Fall of the Mughal Empire v4.c44.s1.2

v4.c44.s1.2

Holkar had done nothing to put down Ghulām Qādir or Ismail Beg, and even where he fought as an ally of Sindhia, namely at Patan and Mertā, his contribution had been no trained infantry, no guns, and only 4,000 old-type light cavalry against four to five times that number of horsemen supplied by Sindhia. And yet, now in 1790, Tukoji Holkar claimed that, as the equal of Sindhia in the Peshwā’s service, he was entitled to half the territory acquired, half the tribute paid, and half the spoils taken as the fruits of these recent victories. Mahādji Sindhia could not satisfy such an absurd claim, and immediately after Mertā, the Holkar contingent withdrew from service with Mahādji’s army and Tukoji openly intrigued with every prince and minister who wanted to defy or thwart Sindhia. Thus, the Maratha power and prestige in Rajputana and the Doāb was threatened with collapse, just after such a decisive victory as Mertā.