NK'S POST

NK SINGH The BJP leadership in Madhya Pradesh has received a rap on the knuckles from the RSS bosses on the eve of state assembly election. Samidha, the Sangh headquarters at Bhopal, apparently received disturbing reports about anti-incumbency against the BJP.  Many sitting MLAs, including ministers, face resentment in their constituencies due to poor performance. The party leadership failed to gauge the intensity of the movement against the SC/ST Act. Many sections of voters are unhappy.  The strategy of raking up the Congress regime's failures is not proving so effective this time. The BJP's goal of achieving 200 plus seat looks like a dream as it struggles to return to power for a record fourth term.  The past week saw frenzied activities in the RSS as it started a damage control exercise. BJP chief Amit Shah visited the Sangh headquarters to receive feedback from the parent organisation. It was followed by several rounds of marathon meetings between the le...

NK SINGH Madhavrao Scindia was one of the most charming political personalities of Madhya Pradesh. The scion of Gwalior’s former royal family was suave and cultured, with a twinkle in his eyes and an easy smile. Once you knew him, it was impossible to dislike him. He was also one of the wealthiest politicians of his times. The Scindia Empire was the biggest and the richest princely state in MP. They enjoyed the highest 21-gun salute under the British, a privilege they shared with only four other princes in the country. The Member of Parliament from Gwalior lived in an imposing palace and flew a chopper, making his election campaigns irresistible to journalists looking for colourful copy and glamour quotient in an otherwise drab landscape. That is how I landed in the one-horse town of Dabra, near Gwalior, early that winter morning in 1998. I was working for India Today then. My photo journalist colleague Sharad Saxena accompanied me on that trip. We had left our...

Untold Stories How to share a royal meal NK SINGH माधवराव सिंधिया मध्यप्रदेश के सर्वाधिक आकर्षक और ग्लेमरस राजनीतिक हस्तियों में से एक थे। ग्वालियर के पूर्व राज परिवार का यह वंशज चमकीली आंखों, चुम्बकीय व्यक्तित्व व सहज मुस्कान के साथ-साथ अपनी नफासत और शिष्टता के लिए मशहूर थे. एक बार आप उन्हें जान लें , तो फिर उन्हें नापसंद करना नामुमकिन था। वे अपने समय के सबसे धनी राजनेताओं में से भी एक थे। सिंधिया राजघराना मध्यप्रदेश का सबसे बड़ा और मालदार राजघराना था। आजादी के बाद कई भूतपूर्व राजा, महाराजा और नवाबों की हालत खस्ता हो गयी थी. पर ग्वालियर राजघराने ने अपने धन का निवेश बड़ा सोच-समझ कर और अच्छी तरह किया था. अंग्रेजी हुकूमत में उन्हें 21- बंदूकों की सलामी मिलती थी. ब्रिटिश भारत में केवल चार देसी रियासतों को २१ तोपों की सलामी दी जाती थी. देशी रियासतों के राजा-महाराजा और नवाबों को उनकी हैसियत के मुताबिक कम से कम दो और अधिक से अधिक से २१ तोपों की सलामी दी जाती थी. सिंधिया ग्वालियर से लोक सभा सांसद थे. वे अपने आलीशान जयविलास पैलेस से चुनाव लड़ा करते थे. उस ज़माने में ...