Who among the following Governor Generals ridiculed congress as representing only a 'microscopic minority' of people?

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. C

   Lord Minto

   Lord Minto is tied to the Morley–Minto reforms and separate electorates, not this phrase. This option is therefore wrong.

4. 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.