'युनियननिस्ट पार्टी' कोणत्या उद्देशासाठी स्थापन झाली होती ?

The correct answer is Option C (To protect the interests of the landlords).

Key Points:
• Punjab Unionist Party (National Unionist Party):
• Founders: Founded in 1923 by Sir Fazl-i-Hussain, Sir Chhotu Ram, and Sir Sikandar Hayat Khan.
• Nature and Objective: It was a secular political party representing the interests of the landed gentry, rural agrarian landlords, and peasant proprietors across Punjab (Muslim, Hindu Jats, and Sikh zamindars).
• Core Ideology: Its central aim was protecting agrarian and landowning interests against urban moneylenders, mercantile classes, and traders.
• It successfully formed the provincial ministry in Punjab after the Government of India Act 1935 provincial elections under Premier Sikandar Hayat Khan.
• It remained a formidable cross-communal coalition defending landlord rights until the rise of the Muslim League in the mid-1940s.
• Key Takeaway: Unionist Party was formed in Punjab in 1923 by Fazl-i-Hussain & Chhotu Ram to defend landlord/agrarian interests.