The Enemy Within

The 25-year-old, who has spent almost all his life with his mother in Thailand, adds a fresh twist to an old war among the survivors of Sawai Man Singh II, the former ruler of Jaipur.

Till recently, the entire family was united in its 35-year-long legal wrangles with Bhawani 8216;Bubbles8217; Singh, the king8217;s eldest son, and the self-proclaimed successor to both the crown and the property. Devraj8217;s case against Gayatri Devi in the Company Law Board, seeking a share in his father Jagat Singh8217;s property, marks the first chink in her faction.

Palace Intrigues

AT the core of the current dispute is the sprawling Jai Mahal Palace in Jaipur, which is currently being run as a five-star hotel by the Taj Group under a lease agreement. According to Devraj, the palace8212;estimated to be worth Rs 400 crore8212;had been gifted to his father by Sawai Man Singh II through a gift deed.

8216;8216;My father held 99 per cent shares in the hotel prior to his death,8217;8217; he says. 8216;8216;The status was altered unilaterally after his death. More than 93 per cent shares were illegally transferred in the name of my father8217;s foster brother Prithvi Raj Singh and his children.8217;8217;

After Devraj demanded his father8217;s share, Gayatri Devi produced a letter she claimed to have been written by Jagat Singh. Dated June 23, 1996, the letter mentions Jagat8217;s disenchantment with his wife and children and gives sole ownership of his property to Gayatri Devi. It bears the testimony of two witnesses.

8216;8216;The letter is fake. Where was it all these years? Why is it being produced nine years after my father8217;s death?8217;8217; asks Devraj.

While allegations of fraud and cheating are denting 8216;Rajmata Sahab8217;s8217; hitherto-unsullied image, Gayatri Devi herself has maintained a stoic silence. Currently in England, the former queen has not said a single word in her defence.

The only response has come from Pat Baapji, her foster son Prithvi Raj, the biggest beneficiary of the friction between Gayatri Devi and her grandchildren. 8216;8216;The letter is not fake. It was buried deep in Jagat8217;s closets. It was brought to the notice of Rajmata Sahab only recently by one of the witnesses to the letter,8217;8217; he says.

Pride and Prejudice

A FEW weeks ago, while speaking to the media, Devraj fondly remembered his grandmother8217;s love for him. 8216;8216;I used to stay with her while I was studying in London. She was extremely fond of me and my sister,8217;8217; he said.

So what went so wrong as to lead to his grandmother8217;s refusal to entertain his share in the family property? It is a question that has no clear answers.

Insiders claim that Gayatri Devi, now in her late 80s, has very little control over her own life. Her estranged daughter-in-law, Thai princess Priyanandana Rangsit alleges that she is under the influence of Prithvi Raj Singh. 8216;8216;He calls all the shots. The Rajmata does not even know what is going on around her,8217;8217; she says.

While this may be partly true, there is also the belief that Gayatri Devi is extremely angry with her grandchildren and their mother. In a recent biography written by a loyalist, the doyenne blames Priyanandana for her son8217;s death, saying his drinking habit was the fallout of a bad marriage.

Palace insiders say that the Rajmata8217;s pride was further injured over the past few years, when her grandchildren ignored her completely. 8216;8216;She wanted them to be by her side during her old age. But they preferred to stay with their mother. She does not need the property herself, but by disinheriting the children she is avenging her hurt pride,8217;8217; says a former ADC of Gayatri Devi.

Adds Prithvi Raj: 8216;8216;Jagat was ill-treated by his wife and children. They would not speak with him, turned down requests to meet him. In his letter, Jagat clearly writes that he was upset with his children8217;s behaviour and says he did not want them to inherit his property.8217;8217;

Prithvi Raj claims that his elder brother Bhawani Singh is using the innocent children to fight a proxy war for his own benefit, an allegation completely denied by the Bubbles camp.

So is there a solution in sight?

People who have access to the former queen believe that her grandchildren are unlikely to get anything out of a legal battle. Addressing her hubris and hurt pride may work wonders.

8216;8216;In the twilight of her life she has become almost child-like in her behaviour. She snaps quickly and is always on a short fuse. Her tough exterior can be broken, but it required a lot of love, care and patience,8217;8217; they believe.

Even Prithvi Raj hints at an amicable solution. 8216;8216;People believe that Rajmata Sahab can sort out the problem if the children apologise to her and show her respect,8217;8217; he says.

But if the war of egos continues it is the 8216;outsiders8217; who would benefit. 8216;8216;She has no legal heirs. She can go to the extent of donating the entire property,8217;8217; says Prithvi Raj.