Royal descendants decry Rahul Gandhi’s description of them as ‘pliant’

Your selective amnesia about your own privilege is a disservice to those truly striving against adversity, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia tells the Congress leader

Scions of royal families, some of them associated with the BJP, condemned Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, for calling their ancestors “pliant Maharajas” who were intimidated by the East India Company.

In an opinion piece published in a newspaper, Mr. Gandhi had written that “India was silenced by the East India Company. It was silenced not by its business prowess, but by its chokehold. The Company choked India by partnering with, bribing, and threatening our more 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.”

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The first to respond to the article via a post on microblogging site X was Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, the scion of the Gwalior royal family. “If you claim to ‘uplift’ the nation, stop insulting Bharat Mata and learn about true Indian heroes like Mahadji Scindia, Yuvraj Bir Tikendrajit, Kittur Chennamma, and Rani Velu Nachiyar, who fiercely fought for our freedom. Your selective amnesia about your own privilege is a disservice to those truly striving against adversity. Your dissonance only exposes Congress’ agenda further - Rahul Gandhi is no champion of Atmanirbhar Bharat; he is merely a of an outdated entitlement,” Mr. Scindia said.

Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan Diya Kumari, the granddaughter of Man Singh II, the last ruling Maharaja of the princely State of Jaipur during the British Raj in India, condemned the Congress leader’s criticism of erstwhile royal families, stating that the dream of a united India was made possible due to the significant sacrifices made by these royal families. “I strongly condemn Mr. Rahul Gandhi’s attempt to malign the erstwhile royal families of India in an editorial today. 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,” she posted on X.

BJP MP from Mysore and member of the Mysore royal family, Yaduveer Wadiyar also posted on X. “Rahul Gandhi’s lack of knowledge of true history is on constant display. His latest statement, via an article this morning, reflects his ignorance of the contributions made by the erstwhile princely states towards today’s Bharat, the patronisation of Bharatiya Heritage, without which, we might have lost many of the traditions we hold dear today, and most importantly, the sacrifices they made towards the formation of a unified India,” he posted.

Chaitanya Raj Singh, a descendant of the family that once ruled the Kingdom of Jaisalmer, and Vishvaraj Singh, current BJP MLA from Rajasthan, a member of the Mewar royal family and descendant of Maharana Pratap also dismissed Mr. Gandhi’s allegations against the former royal families as unfounded and unacceptable. “Is it ignorance or intentional misrepresentation - a ‘monopoly’ to malign?” posted Mr. Vishvaraj Singh.

Published - November 07, 2024 11:02 pm IST