Which of the following statement(s) is/are correct about the jotedars?

Statement A) They controlled local trade as well as money lending.
Statement B) A large part of their land was cultivated through sharecroppers: adhiyars or bargadars.
Statement C) They were located in urban areas and exercised indirect control over a considerable section of poor villagers.
Statement D) They prevented zamindari officials from executing their duties, mobilized ryots who were dependent on them, and deliberately delayed payments of revenue to the zamindar.

Choose the correct answer from the given options:

A, B and D

The correct answer is Option 4 - A, B and D

Given statements:

Statement A) They controlled local trade as well as money lending.
Statement B) A large part of their land was cultivated through sharecroppers: adhiyars or bargadars.
Statement C) They were located in urban areas and exercised indirect control over a considerable section of poor villagers. (INCORRECT)
Statement D) They prevented zamindari officials from executing their duties, mobilized ryots who were dependent on them, and deliberately delayed payments of revenue to the zamindar.

CORRECTION in Statement C) They were located in the villages and exercised direct control over a considerable section of poor villagers.

Explanation:

The jotedars controlled local trade as well as moneylending, exercising immense power over the poorer cultivators of the region. A large part of their land was cultivated through sharecroppers (adhiyars or bargadars) who brought their own ploughs, laboured in the field, and handed over half the produce to the jotedars after the harvest. Rich peasants in Bengal were referred to as Jotedars. They controlled local trade as well as moneylending, exercising immense power over the poorer cultivators of the region. Unlike zamindars who often lived in urban areas, jotedars were located in the villages and exercised direct control over a considerable section of poor villagers. They fiercely resisted efforts by zamindars to increase the jama of the village, prevented zamindari officials from executing their duties, mobilized ryots who were dependent on them, and deliberately delayed payments of revenue to the zamindar. In some places they were called haoladars, elsewhere they were known as gantidars or mandals.