The leadership of the Indian National Congress viewed the partition as attempt to ‘divide and rule’ and as a proof of the government’s vindictive antipathy towards the outspoken Bhadralok intellectuals. Mother-goddess worshipping Bengali Hindus believed that the partition was tantamount to the vivisection , of their ‘Mother province’. ‘Bande-Mataram’ (Hail Motherland) almost became the national anthem of the Indian National Congress. Defeat of the partition became the immediate target of Bengalee nationalism. Agitation against the partition manifested itself in the form of mass meetings, rural unrest and a swadeshi movement to boycott the import of British manufactured goods. Swadeshi and Boycott were the twin weapons of this nationalism and Swaraj (self-government) its main objective. Swaraj was first mentioned in the presidential address of Dadabhai Naoroji as the Congress goal at its Calcutta session in 1906.
Leaders like surendranath banerjea along with journalists like Krishna Kumar Mitra, editor of the Sanjivani (13 July 1905) urged the people to boycott British goods, observe mourning and sever all contact with official bodies. In a meeting held at Calcutta on 7 August 1905 (hailed as the birthday of Indian nationalism) a resolution to abstain from purchases of British products so long as ‘Partition resolution is not withdrawn’ was accepted with acclaim. This national spirit was popularized by the patriotic songs of dwijendralal roy, rajanikanta sen and rabindranath tagore. As with other political movements of the day this also took on religious overtones. Pujas were offered to emphasize the solemn nature of the occasion.
The Hindu religious fervor reached its peak on 28 September 1905, the day of the Mahalaya, the new-moon day before the puja, and thousands of Hindus gathered at the Kati temple in Calcutta. In Bengal the worship of Kali, wife of Shiva, had always been very’ popular. She possessed a ‘two-dimensional character with mingled attributes both generative and destructive. Simultaneously she took great pleasure in bloody sacrifices but she was also venerated as the great. Mother associated with the conception of Bengal as the Motherland’s this conception offered a solid basis for the support of political objectives stimulated by religious excitement. Kali was accepted as a symbol of the Motherland, and the priest administered the Swadeshi vow. Such a religious favour could and did give the movement a widespread appeal among the Hindu masses, but by the same token that favour aroused hostility in average Muslim minds. Huge protest rallies before and after Bengal’s division on 16 October 1905. attracted millions, of people heretofore not involved in politics.