Inauguration of Greater Rajasthan was all royal affairs
Rajendra Bora When Greater Rajasthan was inaugurated by Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, the architect of integration of India, on March 30 in 1949 the ceremony to mark the occasion held at Darbar Hall in the City Palace of Jaipur was mostly all royal affairs as most of the senior Congressmen left the venue in a huff over the sitting arrangements. On this day, 62 years ago, four major princely states – Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner and Jaisalmer- merged with Samyukt Rajasthan which was earlier inaugurated by Jawahar Lal Nehru in Udaipur on April 18, the previous year. At the ceremony Patel sworn in Maharaja Sawai Mansingh of Jaipur as Rajpramukh. Rajpramukh later administered the oath of office of the Premier of the newly emerged state to Hiralal Shastri, who was till then Chief Minister of Jaipur. At the time of formation of Greater Rajasthan the Congress had four stalwarts – Jai Narayan Vyas from Marwar, Manikya Lal Verma from Mewar, Hiralal Shastri from Jaipur and Gokul Bhai Bhatt from Sirohi-...