- Title Pages
- Gokhale in England, 1912
- Dedication
- Preface
- List of Plates
- Abbreviations
- 1 Early Life
- 2 Ferment in Maharashtra
- 3 Emergence of the Educated Élite
- 4 The Indian Jesuits
- 5 Apprenticed to Ranade
- 6 The Young Politician
- 7 Professor Gokhale
- 8 On the Congress Platform
- 9 The Great Split
- 10 The Rising Star
- 11 Eclipsed
- 12 The Clouds Lift
- 13 Triumph
- 14 Gokhale Comes of Age
- 15 Wanted, A Leader
- 16 Servants of India
- 17 Clash with Curzon
- 18 Envoy Extraordinary
- 19 Congress President
- 20 Advocate for India
- 1 Morley's Dilemma
- 22 The Extremist Challenge
- 23 The Widening Rift
- 24 Crisis in the Raj
- 25 Road to Surat
- 26 Reforms on the Anvil<sup>1</sup>
- 27 Climax
- 28 Origins of Muslim Separatism
- 29 Gokhale and the Communal Problem
- 30 Separate Electorates
- 31 Anticlimax
- 32 A House Divided Against Itself
- 33 Détente
- 34 Leader of the Opposition
- 35 Educating the Masses
- 36 Educating the British
- 37 Gandhi and Gokhale
- 38 Crisis in South Africa
- 39 The Last Battle
- 40 No Reunion
- 41 Last Days
- 42 ‘The Greatest Indian’
- 43 The End of an Era
- Bibliography
- Index
On the Congress Platform
On the Congress Platform
- Chapter:
- (p.67) 8 On the Congress Platform
- Source:
- Gokhale
- Author(s):
B. R. Nanda
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
This chapter describes Gokhale’s participation in the Indian National Congress. His maiden speech on the Congress platform was delivered on 27 December 1889. He spoke in support of an amendment moved by Tilak to a resolution on the reform of the Governor-General’s Legislative Council. It was an uninspiring performance, but on the following day, when Gokhale criticized the Government of India’s action on the report of the Public Service Commission, he gave ample proof of his gifts as a speaker. The young professor–politician was developing his style as a speaker: mastery of facts; marshalling of arguments; a repertoire of literary and historical allusions; and a felicitous English style which was calculated to fascinate a generation of educated Indians. His diction was elegant, but he did not hesitate to call a political spade a spade.
Keywords: Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Gokhale as speaker, Indian National Congress, political participation, Tilak, Legislative Council, Public Service Commission
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- Title Pages
- Gokhale in England, 1912
- Dedication
- Preface
- List of Plates
- Abbreviations
- 1 Early Life
- 2 Ferment in Maharashtra
- 3 Emergence of the Educated Élite
- 4 The Indian Jesuits
- 5 Apprenticed to Ranade
- 6 The Young Politician
- 7 Professor Gokhale
- 8 On the Congress Platform
- 9 The Great Split
- 10 The Rising Star
- 11 Eclipsed
- 12 The Clouds Lift
- 13 Triumph
- 14 Gokhale Comes of Age
- 15 Wanted, A Leader
- 16 Servants of India
- 17 Clash with Curzon
- 18 Envoy Extraordinary
- 19 Congress President
- 20 Advocate for India
- 1 Morley's Dilemma
- 22 The Extremist Challenge
- 23 The Widening Rift
- 24 Crisis in the Raj
- 25 Road to Surat
- 26 Reforms on the Anvil<sup>1</sup>
- 27 Climax
- 28 Origins of Muslim Separatism
- 29 Gokhale and the Communal Problem
- 30 Separate Electorates
- 31 Anticlimax
- 32 A House Divided Against Itself
- 33 Détente
- 34 Leader of the Opposition
- 35 Educating the Masses
- 36 Educating the British
- 37 Gandhi and Gokhale
- 38 Crisis in South Africa
- 39 The Last Battle
- 40 No Reunion
- 41 Last Days
- 42 ‘The Greatest Indian’
- 43 The End of an Era
- Bibliography
- Index
