Who led the extremist faction of the Indian National Congress in the early 1900s?

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Mahatma Gandhi, holding a walking stick, walks beside Sarojini Naidu during the Salt March protest in 1930, with several men following behind them. — Indian National Congress Indian National Congress leaders Mahatma Gandhi (left) and Sarojini Naidu (right) on the Salt March in western India, March 1930.

In the early 1900s, the extremist faction of the Indian National Congress was led by a trio of prominent nationalist leaders collectively known as "Lal Bal Pal". These leaders were:12

Bal Gangadhar Tilak12
Bipin Chandra Pal12
Lala Lajpat Rai12

Unlike the "moderate" faction, which sought constitutional reforms through dialogue with the British government, the extremists demanded an end to British rule and advocated for swaraj (self-governance). They promoted methods such as swadeshi (self-reliance), the boycott of foreign goods, and national education to achieve their goals. This ideological divide eventually led to a split within the Congress Party during its 1907 session in Surat.123