Former royals criticize The ‘pliant maharajas’ comment made by Rahul Gandhi

Members of former royal dynasties, notably Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, strongly criticized Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi for referring to their forefathers as “pliant Maharajas” who were subjected to British intimidation. Gandhi’s “colonial mindset” went beyond all bounds, according to Scindia, while Diya Kumari, the deputy chief minister of Rajasthan and a former member of the Jaipur royal family, claimed the Congress MP was ignorant 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.

“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 He is merely a product of an outdated entitlement,” Scindia said. “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.

“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.

According to Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, a member of the Mewar dynasty from Udaipur, royal families have always protected their subjects and have been crucial in forming India’s political, cultural, and economic environment.