Thread by @cbkwgl

Princes and Independent India
Sardar Patel on the Princely States

Sukhjit Singh of Kapurthala and Mansur Ali Khan of Pataudi on partition

Maharaja of Bhavnagar on the settlement of Privy Purse

The Maharaja of Dhrangadhara on his announcement of merger

Mewar Court Poet Nathudan on merger

Lakshman Singh of Dungarpur on merger

Karni Singh of Bikaner. While the rulers of Bikaner and Kapurthala died within months of ceding power, the Raja of Porbander retreated to Ooty. The Raja of Morvi abdicated.

Lalit Sen of Suket

Though Patel encouraged them to transition the kings into democratic politicians, the Raja of Porbandar forbade his son. And his predictions came true. Says his queen,

Idealism vs Practicality - Vijayaraje Sindhia of Gwalior

Rajendrasinh of Idar on Swatantra Party and Princely States

And the consequence? Congress's promise to scrap off privy purses. Says Mansoor Ali Khan of Pataudi,

And it's a matter of time. Using the wartime chaos, Princes were derecognized. The Maharaja was of Kapurthala, SukhjitSingh was on the front leading the troops.

This one observation by Brig Sukhjir Singh sums up everything. We gave everything, all for what? On the whole, this is a game of petty politics and nothing more.
1. The Royalty opposes Indira and thrash Congress bad in elections
2. Indira decides to take revenge - scraps the

concept of royalty.
3. Princes resign and Indira takes help of the Left which is anti-wealth. They get a special offer along with it - Nurul Hasan.
The old system of royalty is destroyed and as a footnote, India's education system.
Who gained and who lost with this?

Quotes from Lives of the Indian princes Charles Allen

On a personal note, what would that four crores have given to India?
1. Personal contacts of kings means foreign investments
2. Educated crop of bureaucracy whose loyalty is towards the soil
3. They being part of local development would have fixed many a problem.