The Congress policy of pray and petition ultimately came to an end under the guidance of

The policy of “petition, prayer and representation” practised by the Moderates lost ground with the rise of the Extremist or militant leaders who sought mass agitation, boycott and swadeshi instead of constitutional appeals. Bal Gangadhar Tilak was a central figure in this shift: militant nationalists like Tilak (joined by Lala Lajpat Rai, Bipin Chandra Pal and Aurobindo Ghose) pushed for transforming the Swadeshi movement into an all-India political mass struggle beyond mere boycott of foreign goods [1]. The Lal–Bal–Pal leadership symbolised the new assertive stance that directly challenged the Moderates’ mendicant methods, whose failure (appealing through prayers and petitions) precipitated the move away from the old policy [3].

Sources

1. [1] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 12: Era of Militant Nationalism (1905-1909) > The Congress's Position > p. 263
2. [2] History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 2: Rise of Extremism and Swadeshi Movement > 2.4 Militant Nationalism > p. 21
3. [3] https://indianexpress.com/article/upsc-current-affairs/upsc-essentials/revisiting-the-legacy-of-swadeshi-movement-amid-tariff-war-10173824/