In the given question, a statement of Assertion is followed by a statement of Reason. Mark the correct answer.

Assertion: From the texts of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, it can be said that zamindar's relationship with the peasantry had an element of reciprocity, paternalism, and patronage.

Reason: The bhakti saints, who eloquently condemned caste-based and other forms of oppression, did not portray the zamindars as exploiters or oppressors of the peasantry.

Both the Assertion and the Reason are correct and the Reason is the correct explanation of the Assertion.

Zamindar's relationship with the peasantry had an element of reciprocity, paternalism, and patronage. Two aspects reinforce this view. First, the bhakti saints, who eloquently condemned caste-based and other forms of oppression, did not portray the zamindars (or, interestingly, the moneylender) as exploiters or oppressors of the peasantry. Usually, it was the revenue official of the state who was the object of their ire.