Maharani of Baroda opens up about struggles after privy purse abolition, internet reacts

Radhikaraje Gaekwad, Maharani of the former princely state of Baroda, is facing backlash on social media for comments she made during an appearance on Ranveer Allahbadia’s podcast. She claimed that royal families struggled to run their households after the abolition of the privy purse, leading them to secretly sell heirlooms such as gold utensils and thrones to sustain themselves.

Her remarks did not elicit much sympathy, as many argued that royal families already possessed considerable inherited wealth, much of which was amassed through exploitative feudal practices. Critics also contended that the abolition of the privy purse, nearly 25 years after India gained independence, was justified.

Before independence, India was home to numerous royal families. Following the departure of the British, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel persuaded the princely states to join India, offering the royals and their successors a “privy purse,” an annual sum of money. However, in 1971, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi decided to abolish the privy purse, arguing that it was contrary to the constitutional principle of equality and imposed a financial burden on a nation already grappling with poverty. Against this backdrop, many ridiculed Radhikaraje Gaekwad for her comments on financial distress due to the abolition of the privy purse.

An X user remarked, “Somehow people overlook the fact that the independence movement did not just kick out the British, it was an epic revolution that established a democratic republic and kicked out these lazy, greedy, parasitic maharajas and nawabs forever.”

Another user sarcastically commented, “‘It became so difficult to run our palaces without free taxpayer money that we had to sell the gold we originally bought by taxing our peasants to death.’”

A former school employee who worked where Gaekwad's children attended noted, “As someone who worked in a school where her kids went, I have to say how the rules were bent to accommodate the kids and the Gaekwads. Please don’t give me this sob story, I have seen the privilege this family has in Baroda, even now!”

Radhikaraje Gaekwad’s royal family resides in Laxmi Vilas Palace, the world’s largest private residence, which is four times the size of Buckingham Palace. The palace is open to visitors for a ticket price, and the royal family is estimated to have assets worth over Rs 20,000 crore.