Vision Academy EducareVision Academy Educare
Question 12 of 15 · Indian National Congress & Its Sessions
Questioneasy
This question was previously asked in

SSC

Mahatma Gandhi regarded which leader as his 'political guru'?

Answer View answer ▾

Answer: Option C — Gopal Krishna Gokhale

Detailed Solution

Mahatma Gandhi regarded Gopal Krishna Gokhale as his "political guru" (political teacher).

Gandhi and Gokhale:

  • Gandhi first met Gokhale in 1896, during a visit to India from South Africa, and was deeply impressed by him.
  • Gokhale visited South Africa in 1912, to support Gandhi's struggle for the rights of Indians there; he toured the country and met the South African government.
  • When Gandhi returned to India, Gokhale advised him to travel around India for a year, to understand the country and its people, before taking part in politics, and to keep his "ears open and mouth shut".
  • Gandhi followed this advice, travelling across India by third-class railway carriages.
  • Gandhi described Gokhale as "pure as crystal, gentle as a lamb, brave as a lion and chivalrous to a fault".
  • Gokhale died in February 1915, soon after Gandhi's return.

About Gopal Krishna Gokhale:

  • He was born in 1866 in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra.
  • He was a teacher at the Fergusson College, Pune, and a member of the Deccan Education Society.
  • He was a leading Moderate leader of the Congress, and believed in constitutional methods, gradual reform and cooperation with the British.
  • He was President of the Congress at its Banaras session (1905).
  • He was a member of the Imperial Legislative Council, where he made powerful speeches criticising the government's financial policies.
  • He introduced a bill for free and compulsory primary education (1911), which was rejected.
  • He was a disciple of Mahadev Govind Ranade, whom he regarded as his own guru.
  • Muhammad Ali Jinnah once said that he wanted to be "the Muslim Gokhale".

Gokhale and Tilak:

Gokhale (Moderate) and Tilak (Extremist) were rivals, both from Maharashtra, who represented different approaches in the national movement.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗Tilak, Naoroji and Pherozeshah Mehta were other leaders of the Congress.

Quick tip

Remember: Gandhi's political guru = Gopal Krishna Gokhale (Moderate; Congress President at Banaras 1905; visited South Africa 1912); Gokhale's guru = M. G. Ranade.

💬 Discussions on this question

Ask a doubt ›

Still stuck on this question? Ask our faculty and fellow students — answers appear here.

Ask a doubt

More Indian National Congress & Its Sessions Questions

View all ›
  1. Q1.Who was the first President of the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC)?
  2. Q2.Who was the first woman President of the Indian National Congress?
  3. Q3.Who was the first Muslim President of the Indian National Congress (Madras session, 1887)?
  4. Q4.The demand for 'Purna Swaraj' (complete independence) was adopted at the Lahore session of 1929 under the presidency of:
  5. Q5.In 1934, the idea of a Constituent Assembly for India was put forward for the first time by:

More General Knowledge Questions

  1. Q1.The techniques of Rasa and Bhava used in Indian classical dance trace their origin to which ancient text?Indian Dance Forms
  2. Q2.Lavani, Powada, Koli, Waghya Murali and Dhangari Gaja are folk dances of which state?Indian Dance Forms
  3. Q3.The one-act play associated with the Sattriya tradition of Assam is called:Indian Dance Forms
  4. Q4.Which dance form of Goa is known as the 'Warrior Dance'?Indian Dance Forms
  5. Q5.Manipuri dance is based on the Rasleela themes of:Indian Dance Forms

Indian National Congress & Its Sessions — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Indian National Congress & Its Sessions, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

The Indian National Congress was founded in 1885 by A. O. Hume, and its first session was held in Bombay under W. C. Bonnerjee. This topic covers the important Congress sessions and their presidents, the moderate and extremist phases, the Surat split, and the founding and role of the Muslim League. Questions commonly ask who presided over a session, where a session was held, or what was decided there. For example, the 1929 Lahore session under Jawaharlal Nehru adopted the goal of Purna Swaraj, and the 1931 Karachi session passed the resolution on Fundamental Rights. The first woman president of the Congress was Annie Besant (Calcutta, 1917). Practise the Indian National Congress questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

‹ All Indian National Congress & Its Sessions questionsBrowse all topics ›