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Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri case: A sage amidst luxuries, 90-year-old ‘Raja’ throws weight behind Hindu petitioners
Now, the old Raja has decided to taken on a new challenge -- to throw his weight behind the Hindu petitioners in the Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri case.
LUCKNOW Known for his (misplaced) bravado, politician and Kunda MLA Raghuraj Pratap Singh (alias Raja Bhaiya) isn’t one to fear any individual. But there is one man who he could never dare to cross -- his own father Uday Pratap Singh.
Despite being a 90-year-old, Uday Pratap, hailed as the ‘Bhadri Naresh’ or the ‘Raja’ of the Bhadri estate in Pratapgarh district, has managed to sustain his clout -- so much so that his son, slammed as the ‘Kunda ka Gunda’ by his political opponents, also can’t muster the courage to defy his decisions even today.
Now, the old Raja has decided to taken on a new challenge -- to throw his weight behind the Hindu petitioners in the Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri case. To those who are just aware of Uday Pratap’s fear-inducing aura, the decision may seem out of place but to those who know him well, the math adds up. Significantly, no one among his family has asked him to fight for the cause of Hindu petitioners. It was his decision out and out.
While there is a dearth of information on him in the public domain, stories of his idiocentric personality are quite popular locally. People see him as a stickler to the ways of an ideal life mentioned in the Hindu scriptures. In fact, he tries his best to live like an austere even amidst all his royal luxuries. For instance, he never eats at a table; he chants religious japa (mantra) for mental peace; and he often spends his time in a hut built inside his palatial bungalow. Besides, the old Raja makes sure that no one’s shadow is cast upon him as he thinks of it as a sign of ‘impurity’.
In his youth, Pratap is known to have acquired many skills -- shooting, riding horses, and even flying an aircraft. Over the years, Uday Pratap’s inched closer towards the Hindu ways of life. However, some of his moves, guided by his so-called ‘Hindutva’ beliefs, often land him in a controversy. Like, he recently sparked a row by staging a protest to demand the removal of a gate that was built by the members of a different religion.
A prominent person close to Pratap’s family, requesting anonymity, claimed that the old Raja’s unique lifestyle and firm beliefs have also anchored his relations with his son Raja Bhaiya. Despite being an alumnus of the Doon School, which is famous for its Westernised English education, Uday Pratap made sure that his son completes his schooling and then his higher education in Prayagraj and Lucknow.
It is also a known fact that Pratap was against the idea of his son joining politics. However, when Raja Bhaiya made his entry into the world of politics, Pratap took a pledge that he would never campaign for his son. The pledge remains unbroken to date. Likewise, Pratap prohibited Raja Bhaiya from joining any conventional political party -- another promise that is still intact.
However, Raja Bhaiya’s political career did affect Pratap when Mayawati came to power in U.P. in 2002. She went after Raja Bhaiya, his confidants, and his family too. Back then, the state government arrested Uday Pratap and jailed him under the stringent provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA). Nevertheless, the legal shackles could never dampen his spirits.
At 90, when most people his age hardly find enough strength to go about their daily activities, the old Raja, a trained shooter and a horseman, is aiming to achieve new targets in life and he seems to be galloping fast towards them.
