Maharana Pratap Board: Cheap government scheme to befool the Kshatriyas
Penned by Lokeshwar Shekhawat
May 2023 saw the announcement of the much vaunted Maharana Pratap Board by the chief minister Ashok Gehlot much to the delight and great pleasure of the Kshatriya community which had been clamouring for installation of one such institution that would seek to advance the interests of the Rajput society.
The excitement proved to be short lived though. While the Rajputs were given to understand that the Board would exclusively look into community advancement, an ongoing process that requires long-term commitment, collaboration, and adaptability. They were also led to believe that community members would be involved at every stage ensuring their active participation in decision-making and implementation.
Instead, all Rajputs were presented was a token set-up with a formularised mandate of preserving heritage surrounding Maharana Pratap’s history and preservation of archeological sites and dissemination of awareness with respect to the great king from Mewar. Even these efforts of Govt in seeing to the safeguarding of Kshatriya history aren’t exactly commendable as there has been no formal proclamation been made on how to stop the distortion of Rajput history. This won’t work either. Notably the history of Maharana Pratap is not being distorted here. Legacy of Maharana Pratap isn’t in an imminent danger on account of history misappropriation . The image of Maharana Pratap is just a symbolic gesture provided to the Rajputs. Everything else is being distributed in a blatant disregard to the law. It will be a few years before Maharana Pratap too fall prey to this . In any case, a fabricated tale of Man Singh’s shame and the supposed bravery of the Bhils has been carefully added to manage it the same way. Also, it is the right-wing ideology that is at the forefront of distorting the history, going even farther than left-wing folks something that should be clear to Kshatriyas.
Be that as it may, this isn’t exactly what community had been lobbying for when they had pressed for an organisation akin to Vipra board/Teja board which exclusively caters (although the outer facade pretending not to) to Brahmins and Jats in Rajasthan.
For instance, the Vipra board seeks to provide the state government with concrete suggestions, along with recommendations, to address the social evils prevalent in the Brahmin community. It also aims to coordinate and suggest various beneficial welfare schemes for Brahmins from different departments and to suggest measures for promoting the art and culture of this community.
By the same token, Teja board targets to propose various schemes for the economic development of Jats and suggests measures to promote employment for the betterment of Jat society in the name of the welfare of overall farmers’ community.
Correspondingly, Devnarayan scheme (biggest beneficiary of which is the Gujjar community as the name suggests) that came into force in the year 2008 had so far spent more than 2000 crores on the welfare of their target community groups (majority share appropriated by Gujjars since the other societies are too primitive to take advantage of any such schemes) . In the last 15 years or so, innumerable scholarships have been awarded, residential schools built, hostels instituted and other such welfare has been done.
One can clearly see why state sponsorship for your community is unmatchable by private efforts. And this is when these people have various other commissions such as Anuja nigam, Rajya Pichchda aayog working for their betterment since the formation of the state of Rajasthan.
The question arises, why Kshatriyas are apparently the only group who have been left to the mercy of vultures while other communities endeavour to devour the state’s limited resources . The persecution of Rajputs is rooted in anti-kshatriya ideology propounded by establishment right after the republic came into being, threatened as they were by the possibility of Rajput dominance in the newly political landscape having had legitimacy to do so.
The biased and unjust treatment of Kshatriyas by the Govt that included political marginalisation and cultural oppression have had severe consequences for the Rajput samaj, leading to inequality, limited access to resources and opportunities, restriction of civil liberties, and denial of basic human rights. It has created a climate of fear, hostility, and exclusion, often resulting in social unrest and instability. The deliberate Govt attempt of enforcing a policy of ethnic segregation (keeping Rajputs exempted from various beneficiary schemes) whereby land rights were snatched and cultural heritage was often disregarded.
This begs another pertinent question, why we as a community have failed to withstand and defy the injustices being perpetrated against us. Why are our samajik sangathans content to sit and watch as the list of discriminations meted out against us continue to pile up. Collaboration and coordination among different samajik organizations are crucial for an effective response to state-sponsored injustices. Instead of raising awareness, shedding light on the prejudice and bigotry that Rajputs are continually being subjected to and organising campaigns to promote understanding and empathy, our social institutions have turned a blind eye to the plight of a common Rajput.
On the one hand we have Shri Kshatriya Yuvak Sangh emphasising lofty superficial ideals, fantasizing about turning Bharat into the Vishwa Guru . These petty ideals tend to reinforce social hierarchies and divisions. Those who do not fit within the prescribed standards of such sangathans tend to face exclusion, discrimination, and marginalization.
On the other hand , millions of Karni Senas with their billion or so branches continue to take undue advantage of the gullible Rajputs. By shaping public opinions they prevent making of informed decisions and leverage their influence to gain advantage at the expense of the others.
Time has arrived to hold samajik sangathans accountable for their actions and empower the samaj to protect their rights and interests. Additionally, promoting education, critical thinking, and awareness can help individuals and recognize and resist cunning exploitative tactics of these fringe organisations.