Selective amnesia: Former royals slam Rahul Gandhi for 'pliant maharajas' remark

Rahul Gandhi, in an op-ed, said the East India Company choked India by partnering with, bribing, and threatening pliant maharajas and nawabs. The remark was condemned by several members of the erstwhile royal families.

In Short

• Rahul Gandhi says 'pliant Maharajas' were intimidated by British
• Jyotiraditya Scindia says Gandhi's 'colonial mindset' crossed all limits
• Diya Kumari calls it attempt to malign erstwhile royal families

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi came under heavy fire from members of erstwhile royal families, including Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, for calling their ancestors "pliant Maharajas" who were intimidated by the British. Scindia said Gandhi's "colonial mindset" crossed all limits, while Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister and erstwhile Jaipur royal family member Diya Kumari said the Congress MP had no knowledge of history.

In a post on X, Scindia, whose ancestors ruled Gwalior, said Rahul Gandhi's "selective amnesia" made him forget the privileges he enjoyed due to his lineage. "Those who sell hatred have no right to lecture on Indian pride and history. Rahul Gandhi's ignorance about Bharat's rich heritage and his colonial mindset have crossed all limits," Scindia tweeted.

The Union Minister, who was once a close aide of the Raebareli MP, said India's legacy doesn't begin or end with the title "Gandhi".

"Your dissonance only exposes Congress’ agenda further -- Rahul Gandhi is no champion of Atmanirbhar Bharat. He is merely a product of an outdated entitlement," Scindia said.

Diya Kumari, the granddaughter of Man Singh II, the last Maharaja of Jaipur, accused Gandhi of attempting to malign the erstwhile royal families of India and divide society.

"The dream of integrated India was only possible because of the utmost sacrifice of the erstwhile royal families of India. Baseless allegations made on the basis of half-baked interpretation of historical facts is completely unacceptable," the Deputy Chief Minister said.

She also upped the ante against Rahul Gandhi while campaigning for the upcoming bypolls in Rajasthan and called for boycotting the Congress.

"Rahul Gandhi does not know history. He should stop throwing mud at other people's families to brighten his political image and maintain the dignity of his constitutional post," Diya Kumari said.

The backlash came after Gandhi, in an op-ed, said the East India Company choked India by "partnering with, bribing, and threatening pliant maharajas and nawabs". "We didn’t lose our freedom to another nation; we lost it to a monopolistic corporation that ran a coercive apparatus," Gandhi wrote.

Vishvaraj Singh, the current MLA from Rajasthan's Nathdwara and a member of the erstwhile Mewar royal family, questioned if it was "ignorance or intentional misrepresentation".

Vikramaditya Singh, a former Congress leader and the heir of the Dogra dynasty, said the article reflected Gandhi's superficial understanding of history. "The irony that Rahul Gandhi, coming from such immense privilege himself, would repeatedly attempt to malign the Maharajas' colossal contributions to the republic of India is appalling," he tweeted.

Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, a scion of Udaipur's Mewar family, said royal families have always been a protector of their people and have played an essential role in shaping India's economic, cultural and political landscape.