The first economic thinker of India who showed through his writings that the basic cause of India’s poverty lay in the British exploitation and drain of wealth was

Answer: Option C

Dadabhai Naoroji was the first economic thinker of India. In his writings on economics, he showed that the basic cause of India's poverty lay in the British exploitation of India and the drain of its wealth. Dadabhai was honored by being thrice elected president of the Indian National Congress.