RAS question
Which British commander led the East India Company forces in the Battle of Plassey?
Correct answer: (A) Lord Clive (Robert Clive).
Robert Clive led the East India Company forces in the Battle of Plassey.
Explanation
At Plassey, the leadership question turns on the Company side: Britannica identifies the battle as one fought between East India Company troops, led by Robert Clive, and the forces of Siraj al-Dawlah, the last independent nawab of Bengal, on 23 June 1757. That is why Lord Clive is the only defensible option. The result matters beyond a commander-name fact: the Company's victory was decisive, changing it from a trading presence into a military and political power in India. In the standard RAS framing, Plassey opened the way for British control in Bengal and is often treated as a starting point of British rule in the subcontinent.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Warren Hastings is wrong because Robert Clive, not Hastings, led the East India Company troops at Plassey.
- (C) Lord Wellesley is wrong because the commander identified for the Company side in the Battle of Plassey is Robert Clive.
- (D) Lord Cornwallis is wrong because Plassey is specifically linked to East India Company troops led by Robert Clive.
Concept
This tests the early phase of British expansion in modern Indian history, especially the shift from Company trade to Company power. RAS repeatedly asks Plassey because it links a named commander with the political beginning of British dominance in Bengal.