The correct answer is Widespread discontentment among peasants against oppressive practices of Zamindars.
Key Points
- The Bengal Tenancy Act 1885 was an enactment of the Bengal British government that defined the rights of zamindars lords and their tenants in response to a widespread peasant revolt.
- It was mainly in response to widespread peasant discontent against oppressive practices of Zamindars emerging from Act X of 1859.
- The zamindars resorted to enhanced rents beyond legal limits and prevented the tenants from acquiring occupancy rights under Act X of 1859.
- During the 1870s and 1880s, large parts of Eastern Bengal witnessed agrarian unrest caused by oppressive practices of the zamindars, popularly referred to as Pabna Agrarian Revolt.
- To achieve their ends, the zamindars resorted to forcible evictions, seizure of cattle and crops and prolonged, costly litigation in courts where the poor peasant found himself at a disadvantage.
- Having had enough of the oppressive regime, the peasants of Yusufshahi Pargana in Patna district formed an agrarian league or combination to resist the demands of the zamindars.
- The League organised a rent strike where the ryots refused to pay the enhanced rents, challenging the zamindars in the courts.
- Funds were raised by ryots to fight the court cases.
- The struggles spread throughout Patna and to other districts of then East Bengal.
- The main form of struggle was that of legal resistance; there was very little violence.
- Though the peasant discontent continued to linger on till 1885, most of the cases had been solved, partially through official persuasion and partially because of zamindars' fears.
- Many peasants were able to acquire occupancy rights and resist enhanced rents. The Government also passed the Bengal Tenancy Act in 1885.
- A number of young Indian intellectuals including Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, R.C. Dutt and the Indian Association under Surendranath Banerjee supported the peasants' cause.

