One group of individuals acting against the Peshwas had been staying at Pune and Satara near Shahu Maharaj. At that time, the kingdom’s administration would be run with a unified command and control structure. In Shahu’s reign, the Peshwas grew in stature to acquire primary position through their valour. They took under their wings old and new families, and brought about their rise. Purandare, Patwardhan, Pethe etc. Brahmins; Chitnis etc. Prabhus; Shinde, Holkar etc. Marathas; acted as per the Peshwa’s policy and grew to be renowned. Pilaji Jadhav, Fatehsingh Bhosale etc. many previously renowned Sardars too recognised the situation and began acting within the remit of the Peshwa authority. Sumant, Pratinidhi, Narbaba Mantri etc. erstwhile ministers would sometimes behave adamantly and act in opposition to the Peshwas. Due to this, their power automatically diminished. Raghuji Bhosale, Dabhade, Gaikwad etc. Sardars were flourishing on the basis of their own prowess. So, they would oppose the Peshwas once in a while.
Babuji Naik was a moneylending gentleman, without much inherent prowess, but with a huge ego. Even when the Peshwas had established familial relations with him and made him into their own, he could not acquire the skill to act within the remit of Peshwa control. Therefore, he and his family sparred with the Peshwas till the end, and the family was rendered passive in the cause of conservation of the kingdom. There is a reference from 1739 saying, “Babuji Naik keeps visiting once in a while but remains upset.”
The revered mother Radhabai provided them a long rope. Babuji Naik quit the loyalty to the Peshwa and moved to Raghuji Bhosale’s camp. After Bajirao’s death, he tried hard to secure the office of the Peshwa for himself which became hurtful for him. Even after accompanying Raghuji to the Carnatic he did not benefit much. He was much greedy about campaigning like Shinde, Holkar, or Raghuji, and capturing a big province for himself. Of course, Nanasaheb would have nothing of the sort. But, since the Peshwa had taken loan from him, he blocked the Peshwa’s path threatening him with that weapon. The moment the Peshwa returned to Pune in July 1741, Babuji began nagging him for the repayment of the loan and harassed him no end. After Bajirao, Nanasaheb felt the constant nagging of this neighbour right beside Shaniwarwada like an eyesore. There is a reference that, “He began nagging the Peshwa and installed a Brahmin in the Peshwa’s threshold,” which meant he threatened the Peshwa that a Brahmin will be made to fast unto death at his doorstep in protest.
Upon this, the Peshwa repaid his debt to Babuji Naik, and drove him out of Pune. At this time, the Peshwa was freed from this burden of debt by Mahadaji Ambaji arranging for the money. The Naik went to Satara and fell behind Shahu Maharaj. He openly joined Raghuji Bhosale and Damaji Gaikwad in opposition of the Peshwa. The next year, when the Peshwa campaigned in Malwa, Damaji and Babuji entered Malwa from Gujarat and plundered some regions. Babuji incurred losses due to listening to Raghuji Bhosale too much. One of the assistants of the Peshwa wrote in 1742, “Raghuji Bhosale will send Siddhambhat and Baranji Mohite to Satara to serve Queen Sagunabai. Babuji Naik dispatched some letters to the effect that he desired for a military alliance with Raghuji. Him and Raghuji would come together and establish control over the Carnatic and Bengal provinces. Raghuji wrote to Baisaheb that she should help bring about a military alliance between Naik and him.”
This political move by Naik slowly took concrete form. Naik and his father had helped Shahu too in terms of money in times of crisis. Shahu never forgot that. He ignored the Peshwa’s opposition, granted Jagir at Baramati to Naik, and arranged for his future. Naik built a mansion there in 1743, and began treating it like his capital. There was no perceivable loss that accrued to him because of being driven away from Pune. If this support from Shahu had been combined with some inherent aggression from Naik, then he could have formed an independent principality. On 19 June 1743, Shahu granted him the notification which says, “Swami is proud of you in all respects. We hereby hand over the region within the Bijapur province and Bhaganagar province of the Carnatic, from the southern bank of the Tungabhadra up to Rameshwar, the region including the Tehsil of Hardu Suba, at the rate of seven lakh rupees per year for five years. You have agreed to start paying the revenue collections from the present year. Gather the standard taxes and establish your control. Rest assured there would be no changes to this decision. Serve dutifully and ensure the Swami is satisfied.”
This incident was the root cause of the resolve of the Peshwa, who further decided not to allow Naik to digest this Carnatic affair. In Shahu’s old age, his control over the administration slackened a bit, and therefore, Naik’s efforts did not succeed. Naik blamed the Peshwa all his life.
To be continued…
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