Who laid the foundation of a new landed aristocracy in Bengal?

Correct option is A

The correct answer is (a) Murshid Quli Khan

Explanation:

Information Booster:

• He shifted the capital from Dacca (Dhaka) to Murshidabad.
• His revenue reforms marginalized the older, rebellious Zamindars and patronized a new class of loyal and efficient revenue farmers who became powerful landlords.

Additional Knowledge:

Mir Jafar (Option b)

• He became the Nawab of Bengal after the Battle of Plassey (1757) as a puppet ruler for the British East India Company, rather than a reformer.

Mir Qasim (Option c)

• He succeeded Mir Jafar and tried to assert his independence, leading to the Battle of Buxar (1764), but did not restructure the primary aristocracy like Murshid Quli Khan.

Shah Alam (Option d)

• Shah Alam II was the Mughal Emperor who granted the Diwani of Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa to the East India Company in 1765.

None of the above/More than one of the above (Option e)

• Incorrect, as Murshid Quli Khan is the correct answer.

So the correct answer is (a)