`Dying mother should have forgiven Scindia'

BHOPAL: Over 500 loyalists of Congress leader Madhavrao Scindia guarded the gates of the Scindia Palace in Gwalior on Wednesday to prevent his late mother''s private secretary and executor of her will, Sardar S.C. Angre from entering its precincts. That is the measure of bitterness which Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia''s decision to ``dispossess'''' her only son may have aroused in Gwalior, the seat of the Scindias.The popular perception is that the Rajamata''s open indictment of her son in what was her last testament had left a particularly bad taste in the mouth, howsoever serious the mother-son differences may have been. ``A dying mother should have forgiven the errant son. That would have raised her stature.'''' Madhavrao''s own conduct after his mother''s death on January 25 has, in contrast, been impeccable: In keeping with the Hindu tradition, he shaved his head, performed all the necessary rites, and has been in mourning. Sources known to the family vouch that he has been genuinely grieving his mother''s death despite the long rift. Predictably enough, the tension in the palace fraternity was palpable after the will''s contents were released for public consumption. But even this did not prevent the ``Maharaj'''' from lunching together with his sisters, Yashodhara Raje, Vasundhara Raje and Usha Raje on Wednesday. Madhavrao, on his part, has persistently refused to be drawn into any discussion on the will. Scindia family watchers say the bitter observations made by the Rajmata on the ``un-son'''' like conduct of Madhavrao may have sullied the latter''s image in the eyes of some people, but won''t be enough to affect, much less ruin, his political career. The dominant view is that the Rajmata''s decision to ``will away'''' ancestral properties of the Scindia estate was ``unwisely'''' made since her original bequest of the same to a trust (under the executorship of Angre and others) was still sub judice. And should the courts opt to apply the laws of the Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) to settle the dispute, Madhavrao''s claims as the ``karta'''' would remain inviolable. That much of the will''s contents may probably have been drawn up under Angre''s influence also cannot be ignored, the sources argued. Angre, in fact, is widely seen as the ``villain of the piece''''. Without him, the Scindias may have been a happier family, Madhavrao''s ``indiscretions'''' notwithstanding.