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Royal scions across the country have condemned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for calling their ancestors "pliant Maharajas" who were intimidated by the East India Company, which he claimed ruined the nation. They have described the accusations as baseless, unacceptable, and intentional misrepresentation of facts.
In an editorial published in a prominent newspaper, Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and a Congress MP, stated, "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." Union Minister Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia, a member of the Scindia family, which once ruled Gwalior until India's independence in 1947, condemned Rahul Gandhi for his remarks saying Gandhi should stop insulting Bharat Mata and instead learn about the real heroes of India's history. "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only exposes Congress' agenda further--Rahul Gandhi is no champion of Atmanirbhar Bharat; he is merely a product of an outdated entitlement," Scindia said on X. Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari, the granddaughter of Man Singh II, the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state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 Rahul Gandhi'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," Diya Kumari on X. Chaitanya Raj Singh, a descendant of the family that once ruled the Kingdom of Jaisalmer, dismissed Rahul Gandhi's allegations against the former royal families as unfounded and unacceptable. "Rahul Gandhi these baseless allegations regarding the 'erstwhile' royal families are unacceptable. 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. The brave and ethical are fearless as they have a karma yog approach with the integration of humanity and nature," Singh said on X. Vishvaraj Singh, the current MLA from Rajasthan's Nathdwara and a member of the erstwhile Mewar royal family, a descendant of the great Rajput king and warrior Maharana Pratap, said, "Is it ignorance or intentional misrepresentation - a 'monopoly' to malign?" (ANI)
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