‘Integrated India was only possible…’: Royals fire back at Rahul Gandhi for 'pliable maharajas' remark

Members of the royal families have criticised Leader of Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his opinion column speaking about the fear generated in the corporate ecosystem. In the column he had spoken about the East India Company and how it had spread fear and plundered the country with its business prowess and the conformity of “pliable maharajas and nawabs”. 

In the opinion column for The Indian Express, Gandhi had written: “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.”

He said that the East India Company went on to control everything from banking and bureaucracy to information networks. India lost its freedom not only to another country but to a monopolistic corporation, he added.

However, the remark about pliable nawabs and maharajas, albeit without any specific reference, has not gone down with members of royal families. Many took to social media to criticise Gandhi and to add that the Indian royal families were committed to their responsibility towards their people and the country, and that Gandhi’s claims are erroneous and unfounded.

Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari, granddaughter of Jaipur’s maharaja from the British Raj, Man Singh II, said the dream of an integrated India was only possible because of the sacrifices of the 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,” said  the minister.

Union Minister for Communications and Development of North Eastern Region Jyotiraditya Scindia, member of Gwalior’s Scindia royal family,  said Gandhi’s “ignorance” of India’s heritage  has “crossed all limits”. “Your selective amnesia about your own privilege is a disservice to those truly striving against adversity,” said the BJP leader. 

Mysore MP Yaduveer Wadiyar, member of the Mysuru royal family, said that without the contributions of the erstwhile princely states India might have lost many of the traditions it holds dear today. 

While MLA from Madhya Pradesh, Gayatri Raje Puar, and member of the royal family from Dewas called the maharajas “pillars of Sanatan Sanskriti”, Chaitanya Raj Singh from the Jaisalmer royal family said, “The valour and selfless services of our families in upholding our dharma can be seen transparently in the love showered to us by the people all over India from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Jaisalmer to Tripura.”

Vikramaditya Singh, member of the royal family of princely Kashmir, said that the column reflects Gandhi’s superficial understanding of history. “The Maharajas contribution and role can hardly be reduced to simply “pliant” to the East India Company. Many of these Maharajas were not handed over ready-made kingdoms to rule, but rather started from humble origins, as farmers and soldiers, who toiled and fought many battles to create their territories and later states,” he said. 

“Despite being divided by the colonial structure, the 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,” said Lakshyaraj Singh from the Mewar royal family.