Jaipur:
The Rajasthan government's official website advises the media against using feudal titles like Maharaja or words like Kingdom. But more than the state's formers royals, the target seems to be former chief minister Vasundhara Raje who the Congress had criticised for her feudal style of functioning. A press release during her tenure had also addressed her as Maharani.
"This is Rajasthan's legacy, we can't wish it away. This is what attracts tourists to the state, so what the government wants to prove is a mystery," said former minister Rajendra Singh Rathore.
But the BJP says it's ironical that the very party that wants to wish away the state's royal past itself gave tickets to 3 members of Rajasthan's former royal families in this election.
The Gehlot government's notification appears to be a well thought out political move to attack Vasundhara but it could well lead to a controversy on Rajasthan's rich historical and royal past