clear leadership, the Home Rule movement lacked strong guidance and direction.

Conclusion

The Home Rule Movement marked a significant shift in India’s struggle for self-governance, blending assertiveness with strategic caution. Despite initial success, internal divisions, government repression, and the leadership vacuum ultimately led to its decline by 1919. Tilak and Besant’s efforts laid the groundwork for future independence movements, demonstrating the power of organized political activism, even as the movement itself struggled with cohesion and external pressures.

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