Consider the following statements.
Statement I: The Zamindari Association, also known as Landholder's Society, was established in 1838 to protect the interests of Zamindars in colonial India.
Statement II: The Zamindari Association raised its voice for the problems faced by common people and advocated for reforms benefiting the rural population.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Correct option is D

The correct answer is (d) Statement I is correct but Statement II is incorrect

Explanation:

• Statement I is correct: The Zamindari Association (Landholders' Society) was founded in 1838 in Calcutta by Dwarkanath Tagore and others. It was the first political organization in India.
• Its primary goal was to protect the interests of the landlords (Zamindars) and to ensure the permanence of the Zamindari system.
• Statement II is incorrect: The association was elitist in nature and did not advocate for the common people or the oppressed peasantry.
• It focused on using constitutional methods to petition the British government for the rights of the landed aristocracy.

Information Booster:

• The Landholders' Society was eventually merged into the British Indian Association in 1851.
• It marked the beginning of organized political activity using constitutional agitation in India.

Additional Knowledge:

Both are correct (Option a)

• Incorrect because the association was notoriously indifferent to the plight of the actual tillers of the soil.

So the correct answer is (d)