Explanation
Why Correct: The Indian National Congress selected Bal Gangadhar Tilak among its representatives to present the nationalist case before the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. British authorities did not permit him to travel from London to Paris, so he sent a memorandum asserting India’s right to self-determination instead.
Distractor Analysis: Annie Besant was a prominent Theosophist and Home Rule League leader, but she was not the Congress representative identified in this question. C. R. Das was a leading nationalist from Bengal who later became Congress President in 1922, but he was not selected for this mission. S. N. Banerjee was a major moderate leader, but he was not the representative identified for the Peace Conference mission.
Takeaway: The Paris Peace Conference of 1919 framed the post-World War I settlement. Tilak sought to place India’s claim to self-determination before the conference, but he did not personally attend because permission to travel to Paris was denied.