 Jinnah devoted much of his time to his law practice in the early 1920s , but remained politically involved . Jinnah began political life by attending the Congress 's twentieth annual meeting , in Bombay in December 1904 . He was a member of the moderate group in the Congress , favouring Hindu – Muslim unity in achieving self @-@ government , and following such leaders as Mehta , Naoroji , and Gopal Krishna Gokhale . They were opposed by leaders such as Tilak and Lala Lajpat Rai , who sought quick action towards freedom . In 1906 , a delegation of Muslim leaders headed by the Aga Khan called on the new Viceroy of India , Lord Minto , to assure him of their loyalty and to ask for assurances that in any political reforms they would be protected from the " unsympathetic [ Hindu ] majority " . Dissatisfied with this , Jinnah wrote a letter to the editor of the newspaper Gujarati , asking what right the members of the delegation had to speak for Indian Muslims , as they were unelected and self @-@ appointed . When many of the same leaders met in Dacca in December of that year to form the All @-@ India Muslim League to advocate for their community 's interests , Jinnah was again opposed . The Aga Khan later wrote that it was " freakishly ironic " that Jinnah , who would lead the League to independence , " came out in bitter hostility toward all that I and my friends had done ... He said that our principle of separate electorates was dividing the nation against itself . " In its earliest years , however , the League was not influential ; Minto refused to consider it as the Muslim community 's representative , and it was ineffective in preventing the 1911 repeal of the partition of Bengal , an action seen as a blow to Muslim interests . 
