Dear Mani Shankar Aiyer,
I recently heard that you compared Congress President/Prince Rahul Gandhi to me. Well, congratulations on the coronation, but not.
First of all, how dare you to under-rate my achievements? During our times, being the Mughal son was no guarantee that I would be the next emperor-in-waiting. I had to prove my worth by first being the Governor of north Afghanistan, Deccan and yes, Gujarat, whereas your Prince is still struggling to measure the size of Earth. (Read in The Bhootian Express about how he guffawed at the 45000 crore acre land given to Adanis). Tell your prince that Gujarat is not bigger than UK.
I was never given things on a platter like your prince. I had to fight wars with the Qutub Shahis, Adil Shahis and the Safavids. I had to fight wars against my own brothers Shuja, Murad and Dara Shikoh, whom eventually I got murdered. Did Rahul Gandhi have to murder anyone? Forget fighting, he did not even beat anyone, not even in state elections.
And you have the audacity to equate your Prince with my dad? My Dad? Although I imprisoned him in the later years of his life in Agra Fort and did not even allow a state funeral, yet, I am furious at this comparison. My father also had to serve Governership of Deccan, Bengal, Bihar, Delhi and Gujarat and fight political wars against his mother Nur Jahan before winning the Mughal emperorship; whereas your prince has lost all these provinces. The only Jagir of Amethi which your prince rules is in shambles and has no (not even a single) monument that glorifies the achievement of dynasty.
Yes, if your Prince’s inclination for Islamic parties would have been a benchmark for our comparison, I would have at least understood but knowing that he is a ‘Janeu Dhaari’ Kafir Hindu, it feels irritable to say the least.
So, I would ask you to please take back your words and apologize not just to me, but to the whole Mughal family for maligning our dynasty. Had I been alive, I would have ordered elephants to crush your head or imprisoned you in Red Fort, but being only a ghost, I can only assure you that unless you retract your statements, we would haunt you and keep chai cups wherever you go.
Regards,
Ghost of Aurangzeb.
