Correct answer: (a) Lord Dufferin
Explanation
- A
Lord Dufferin
Lord Dufferin, Viceroy when the Indian National Congress was founded in 1885, dismissed it as representing a microscopic minority of the Indian people. That phrase is classically his. This option is the official key.
- B
Lord Curzon
Lord Curzon partitioned Bengal and disliked Congress, but the microscopic-minority taunt is not the standard Curzon quotation. This option is not the key.
- C
Lord Minto
Lord Minto is tied to the Morley–Minto reforms and separate electorates, not this phrase. This option is therefore wrong.
- D
Lord Lansdown
Lord Lansdowne’s viceroyalty is not the textbook source of the microscopic-minority remark. This option is not the key.
Summary. Official key is (a) Lord Dufferin. Early official scorn of Congress used the microscopic-minority formula under Dufferin. Curzon, Minto and Lansdowne belong to other famous controversies. Only (a) matches the given ridicule.
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