<P> The Indian National Congress (INC) which was established in 1885 was divided into two groups (in the year 1907) mainly by extremists and moderates at the Surat Session of the Congress. The period 1885 - 1905 was known as the period of the moderates as moderates dominated the INC . These Moderates used petition, prayers, and protest to influence the (British) colonial government . Moderates were not able to achieve their goals . This created dis - satisfaction among the people . In 1907 the INC meeting was to be held in Nagpur and the extremists wanted Lala Lajpat Rai or Bal Gangadhar Tilak as president . But moderates wanted Rash Behari Ghosh to be president . Gopal Krishna Gokhale changed the meeting place from Nagpur to Surat fearing that if Nagpur was to be held as meeting place then tilak would become President . As Surat was hometown of tilak he could not preside the meeting . Hence it was decided that Ghosh would be president . Extremists protested in the INC meeting as tilak was not given permission even to speak by pandit Madanmohan Malviya extremists then reacted by throwing eggs, chappals etc and wanted the meeting to be cancelled . Moderates then held a secret meeting and decided to abdicate extremists . </P> <P> Moderates believed in the policy of settlement of minor issues with the government by deliberations . But the extremists believed in agitation, strikes and boycotts to force their demands . Some nationalists led by Lokmanya Tilak agitated against the moderate behaviour of congress against British rule . The split between these two sections became outward at the end of Banaras Session of congress (1905). Lokmanya Tilak and his followers held a separate conference and declared the formation of the Extremist Party . However they decided to work as a part of the Indian National Congress . Difference between moderates and extremists further widened in Calcutta Session of congress (1906) and there were attempts between them to elect one of them as the president of congress . The moderates opposed the resolutions on Swaraj, Swadeshi, Boycott of foreign goods and National Education and requested to withdraw from the policy laid down in the Calcutta session . But the extremists were not ready to do so . </P>

The president of surat session of congress 1907 was