Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday unveiled the statue of former union minister late Madhavrao Scindia at circuit house in Madhya Pradesh's Tikamgarh district amid protests by the local organisations.
Madhavrao Scindia's son and Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, who was present on the occasion, expressed gratitude to the Chief Minister. The statue was unveiled despite opposition from the organisations like Kshatriya Mahasabha and Karni Sena.
They said that installing the statue of Gwalior's Scindia family members is an attempt to destroy Tikamgarh's rich history. "Many of us have been put under house arrest while several members of Kshatriya Mahasabha and Karni Sena have been detained hours before the Chief Minister Chouhan came to unveil the statue.
"The entire area was cordoned off by police and no one was allowed to enter that premises. People of Tikamgarh will not sit silent, we will keep up our fight until justice is done with Orchha Riyasat, which is of Bundela Rajputs," head of Kshatriya Mahasabha Pushpendra Singh said.
The main contention is that the Tikamgarh's historic circuit house was built by Raja Veer Singh Judev Bundela of Orchha dynasty and therefore the statue of local hero should be installed instead of a member of a Gwalior's family member.
Veer Singh Judev Bundela has built many forts during his reign including Jhansi Fort, Datia Fort. Like the Scindia dynasty in Gwalior, Orchha, which was part of Vindhya Pradesh till 1956, also has a rich legacy. Both princely states of Gwalior and Orchha were merged into Madhya Pradesh in 1956. Tikamgarh's century-old circuit house is under the state Public Works Department (PWD).
The dispute emerged after a local politician Vikash Yadav, who is considered Jyotiraditya Scindia's loyalist installed the statue of Madhavrao Scindia during night back on November 22, 2022. Since then the people of Tikamgarh have been opposing the development and demanding statues of local heroes like - Vir Singh Judev, Raja Chhatrasal and others.
Kshatriya Mahasabha General Secretary Khuman Singh said: "People of Tikamgarh are demanding to install a statue of Maharaja Chhatrasal, who founded this city. It is an attempt to destroy our great history of Tikamgarh.
"It is a matter of prestige for Tikamgarh people and therefore, even those associated with the BJP or the Congress are watching it closely but are silent for two reasons -- if they oppose Madhavrao Scindia's statue, their political future will be in danger, if they speak in its favour, it will go against the sentiment of the locals."
The protesters also contended that Madhavrao Scindia has no role in development of Tikamgarh and hence his statue should be removed from the circuit house. Jyotiraditya Scindia has said that his father has played a key role in providing a railway line in Bundelkhand region.
"When Afghani-Mughal had attacked in Tikamgarh, Maratha Emperor Bajirao Peshwa himself had come to support Orchha's king Maharaj Chhatrasal and they together had defeated the enemies," he said.
Orchha is known because of the great Indian warrior and ruler from the Bundela Rajput clan-Raja Chhatrasal. Inspired by Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Chhatrasal fought against Mughals. Chhatrasal's daughter Mastani was the second wife of the Maratha king Peshwa Baji Rao.
