A new political scion rose on Tuesday after Jyotiraditya Scindia’s son Mahanaryaman hailed his dad for taking a ‘stand for himself’.
The Yale University graduate, in two tweets, welcomed the decision of his father to snap ties with the Congress, stating it took courage to "resign from a legacy".
"Sad it had to come to this," his first tweet, from the handle @ASCindia, said.
The second tweet read, "I am proud of my father for taking a stand for himself. It takes courage to resign from a legacy. History can speak for itself when I say my family has never been power hungry. As promised we will make an impactful change in India and Madhya Pradesh wherever our future lies."
While Mahanaryaman's Twitter handle is not a verified one, a leader close to Jyotiraditya, Pankaj Chaturvedi, confirmed the account belonged to the former Guna Lok Sabha MP's son.
"Mahanaryaman completed a management degree from US last year. He could not participate in the Lok Sabha campaign of his father because of his final exams. Now he is helping his father and getting acquainted with people and workers," Chaturvedi said.
Earlier in the day, Jyotiraditya Scindia quit the Congress following a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and is likely to join the BJP.
The power-hungry bit might be a tad off the mark given the Scindias are often accused of siding with the British and are the subject of a popular poem on Jhansi Ki Rani which calls the Scindia’s ‘friends of Britishers’.
In fact, urban legend claims a different sort of ‘horse-trading’ in the annals of Scindia history. In fact, the Gwalior Municipal Corporation website had claimed in 2005: “The issue clearly has political overtones, with the local BJP eager to target junior Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia. Narrating Gwalior’s history, the corporation website says: “Rani (Queen) of Jhansi, Lakshmi Bai came to Gwalior when general Huroz of British army defeated Lakshmi Bai in Kalpi. Maharaja Scindia of Gwalior betrayed Lakshmi Bai. He gave her a weak horse. Sensing something fishy Lakshmi Bai decided to leave Gwalior. She laid down her life, while fighting British, on 18th June 1858.”
While serious historians have debunked the claim, the Scindias’ proximity to the British earned Jayajirao the rank of a general and a 21-gun salute.
With inputs from agencies
