Digvijay Singh

Laxman Singh

Raghaogarh, May 4: A love affair that bloomed in tragic circumstances in a Delhi hospital is charged with dividing a fort.

Typical of weepy saas-bahu soaps, Raghaogarh is agog with stories of how the “new bahu” Rubina Sharma Singh’s presence changed all that the over 500-year-old fort stood for.

Digvijay Singh, the family patriarch also called Hindu Pati (defender of the faith) and Munnu Raja, is out in the field struggling to save his honour. All around Raghaogarh and beyond in the Rajgarh parliamentary seat, there is profound sympathy for Munnu Raja but few votes to pull off a Congress victory against his brother Laxman.

The last four months have inflicted deep changes in Digvijay’s personality. The man known for his chuckle and genial manners is constantly losing his temper, getting irritated and speaking bitterly of dividing the ancestral property after the polls. Digvijay continues to be a big draw but when he seeks votes for little-known Congress nominee Shambhu Singh instead of Laxman, the voters turn unresponsive. Across the belt, a BJP wind is blowing. The region with high OBC population was never a Congress stronghold but voted for Digvijay-Laxman because they are “rajas”.

Digvijay’s sister-in-law Rubina cannot fathom why the former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh is so angry. “We are not the first or the last family where members have opted for different political ideology. Look at the Scindias and see how they conduct themselves,” she said, sitting in the fort that has now been informally split into portions belonging to Munnu and Chunnu (Laxman Singh).

A huge community kitchen that was used for parties and festivities is a picture of neglect. Family attendants like Anapoorna Bai can barely hold back tears. “Qile ko nazar lag gai,” she said.

The central room overlooking Raghaogarh town is the only common space left between Digvijay and Laxman. A picture of Ram-Laxman-Sita is mounted prominently on the wall and security guards of the two “rajas” share beedis and ogle at Bipasha Basu’s picture in a Hindi daily.

In Digvijay’s side of the fort is a small sticker, dating back to the 1999 Lok Sabha polls, of him appealing to people to Vote for Laxman. Insiders said that on several occasions they, and even Digvijay, were tempted to erase or scratch it off but could not. “It is not that easy, you know,” a family attendant said.

A few days ago, the brothers were in the fort when Laxman sought Digvijay’s blessings in the customary manner of touching his feet. The elder brother unwittingly withdrew but later cried silently. Digvijay’s gesture was unusual on two counts. Locals said it amounted to the violation of his role as Hindu Pati (As “raja” of Raghaorgarh, he is patron and caretaker of various temples earning him that distinction). Moreover, it was not in keeping with the promise to his parents, the late Balbhadra Singh and Aparna Kumari, that he would look after Laxman.

Rubina said that while she sympathised with Digvijay, she could not understand why he was holding himself accountable for Laxman’s conduct and “bad-mouthing” him. “Why is Sonia not being held responsible for nephew Varun joining the BJP?” she asked. Rubina’s outspoken nature and remarks such as these are making Digvijay angrier. In the feudal settings of Raghaogarh and around, a woman taking on her “god-like” brother-in-law is unheard of.

On his part, Digvijay has been harshly promising to divide the property and sever family ties. Sources close to him said he has reason to be bitter. Laxman was groomed more like a son than a younger brother. The younger brother always treated Digvijay, whom he called Dada-Bhai, as god.

The timing of Laxman’s defection could not have been worse as it came within days of Digvijay’s worst-ever defeat in the Assembly polls. In the Congress, knives are out for Digvijay, who has been accused of blessing the defection. A view is that it was a “precursor” to Digvijay joining the BJP.

At a personal level, Digvijay is upset that wife Asha Singh’s efforts to prevail upon Laxman failed. Raghaogarh town and the Qila point at Rubina’s role and says her family’s association with the RSS and her influence over Laxman led to the parting of ways between the brothers.

Rubina, while flashing her family’s link with the RSS, denies the charge. Speaking to The Telegraph, Laxman’s wife of three years says: “Laxman was unhappy with the Congress for many months, if not years.”

Rubina met Laxman in Apollo Hospital where like her, his first wife Jagriti was undergoing chemotherapy. Both had the same doctor and kept meeting at same settings till she survived and Jagriti died.

“When Laxman proposed to me, I first said no. I said I did not want him to go through the same trauma in case I fall ill again. He said that was not an issue, as he loves me and is prepared to do what he did for Jagriti for five to six years of her illness. That remark immensely touched me.”

Outside the majestic fort, Raghaogarh’s residents are not talking about who is winning or losing. They are more concerned if one of the “rajas” will move out of the fort, or whether it will be sold off instead of getting a fresh coat of well-deserved paint.