Swaraj Party Formation and Council Politics Strategy

The question asks to identify the leaders who formed the Swaraj Party within the Indian National Congress. The primary objective of this new party was to advocate for and implement a strategy of entering the legislative councils. This was a significant shift from the boycott-oriented approach dominant at the time.

Key Figures Behind the Swaraj Party

Following the suspension of the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1922 due to incidents like the Chauri Chaura violence, a section of leaders within the Congress felt that merely boycotting legislative bodies was not effective. They believed that participating in the existing political structures, like the legislative councils, would allow them to obstruct government functioning from within and put forward nationalist demands more effectively.

This strategic divergence led to the formation of the Swaraj Party, officially known as the Congress Khilafat Swaraj Party. The two most prominent leaders who spearheaded this initiative and founded the party were:

• Chittaranjan Das (often referred to as C.R. Das or Deshbandhu)
• Motilal Nehru

Chittaranjan Das served as the president of the party, while Motilal Nehru acted as the general secretary. They successfully argued for the 'Gandhian' path of non-cooperation to be supplemented, or in their view, replaced, by a strategy of 'responsive cooperation' or obstructionism within the councils. Their efforts aimed to bring about self-rule ('Swaraj') through legislative action.

Why Other Options Are Less Suitable

While figures like Lokmanya Tilak were influential proponents of entering councils earlier, he had passed away in August 1920, before the formal establishment of the Swaraj Party in 1923. Jawaharlal Nehru, although a prominent leader, was more aligned with the radical, socialistic, and complete independence-focused wing of the Congress during this period and was initially skeptical of the council entry program. He became a key leader later, but the formation of the Swaraj Party was primarily driven by Das and Nehru.

Therefore, Chittaranjan Das and Motilal Nehru are the correct figures who formed the Swaraj Party to argue for a return to council politics.