Q. What was the immediate cause for the launch of the Swadeshi movement?
(a) The partition of Bengal done by Lord Curzon
(b) A sentence of 18 months rigorous imprisonment imposed on LokmanyaTilak
(c) The arrest and deportation of LalaLajpatRai and Ajit Singh; and passing of the Punjab Colonization Bill
(d) Death sentence pronounced on the Chapekar brothers
Ans: (a) The partition of Bengal done by Lord Curzon
Explanation: The correct answer is (a) The partition of Bengal done by Lord Curzon. The immediate cause for the launch of the Swadeshi movement was the partition of Bengal in 1905. The British government, under the Viceroy Lord Curzon, divided the Bengal Presidency into two separate administrative entities: Bengal and East Bengal and Assam. The partition was seen as a strategy to weaken the growing nationalist movement in Bengal by creating a Hindu-majority province and a Muslim-majority province, thus creating religious divisions. This decision angered the Indian nationalists, who saw it as a deliberate attempt to divide and rule. As a response, the Swadeshi movement was launched, advocating for the boycott of British goods and the promotion of Indian-made products to foster economic self-reliance and protest against British policies.