Pakistan is a paradigm example of a failed state that has undergone an extremely dangerous form of radical Islamisation.
Bajirao Peshwa
Baji Rao Peshwa became Peshwa at the age of 20. There was criticism against
appointing a person so young but Raja Shahu was committed to the appointment. Besides by
the circumstances of his upbringing and inclination, he lacked the will to
assert himself and be bothered about the details of administration. The
subsequent Maratha rulers refused to accept the treaty of 1719 referred to
above, accept Maratha claims on Gujarat and Malwa. The Nizam, Mir Qamar-ud-din
used the Marathas to overcome his Mughal rivals but refused to cooperate with
the Marathas in recovering chauth from Karnatak. Attempting to break away from
the Marathas shackles he shifted capital from Aurangabad to Hyderabad.
Eventually the Nizam was overcome in 1728 in the battle of Palkhed. The
Peshwa marched towards Aurangabad but avoided taking the enemy headon. Instead
he moved towards Gujarat with the Nizams army in hot pursuit. The pursuit was
abandoned in the hilly tract and the Nizam occupied Pune instead. The Peshwa now
attacked the Nizams capital, Aurangabad and was challenged for action in a
waterless tract near Palkhed. Starved of food and water, the Nizam sent word to
the Peshwa asking for peace.
The growing ambition of Bajirao coupled with the independent streak of the
various chieftains was bound to result in conflict, the area being Gujarat.
While the Peshwa, elated by his victories was in no mood to give up claims on
Northern Gujarat, others like the Gaikwars, Bhonsle, Pawars were opposed to the
Peshwa’s designs. At this stage the young Dabhade made a tactical blunder of
holding secret negotiations with the Nizam to seek his help. Getting a whiff of
this, the Peshwa invaded Gujarat and defeated the combined forces of the
Senapati / Nizam. This victory form a landmark in the history of the Peshwa’s as
it left them without a rival at home. Through a series of attacks on the Sidis
of Janjira ( near Mumbai), the Peshwa reduced the territories under their
control and became in all but name a tributary of the Marathas.
Realizing the weakness of the Mughal empire, the Peshwa pursued his northward
expansion drive with zeal. He brought Malwa, Gujarat and Bundelkhand ( parts of
Western, central U.P.) under Maratha control, thereby, for the first time in the
history of Bharat making Deccan as the point of controlling Hindustan. In
October 1730, Malhar rao Holkar and Ranoji Sindia were granted the jagir of
Malwa with them making Indore and Ujjain their headquarters. The Peshwa’s march
to Delhi started with his arrival in northern Bundelkhand just about 70 kms of
Agra. Malhar Rao Holkar lost to the Governor of Avadh, S Khan forcing the Peshwa
to make a tactical retreat. While the Mughals were celebrating their victory,
the Peshwa took a detour through modern day Haryana and descended on Delhi. On
reaching Delhi he changed his mind and decided not to attack. Through some
misunderstanding, the Mughals attacked the Peshwa’s forces only to be routed.
The successful march had led to a surge in the Peshwa’s reputation and generated
awe in the enemy’s camps.
Unable to accept the growing might of the Peshwa’s, the Mughals invited the
Nizam and other Rajput chiefs to join hands and push the Peshwa to south of the
Narmada. Through a series of strategic moves, the Peshwa’s cut off supply lines
to the various parts of this alliance, defeated them and forced the Nizam to beg
the signing a treaty in 1738. Called the victory of Bhopal, it marks the zenith
of the Peshwa’s career. It also implied the arrival of a new power in Hindustan.
The Nizam failed to keep his promise of ratifying the terms of the treaty.
Serious doubts assailed the mind of the Peshwa’s strategy that allowed the Nizam
to escape in 1728 ( Palkhed ) and 1738 ( Bhopal ).
While Bajirao was overrunning Hindustan, his brother Chimnaji Appa defeated
the Portuguese in 1740 ending their rule in North Konkan. The persecution of all
those who did not conform to the Christian doctrine forced the Hindu leaders to
secretly invite the Portuguese to free them of foreign rule. The conquest of
Bassein was long cherished by the Marathas as a matter of national pride and
glory.
The last few years of the Bajirao’s life were clouded by domestic discord. He
was fond of a mistress and drank, ate meat in her company. He passed away in
1740. In the words of Sir Richard Temple, “ he died as he lived, in camp under
canvas among his men and he is remembered to this day among the Marathas as the
fighting Peshwa and the incarnation of Hindu energy.”
Besides securing the Deccan, he was the first Marath to go on the offensive
in Hindustan. If Shivaji created a Maratha state, Bajirao transformed it into an
empire. While he extracted revenue ably, he paid no heed to the problems of
governance. He was a matchless cavalry leader but not a statesmen, far sighted
reformer. The Jagir system vested more money in the hands of satraps like
Holkars making Bajirao die with a debt of Rs 14 lacs. A centralized monarchy
might have changed history. Net net, he gave the Maratha state stability,
secured its freedom and opened prospects for expansion.
