With reference to Indian freedom struggles, who among the following was labelled as ‘Moderate’ leader in the Congress?

Gopal Krishna Gokhale was a prominent 'Moderate' leader of the Indian National Congress who advocated for constitutional methods, petitions, and gradual reforms within the British administrative framework [c1, t6]. He presided over the 1905 Benaras session and was a leading figure in the Moderate faction that opposed the radical tactics of the Extremists [c3, c4]. In contrast, the other options—Lala Lajpat Rai, Bipin Chandra Pal, and Aurobindo Ghose—were key figures of the 'Extremist' or militant nationalist wing [c3, t1]. This group, often referred to as the 'Lal-Bal-Pal' trio (along with Bal Gangadhar Tilak), pushed for more radical actions like the Swadeshi movement and boycott of foreign goods to achieve Swaraj [c3, t8, t9]. The ideological rift between these groups eventually led to the famous Surat Split in 1907 [c1, t6].

Sources

1. [1] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 12: Era of Militant Nationalism (1905-1909) > Split Takes Place > p. 274
2. [2] 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
3. [3] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 14: First World War and Nationalist Response > Readmission of Extremists to Congress > p. 300
4. [4] https://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/63797/1/Block-4.pdf
5. [5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surat_Split