Kolkata: Prince Cyrus Raza, who claimed that he was the descendant of the last Nawab of Oudh - Wajid Ali Shah, passed away in September 2017, but his legacy continues to draw questions.
Now, Shah's great-grandson Dr. Kaukab Quder Meerza has come out rubbishing the claims of Cyrus and his mother Wilayat Mahal, who had also said that they were part of the Royal family.
Eighty-eight-year-old Meerza, who has retreated from public life, said in a video that there was no existence Wilayat Mahal in the history of his royal family.
"I have never come across, and never heard of any such name before. Their claim is fictitious and they have no relation with the Nawab Sahab.”
Speaking to News18, Manzilat Fatima, great great granddaughter of Wajid Ali Shah, said, “Wajid Ali Shah married to Begum Hazrat Mahal - who was one of the greatest leader of the first war of Independence and declared her son Birjis Qadr the King of Awadh. Birjis Qadr’s son was Meher Quder (my grandfather). Meher Quder sons' are Anjum Quder, Kaukab Quder (my father) and Nayyer Quder. We have pension documents and other relevant letters to prove that we are the actual descendents of Nawab sahab. There are many descendents of Nawab Sahab and all of them have at least some documents to substantiate their claim. But Wilayat Mahal and Prince Cyrus Reza of Delhi’s Malcha Mahal never placed any documents to prove their claim. Wilayat Mahal’s claim that she was the great granddaughter of Queen Hazrat Mahal is completely false.”
She said, “They were imposters and not known to any member of the very large family of Oudh spread over Kolkata, Lucknow and Pakistan. Wilayat Mahal’s claim is false and it is also evident in her name. The world ‘Mahal’ is no name but only a title suffixed to the name of the wife of an Indian Muslim king after she bore him a son and an heir to the thorne. Like Zeenat Mahal of Bahadur Shah Zafar or other Mahals of Nawab Sahab. That system is obsolete now but the lady (Wilayat) even calls her daughter and son as Marsia Mahal and Prince Cyrus Reza Mahal. I would like to request the government to have a proper inquiry.”
Malcha Mahal is located in Malcha villages around Raisina Hill. Wilayat Mahal, self-proclaimed great granddaughter of Wajid Ali Shah, was reportedly allotted the Mahal in May 1984 by the former PM Rajiv Gandhi.
She was allotted the Mahal after her nine-year protest living in a first-class waiting room at the New Delhi railway station as compensation for her ancestral property in Awadh which was seized by the British.
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