Main gate of Jaipur's Rajmahal Palace are opened after being shut by authorities for over a week.
The row over Jaipur's Rajmahal Palace, which saw former royals of the city take to the streets in protest, appears to have ended in a compromise for now. The main entrance of the palace was reopened by officials from the Jaipur Development Authority today morning, following talks between Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and former royal Rajmata Padmini Devi.
A statement issued by the chief minister's office said that the gate of the Rajmahal had been temporarily opened till another alternative is found. The government has constituted a committee of ministers to look into the matter.
"Nobody can stop any anybody's right of way. But we are happy that the government has set up a committee to look into our demands and they will find a solution to the issue after looking at our papers," Padmini Devi said.
Claiming that a portion of the sprawling heritage hotel complex was falling into land acquired by the government in 1993, officials from the development authority had sealed the main entrance to the palace on August 25.
Members of the former royal family claim that the actions by the development authority were illegal as the matter was still pending in the courts. On September 1, in a rare show of strength, Padmini Devi herself led a protest through Jaipur which was attended by many. Her daughter, Divya Kumari, is a BJP legislator.
The political significance of the former royals' protest has been hard to ignore for the BJP. The party's organisational secretary Sheodan Singh flew down to Jaipur from New Delhi last week. Mr Singh is reported have held long rounds of talks with Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, state BJP president Ashok Parnami and Ms Singh to try and resolve the issue.
Strained relations with the erstwhile royals could hurt the BJP's popularity among the Rajputs, who have hitherto been a dependable vote-bank for the party.
The management at the Rajmahal Heritage Hotel however said that the controversy hasn't affected the operations of the hotel.