Suraj Mal's Extortion & Bahu's Diplomatic Failures

Marathi History Book Reading Session Summary

Suraj Mal's "Puzzle" (Pets): The Catch-22

The Demand:

• Cancel all tributes Suraj Mal owes to Nana Sahib Peshwa
• Instead of paying, give one diplomat a salary/jagir of 60,000 rupees per year
• This is in "exchange" for joining Maratha forces against Abdali

Why It's Called a "Puzzle":

• Pets = puzzle or something difficult to solve
• It's a catch-22 / lose-lose situation
• If Bahu agrees: Maratha treasury loses enormous revenue
• If Bahu refuses: Suraj Mal might withdraw from alliance (at critical moment)
• Either way, Marathas are screwed

The Leverage Play:

• Suraj Mal knows Bahu desperately needs him
• Knows Bahu is short on money and allies
• Using precarious situation as negotiating tool
• Essentially extorting concessions with threat of withdrawal

Why Peshwa Can't Afford to Lose Revenue:

• Peshwa is obsessed with money and tributes
• Can't spare 60,000 rupees annually
• Can't afford to lose tribute income from Suraj Mal
• These are survival resources for empire

Imad-ul-Mulk's Betrayal: The Wazir Broken Promise

The History:

• Raghunath Rao (earlier Peshwa campaign) promised Imad the Wazir position
• Now Bahu and Nana Sahib Peshwa have gone back on that promise
• They decided Imad is too dangerous/untrustworthy

Why the Reversal:

• Imad is a "rogue character" and "audacious"
• He blinded and imprisoned previous emperors
• He acted like the emperor himself
• These were unpopular and destabilizing actions
• Abdali himself is trying to "right this wrong" by freeing the emperor

The Problem:

• Imad is furious about being cut out
• Knows Bahu promised Wazir position to Shuja instead
• Shuja is his enemy (#1)
• Now Imad is angry and uncooperative

The Core Issue:

• Imad was unreliable even before
• Making him Wazir would give bad image to Marathas
• Would threaten Mughal system stability
• Bahu decided: No way, not happening
• But didn't handle the reversal diplomatically

Bahu's Diplomatic Problem: Harsh Character

The Character Assessment:

• Bahu is NOT a diplomat
• He's a straightforward, harsh disciplinarian
• When he decides something is right, he does it without concern for feelings
• Doesn't care what people think or what X, Y, Z feel
• If you cross him, he becomes "extremely angry"
• He's an angry personality, not a negotiator

The Imad Decision:

• He decided: Imad can't be Wazir (correct decision)
• He implemented it harshly without softening approach
• Could have been done diplomatically
• Instead: "Hell with you, this is what's happening"
• Didn't prepare ground or manage expectations

The Collateral Damage:

• Disturbed Holkar (who suggested traditional tactics)
• Disturbed Suraj Mal (demanding impossible terms)
• Disturbed Imad (promised position now denied)
• Basically: Ruffled feathers in entire Maratha camp and allies
• People felt disrespected and responded with demands/anger

Shuja: The Double Agent Strategy

The Situation:

• Shuja physically in Abdali's camp (forced proximity)
• But promised to look after Maratha interests
• Essentially a spy/double agent for Marathas

Why He Joined Abdali:

• Had no choice when Bahu was distant
• Abdali was there, Marathas weren't
• Abdali would have taken revenge if Shuja refused
• Had to join for own survival

Why He Still Helps Marathas:

• Previous loyalty and past relationships
• Attracted to Maratha side ideologically
• Offered Wazir position by Bahu (incentive)
• Can serve as informant/liaison

The Risk:

• If discovered, will be killed by Abdali
• If exposed, Wazir position would be revoked
• Playing both sides is inherently unstable
• One slip and everything collapses

The Silver Plating Incident

What Happened:

• Marathas found silver plating in Red Fort ceilings
• Used silver plating to mint coins
• Needed money to pay soldiers and buy supplies
• Silver minting was practical survival measure

Suraj Mal's Protest:

• Said this insults the Mughal emperor
• Said they're "stripping his opulence"
• Making big noise about it

The Hypocrisy:

• Suraj Mal's companion Imad murdered TWO emperors
• Delhi was looted three separate times
• Suraj Mal said nothing about those atrocities
• Now complaining about silver plating removal?
• Has zero moral high ground

The Rot of Northern Politics:

• No principle, only opportunism
• Everyone doing whatever serves their interests
• Nobody concerned about consistency or morality
• Suraj Mal: "I want control of Delhi"
• Also Suraj Mal: "Don't melt down the emperor's decorations"
• Complete hypocrisy and rottenness

The Web of Betrayals

Holkar's Secret Relationship:

• Has internal relations with Najib Khan (arch-enemy)
• While officially fighting for Marathas
• Hidden from Bahu

Shinde/Holkar Separate Deals:

• Their lawyers and messengers negotiating independently
• Making separate understandings with Suraj Mal, Imad, Suja
• Acting unbeknownst to Bahu
• Doing it because they have longstanding northern connections
• But completely undermining Bahu's authority

The Information Problem:

• Bahu doesn't know what's happening at his back
• His own commanders making separate deals
• Alliance with Holkar is compromised by his friendship with Najib
• Shinde/Holkar pursuing their own interests

Bahu's Precarious Position

The Situation:

• Surrounded by leeches and sharks
• Being asked for things he can't give (Wazir, tribute cancellation, control of Delhi)
• His own people making side deals
• Running out of money, running out of options
• Running out of allies

Why He Can't Act Against Them:

• Abdali is the primary threat
• If Marathas fight among themselves, Abdali wins
• Can't afford to lose any ally no matter how problematic
• If he alienates Holkar/Suraj Mal, they might join Abdali
• Must keep everyone (barely) on side

The Impossible Calculus:

• Can't give Suraj Mal what he demands (treasury can't afford it)
• Can't deny him without risk of defection
• Can't punish Holkar for Najib relationship (need his army)
• Can't trust Imad but need to keep him neutral
• Can't move without allies but allies are unreliable

The Personality Clash

What Bahu Should Have Done:

• Diplomatic approach to Imad reversal
• Careful negotiation with Suraj Mal
• Managed expectations and hurt feelings
• Built consensus

What Bahu Actually Did:

• Announced decision harshly
• Didn't soften blow for affected parties
• Expected people to just accept it
• Got angry when they objected
• Treated as subordinates rather than equals/partners

The Result:

• Damaged relationships with everyone
• Created resentment in allied camps
• Made people feel disrespected
• Motivated them to extract compensation/conditions
• Turned allies into bargainers

The Core Tragedy

Bahu's Strengths:

• Excellent accountant and administrator
• Good at financial decision-making
• Straightforward, no corruption
• Committed to Maratha interests
• Decisive

Bahu's Weaknesses:

• Not a diplomat
• Too harsh with subordinates
• Not familiar with northern politics
• Angry personality if crossed
• Can't negotiate subtle compromises

The Problem:

• Sent straightforward military administrator to solve diplomatic crisis
• Crisis required subtlety, negotiation, relationship management
• Bahu approached it like administrative problem: "This is wrong, fix it"
• Northern politics required: "How do we achieve this while keeping everyone happy?"
• He did neither

Timeline

Key Insight

The Real Enemy:

• Not Abdali (though he's the military threat)
• But the rottenness of northern politics
• Everyone looking out for themselves
• Nobody understanding bigger picture
• Can't unify against external threat

What Should Have Happened:

• All Indian powers unified against Abdali
• External threat recognized as common enemy
• Internal differences deferred until after victory
• Clear hierarchy and clear orders
• Everyone committed to shared objective

What Actually Happened:

• Everyone trying to get something out of chaos
• Using Maratha army's might for personal gain
• Making separate deals with potential enemies
• Playing multiple sides simultaneously
• No unified purpose

Where We Left Off: Bahu realizes he's dealing with a web of corruption, betrayal, and opportunism. His own commanders making secret deals. His allies making impossible demands. His reversals of previous promises coming back to haunt him. He can't discipline them (needs them), can't trust them (they're untrustworthy), can't unite them (they have separate agendas). He's basically trapped.

Bahu came north to decide India's future. Instead he found that India wasn't ready to be decided. Everyone had their own agenda. Everyone was playing both sides. Everyone wanted payment for cooperation. And he, being a straightforward man in a crooked world, made it worse by being harsh about it. He should have been a politician. Instead he was a soldier. And soldiers don't survive in politics.