After the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, many dynasties like Mulayam, Lalu, Pilot, Karunanidhi and Abdullah in Kashmir have become part of Indian politics.

Another of these is the Shinde (Scindia) family of Gwalior. From 1957 till now at least one member of this family is a permanent member of Parliament or Legislative Assembly. In contrast, there was a five-year period between 1991 and 1996, when no member of Nehru’s family or clan was a Member of Parliament.

Vijayaraje Shinde, Madhavrao’s mother and the queen mother of the Gwalior family, started his political career from the Congress. But, he later joined the Independent Party, later becoming one of the founding members of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

His son Madhavrao Shinde won the election in 1971 with the support of Jansangh. But by 1979 he had become a Congressman.

Strong relationships happen before stress
A book by renowned political analyst Rashid Kidwai has recently been published. In his book, The House of Scindia’s – A Saga of Power, Politics and Intrigue, he writes about members of the Shinde family and their relationships.

“There was a time when Rajmata and her son Madhavrao Shinde had such a strong relationship that Madhavrao used to discuss his friends with his mother,” Rashid said.

“Bhayya (Madhavrao Shinde) and I were like friends. One night he came to my room in the hotel and fell on the carpet lying on the floor. He felt lonely. We chatted till two o’clock at night. This is what Maharani Vijayaraje Shinde has written in her autobiography ‘Princess’.

Accused of leaving mother’s company
But then what happened was that the mother-child relationship became so bitter that they became estranged from each other.

Well known journalist NK Singh had written an article in the September 30, 1991 issue of India Today. In his article ‘Domestic Battle Between Vijayaraje and Madhavrao Shinde’, he wrote, “The rift between Madhavrao Shinde and Rajmata started in 1972, as Madhavrao had told me. Madhavrao had admitted that joining the Jana Sangh was his biggest mistake. ”

In the same article, NK Singh goes on to say, “Sardar Angre had a different opinion. Rajmata used to call him ‘Baal’ and others called him ‘Baldi’. According to him, Jansangh had lost the 1972 assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, so Madhavrao was scared.” The mother had left. ”

Madhavrao did not like the influence of Sardar Angre
Madhavrao Shinde did not like the influence of Sardar Angre on Rajmata. The Shinde family’s wealth was being spent carelessly in politics without any thought, which was also objected to by Madhavrao.

According to Madhavrao’s close friends, wealth and ornaments were disappearing from Jayavilas Palace. His young maharaja (Madhavrao) was shocked. It was said that the Shinde royal family had wells filled with gold, silver and ornaments. I was surprised, “wrote Rashid Kidwai.

According to Madhavrao, his mother did not seem to have a practical approach at all. He felt that Rajmata had sold the Shinde family’s property in Mumbai and elsewhere at a much lower price than the market price.

It was alleged that Angre was involved in the transaction, and that he was receiving a commission from it. This is what Veer Sanghvi and Namita Bhandare have written in the character of Madhavrao Shinde.

Rajmata accuses Madhavi Raje
Madhavrao Shinde, while talking to India Today correspondent NK Singh, had described that his mother was a woman of rights.

“Madhavrao had told me that Rajmata was emotionally blackmailing him to stay in the party. He had a strange influence on Sardar Angre. This is what NK Singh has written in his article.

Meanwhile, Rajmata, while talking to NK Singh, had blamed Madhavrao Shinde’s wife Madhavi Raje for the rift in the mother-child relationship.

“The queen mother had told me that there was a time when Madhavrao did not hesitate to pick up my slippers in front of everyone. But his wife could not bear the close relationship we had,” Singh wrote.

Sardar Angre was also present when I was talking to Rajmata. He said in his speech that Rajmata was blaming all the blame on Sune like a mother. He was shocked, “said Singh.

The queen chose Angre
Despite the fierce opposition of Madhavrao Shinde, the Queen Mother never took Sardar Angre away from her.

“As a close relative and friend of my husband, Bal Angre considered my family as everything. He and I had the same political ideology and the same sentiments towards Hinduism. Our interest was so important to him that he became our financial advisor. I never doubted loyalty and honesty. No decision is taken in our family without their advice, “Rajmata wrote in her autobiography.

On the other hand, “Madhavrao had told his mother, ‘Amma, this is not going to work out. You have to choose between me and Angre.’ Mentioned.

“They have supported me in difficult times,” said Rajmata. On that, even if your only son goes away, won’t you leave Angre, Madhavar asked. But the Queen Mother did not answer. So Madhavrao got angry and left. ”

Rajmata’s fast for Shivlinga
There was also a dispute between Madhavrao and Rajmata over a small Shivling made of Panna Ratna.

It was the Shivling inherited from the Shinde family. Every Maharaj used to worship it. Whenever Gwalior’s army went on an expedition, Mahadji Shinde (the fifth and youngest son of Ranoji Rao Shinde, the founder of the Shinde dynasty – Mahadji Shinde) always kept the Shivling in his crown. “And that’s why they’re supposed to win,” says Rashid Kidwai.

There was no calculation of the price of the Shivling or the subject, but it was considered a sign of good fortune for the Shinde family. After the rift between Rajmata and Madhavrao, the queen mother asked for the Shivling back. “It is considered auspicious,” she said.

Adherence to etiquette in public places
Even after such arguments, the edge of this tension has never been seen in personal relationships, especially in public places. The Maharaja and the Rajmata used to participate in formal ceremonies together, at that time the royal etiquette was being followed completely.

“Mahendra Pratap Singh, Madhavrao’s personal secretary, preferred to stay with him. But Madhavrao knew that Rajmata loved the work of Mahendra Pratap Singh. I was giving permission, ” Sanghvi and Bhandare have written.

“But, once while on a tour of Amritsar, Bal Angre used abusive words against Madhavrao in front of Mahendra Pratap Singh. After Mahendra Pratap returned to Gwalior, he made it clear to Maharaj that he would never go out with Rajmata again.”

Bullet fired at dog
Due to the ongoing quarrel with the child, the queen mother became more dependent on Bal Angre. During the Emergency, when Madhavrao was in Nepal and Rajmata was in jail, Angre’s family moved to Hiranvan Palace near Jayavilas Palace in Gwalior.

“It is alleged that Angre’s wife Manu removed the gold shields, chandeliers and rugs given to her son at Jayavilas Mahal and put them in his house. Later, when the Congress came to power, Madhavrao Shinde tried to get them back, a family source said. That is, when Madhavrao Shinde’s men went to Hiranvan Pale to collect the items, the Angre people had left a Rottweiler dog on them. One of the dogs was also shot by Madhavrao’s staff, “says Rashid.

Indira Gandhi defeated Rajmata in Rae Bareli
The main reason for Madhavrao Shinde joining the Congress was the closeness between Rajmata and Angre. However, as a tactic, he contested the 1980 elections as an independent from Gwalior.

So, Rajmata decided to try her luck from Rae Bareli against Indira Gandhi. Despite tensions over his own independent political identity and relationship with the boy, he urged the citizens of Gwalior to choose the ‘palace’.

Madhavrao Shinde got a big victory from Gwalior against Atal Bihari Vajpayee, but Rajmata Vijayaraje lost to Indira Gandhi in Rae Bareli.

Vajpayee’s defeat in Gwalior
In the 1984 elections, Madhavrao Shinde had earlier filed his candidature from Guna. But on November 25, 1984, an hour and a half before the deadline for filing nominations, he suddenly filed his nomination papers from Gwalior.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate from Gwalior. Time was so short that Vajpayee could not file nomination papers from anywhere else.

The queen mother was shocked to hear this news.

Angre’s first reaction to the incident was, “Madhavrao will lose from Gwalior. He will be hit so hard that he will never forget this lesson.”

In this election, Madhavrao Shinde defeated Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The queen mother felt very bad about this and she felt insulted by herself.

But before the death of Rajmata, the distance between Madhavrao and his mother had narrowed somewhat.

According to Madhavrao Shinde’s autobiography written by Veer Sanghvi and Namita Bhandare, “In the last days of Rajmata, Madhavrao used to go to the hospital. He used to sit next to his mother holding hands and recite Hanuman Chalisa. Yashodhara, Madhavrao’s younger sister, said that both Rajmata and Madhavrao used to have tears in their eyes at that time. ”

Denial of the right of cremation in a will
But 13 days after Rajmata’s death, the whole affair took another serious turn.

At a press conference held at the Press Club in Delhi, Bal Angre, who remained Vijayaraje Shinde’s secretary, had on September 20, 1985, published a twelve-page obituary written by Rajmata herself. In it, he referred to Madhavrao as the worst part of his life.

“The will was signed by two witnesses, Prema Vasudevan and S Gurumurthy. It was written about Madhavrao that he had become a slave to his political masters. He is no longer worthy to be cremated on earth, “it is written in Madhavrao’s autobiography.

But still, Madhavrao Shinde had cremated his mother himself.

When asked about this, Sardar Angre said, “I had nothing in my hand. I saw the will after his funeral. The queen had instructed my wife to give me this envelope after his death.”

Asked why the envelope was not opened immediately after his death, he said, “It is never done. It would have been wrong. I received a copy of the will after the funeral,” he said.

Madhavrao Shinde challenged the will in court. Subsequently, another will of Rajmata, written in February 1999, was presented in court.

Eight months later, Madhavrao Shinde died in a plane crash. In March 2008, at the age of 87, Bal Angre also passed away.