Question

Q. With reference to Lord Dalhousie, which of the following statements are correct?

Which of the statements given above are correct?

• A.
  1 and 2 only
• B.
  2 and 3 only
• C.
  1 and 3 only
• D.
  1, 2 and 3

Answer 1

The correct option is A

1 and 2 only
Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: Lord Dalhousie was keen on annexing the kingdom of Avadh. But the task presented certain difficulties. For one, the Nawabs of Awadh had been British allies since the Battle of Buxar, Moreover, they had been most obedient to the British over the years. The Nawab of Avadh had many heirs and could not therefore be covered by the Doctrine of Lapse. Some other pretext had to be found for depriving him of his dominions. Finally, Lord Dalhousie hit upon the idea of alleviating the plight of the people of Avadh. Nawab Wajid Ali Shah was accused of having mis-goverded his state and of refusing to introduce reforms. His state was therefore annexed in 1856.

Statement 2 is correct: The chief instrument which Lord Dalhousie implemented the policy of annexation was the Doctrine of Lapse. Under this Doctrine, when the ruler of a protected state died without a natural heir, his state was not to pass to an adopted heir as sanctioned by the age-old tradition of the country. Instead, it was to be annexed to the British dominions unless the adoption had been clearly approved earlier by the British authorities. Many states, including Satara in 1848 and Nagpur and Jhansi in 1854, were annexed by applying this doctrine.

Statement 3 is incorrect: Dalhousie passed the Religious Disability Act in 1850 which enabled the Hindu convert to inherit his ancestral property.