Rahul Gandhi faces criticism from Jyotiraditya Scindia, cousin over ‘maharajas’ remark; Congress responds

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s remarks during a rally in Madhya Pradesh, where he stated that backward classes lacked rights before Independence and power was concentrated among kings, sparked a backlash from BJP leaders belonging to erstwhile royal families.

Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and his cousin, BJP MP Dushyant Singh, have condemned the Leader of the Opposition, arguing that his comments reveal ignorance about the contributions of former royal families.

Addressing a rally in Mhow on Monday, Gandhi said Dalits, backwards and tribals had no rights before independence, when "only maharajas and rajas enjoyed rights".

"The change was brought with independence. You got land and rights. The BJP-RSS wants an India of pre-independence, where common people had no rights and only the likes of Adani and Ambani had rights. They want the poor to suffer in silence and not dream while the country is run by billionaires," he had said.

Launching a sharp attack at Gandhi over his remarks, Scindia said the statement given by him exposes his narrow thinking. “The statement given by Rahul Gandhi, a leader who considers the Constitution as his 'pocket diary', about the role of the royal families of India before independence exposes his narrow thinking and understanding. In his hunger for power and position, he has forgotten that these royal families had laid the foundation of equality and inclusive development in India years ago,” he said on X.

"He has forgotten that: Baroda Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad had provided financial assistance to our Constitution maker Baba Saheb Ambedkar to get education. Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj had laid the foundation of social justice in 1902 by giving 50 percent reservation to the Bahujans of the country in his governance for the first time," Scindia, who had quit the Congress to join the BJP in 2020, said.

To empower the backward classes educationally, Madhav Maharaj I of Gwalior had opened education and employment centres in the entire Gwalior-Chambal, the BJP leader added further.

It was the Congress that gave birth to the dictatorial ideology and worked to undermine the rights of the Dalits, deprived and the backward classes, he alleged. "Rahul Gandhi, first read history, then make statements!" Scindia said.

Five-time MP Dushyant Singh, the son of BJP veteran Vasundhara Raje (who is also the aunt of Jyotiraditya Scindia), said Gandhi’s statement is yet another example of his reckless “hit-and-run” politics, where he makes sweeping generalisations without understanding history.

“Claiming that royal families did nothing for the poor shows ignorance of the immense contributions made by leaders like Shahu Maharaj of Kolhapur, who championed social reforms, and the Gaekwad family of Vadodara, who supported Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar’s education,” Singh said.

He further stated, “The Dholpur royals also played a crucial role in social and infrastructural development. Maharaj Rana Nihal Singh modernised the state’s administration, built hospitals, and developed essential public infrastructure like roads and railways, while his successor continued these progressive efforts.”

These families played pivotal roles in shaping India’s progress toward equality and justice, Singh stated, adding that dismissing their efforts not only disrespects their legacy but also exposes Rahul’s habit of making baseless comments for political mileage. “Instead of undermining history, he should focus on substantive solutions to current issues,” he added.

Hitting back at Scindia, Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said, "History points its finger at you and cries your highness. If the 26th amendment of the Constitution had not been made, even today the Government of India would have been giving crores of rupees tax free to the Gwalior royal family (25,00,000 in 1950)."

"You kept taking this price for merging into India, till 1971. You may have forgotten the treachery of the royal families and their love for the British, but we all cannot forget," Khera said in his post in Hindi on X on Tuesday.

26 ( 1950 25,00,000) , 71 https://t.co/BAGuupbxgs

Pawan Khera (@Pawankhera) January 28, 2025

History is witness that the pistol of a royal family was used in the assassination of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, the Congress leader said. The list of misdeeds of many royal families cannot be covered by the goodness of a few kings, Khera said.