As a result, the Indian public was seeking to oust the British from the country as early as possible.
2. At the time, the Indian National Congress, though still restricted to the elites of society, had already achieved widespread success and popularity as a forum for voicing dissent against the British government.
3. It was also in the same year that the “Surat Split” took place. The Surat Split i.e. the official rift between the Moderates and the Radicals was a culmination of a long history of differences in ideologies. The Moderates, who believed that the British government essentially worked for the welfare of the Indians, preferred Constitutional methods or passive resistance to show their disapproval. The Radicals or Extremists, on the other hand, wanted the British government to leave immediately and hand over the governing of the nation to the Indians. They practised what is now termed as militant nationalism. Differences in opinions and clashes finally led to the official breaking up of the Congress in 1907, into two distinct groups.
4. In 1906, the Liberal Party of Britain came to power. This gave a major impetus to the Indian National Movements, as the Liberals were sympathetic to the grievances of the Indians. They introduced major reforms, such as the “Morley-Minto Reforms” which encouraged nationalist leaders of that time.
The speech reflects the popular sentiments of the Indians at the time. The term “alien government” clearly spells out that the British reign in India was now considered as something foreign and unwanted, as opposed to the previous notion of the “benign British influence.” The invaders who had come to India before, such as the Aryans or the Mughals, established their empires which were largely marked by prosperity and peace. T