Fall of the Mughal Empire v1.c12.s2.4

v1.c12.s2.4

Despairing of getting help for his nephew from the Peshwā, the Maharana tried to gain the support of the imperial Court and also began to collect Rāthor and Hādā allies for the purpose. He completely won Malhar Holkar over, who again and again pressed Madho Singh’s cause on the Peshwa with passionate partisanship and even gave a personal guarantee for the payment of Madho Singh’s promised tribute. Thus Malhar and his diwān Rāmchandra Bābā were moving at cross-purposes. The Peshwa strongly deprecated such a conflict of policy in the Marātha camp in Hindustan as destructive of the Maratha position and interests there, and urged unity of action in future. [*Aitihāsik Patr.* ii. 68 and 76.] He very wisely ordered Holkar and Rāmchandra Bābā to try every possible means of accommodating this family quarrel by persuading Ishwari Singh to cede the promised territory to his younger brother, instead of letting this fratricidal contest run its fatal course.