Rasheed Kidwai’s The House of Scindia is a tale of palace, power and politics

Sandeep Sinha

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The land of maharajas and snake-charmers also embodied the dichotomy that was India. In a country where the majority struggled to make ends meet, the popularity of the royals remained, acting as a bond between the past and the present. Diminished in power and pelf, the royals still evoked admiration and loyalty of their erstwhile subjects. Gwalior’s House of Scindias, with their name etched firmly in history, proved to be no exception. Straddling the political firmament in modern times with prominence, their personal ties did not come in the way of their political commitments as they embraced parliamentary democracy that acted as a great leveller despite a feudal past.

The author, a senior journalist, says in the book that Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia insisted that whenever anybody from the royal family contested from Gwalior, votes should be asked for in the name of the palace and not any party. The only exception to this was when Jyotiraditya Scindia lost the Lok Sabha election from Guna in 2019 when he had to contest on the insistence of Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka.

The book provides an interesting peep into the familial ties of the Scindias. How Vijayaraje was imprisoned during the Emergency and first put under house arrest in rather comfortable confines, earning the displeasure of Indira Gandhi who asked to put her in Tihar Jail. At Tihar, the Rajmata’s bond with the BJP leaders and other stalwarts of the Opposition grew. It is actually during Vijayaraje’s time that the family’s ties with contemporary politics got integrated. The book describes how Madhavrao Scindia fled to Nepal during the Emergency and how his sisters made efforts to reach an understanding with the government to ensure the release of the Rajmata.

There is an account of the rift between the mother and the son, how it was attributed to Sardar Angre on whom the Rajmata relied for counsel, and the differences between Madhavrao and Angre, who had not liked his fleeing to Nepal. The ties of party leaders go deep, with the Rajmata herself serving hot turmeric milk to the present Prime Minister and other BJP leaders when they reached Gwalior late in the night for political work.

The book describes Madhavrao’s persona, his popularity, education abroad (where he was provided with an ADC by the family), his relationship with the Gandhis and other Congress leaders, his love for the game of cricket and performance as a minister. Madhavrao was among the frontline leaders of the Congress, but destiny had other plans as he perished in a plane crash months after the death of his mother.

Kidwai also dwells on the ascent of Vasundhara Raje. How despite being a five-time MP from Jhalawar in Rajasthan, she was not acceptable to the local BJP leaders as the CM. It required effort to get her elected to that position. Married into the royal house of Dholpur, Vasundhara Raje was friendly with Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia and even hosted a party on the birthday of Maneka Gandhi’s son, Varun.

Jyotiraditya Scindia’s joining the BJP has been welcomed by his aunts as homecoming or ‘ghar wapsi’; the step is also expected to help resolve family disputes. However, the book makes it clear that Jyotiraditya’s entry into the BJP was facilitated by his in-laws, the Gaekwad royal family of Baroda, who opened a channel for him with PM Modi.

Jyotiraditya had started feeling restricted in the Congress, the exit of Priyanka Chaturvedi not helping matters. She had alleged mistreatment by local leaders in Mathura who, despite directions to take action against them, were exonerated at the intervention of local party leaders.

The account of the Scindias shows how the royal families have changed with the times. Deprived of their privileges, they have nevertheless tried to mainstream themselves into the political process, accepting the limitations and its inclusive nature, despite a different personal background. At times, the book seems hurried, but is still a riveting account from a reporter’s diary.