Jyotiraditya Scindia has been vocal in his criticism of the Congress since leaving the party.
New Delhi:
An attack on the Congress and its leader Rahul Gandhi, tipped with the word “traitor”, by Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia triggered a bitter exchange of words on Twitter on Tuesday night, delving into the history of his family, the erstwhile royals of Gwalior.
The Twitter feud began when Jairam Ramesh, a senior leader of the Congress and its top communications lieutenant, shared a news report about the “traitor” jibe by Mr Scindia, a former Congress leader who is now a minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet.
Mr Ramesh quoted a poem by Subhadra Kumari Chauhan, a famous Hindi poet, that praised the Rani of Jhansi, a 19th-century queen who fought against British colonial rule. The poem also mentioned the Scindia family, the rulers of Gwalior, as allies of the British.
“Has he forgotten Subhadra Kumari Chauhan’s immortal poem on the Rani of Jhansi?” Mr Ramesh tweeted. “Angrezo Ke Mitra Scindia Ne Chhodi Rajdhani Thi, Bundele Harbolo Ke Munh Hamne Suni Kahani Thi, Khoob Ladi Mardani Wah Tou Jhansi Wali Rani Thi.” (Scindia, the friend of the British, had left his capital; we heard the story from the mouths of the Bundela warriors; she (Queen Laxmibai) fought like a man, she was the queen of Jhansi.)
Has he forgotten Subhadra Kumari Chauhan’s immortal poem on the Rani of Jhansi?
अंग्रेज़ों के मित्र सिंधिया ने छोड़ी राजधानी थी,
बुंदेले हरबोलों के मुँह हमने सुनी कहानी थी,
खूब लड़ी मर्दानी वह तो झाँसी वाली रानी थी॥https://t.co/JOz45i574f— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) April 5, 2023
Mr Scindia, who belongs to the Scindia dynasty that ruled Gwalior until 1947, responded with a series of tweets in which he asked Mr Ramesh to “read history more than poetry”. He cited passages from Jawaharlal Nehru’s book “Glimpses of World History” that praised the role of the Marathas, a powerful Hindu warrior clan that included the Scindias, in challenging British supremacy in India.
“Read fewer poems and more history,” Mr Scindia tweeted, quoting a passage that read, “Thus they (Marathas) had practically inherited the Delhi Empire. The Marathas remained to challenge British supremacy. But the Maratha power went to pieces after the death of Mahadji Scindia.”
He also quoted another passage from Nehru’s book that said: “The Marathas defeated the British in the South in 1782. In the north, Scindia of Gwalior was dominant and controlled the poor, hapless Emperor of Delhi.”
“The Marathas defeated the British in the South in 1782. In the north, Scindia of Gwalior was dominant and controlled the poor hapless Emperor of Delhi.”
– Excerpt from ‘Glimpses of World History’
3/3— Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (@JM_Scindia) April 5, 2023
Mr Scindia also accused Mr Ramesh of being hypocritical and self-serving, saying that he had no dignity or ideology left in Congress. “You are devoted only to yourself anyway; this is why your politics is alive,” he tweeted. “I and my family have always been answerable to the public.”
Mr Scindia, who is currently serving as the minister of civil aviation, was once considered a close aide of Mr Gandhi, the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi family that has dominated Indian politics for decades. He quit Congress and joined PM Modi’s BJP in 2020 after a rift with his former party over leadership and power-sharing issues.
His defection triggered a political crisis in Madhya Pradesh, a central state where Congress had formed a government with his support in 2018. After he switched sides, several Congress lawmakers loyal to him also resigned, leading to the collapse of the government and paving way for the BJP to take over. Since then, in the face of “traitor” barbs, Mr Scindia has been vocal in his criticism of Congress and Mr Gandhi.
