Who asserted, "There is no middle state in India" during the Mughal period?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Francois Bernier
François Bernier described Indian society as undifferentiated masses of impoverished people ruled by a small, very rich minority, and confidently asserted: “There is no middle state in India.”
NCERT (2026-27): “6.1 The question of landownership … As an extension of this, Bernier described Indian society as consisting of undifferentiated masses of impoverished people, subjugated by a small minority of a very rich and powerful ruling class. Between the poorest of the poor and the richest of the rich, there was no social group or class worth the name. Bernier confidently asserted: ‘There is no middle state in India.’…” |