The Congress split in 1907 as the Moderates were opposed to the use of boycott because they felt that it involved the use of force and it came to be dominated by the Moderates with Tilak’s followers functioning from outside.
The two groups reunited in December 1915 since the old controversies had lost their meaning and the split in the Congress had led to political inactivity & the rising tide of nationalism compelled the old leaders to welcome back into the Congress Lokamanya Tilak and other militants.
The Lucknow Congress Session in 1916 was the first united session since the split and it demanded further constitutional reforms as a step towards self-government.
The Lucknow Pact (1916)
At Lucknow, the Congress and the All India Muslim League sank their old differences and put up common political demands before the government by signing of the historic Congress-League Pact, known popularly as the Lucknow Pact.
An important role in bringing the two together was played by Lokmanya Tilak and Mohammad Ali Jinnah because the two believed that India could win self-government only through Hindu-Muslim unity.
The Lucknow Pact of December 1916 was an understanding between the Congress and the Muslim League (controlled by the UP-based “Young Party”) and provided a joint political platform for the Moderates, Radicals, and the Muslim League.
The two organisations passed the same resolutions at their sessions, put forward a joint scheme of political reforms based on separate electorates, and demanded that the British Government should make a declaration that it would confer self-government on India at an early date.
The Lucknow Pact marked an important step forward in Hindu-Muslim unity.