Taking a cue from the success of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's strong image as 'bulldozer baba', there are similar attempts in Madhya Pradesh to brand Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan as 'bulldozer mama' in run-up to the 2023 Assembly polls.
'Bulldozer Baba' referred to the action of UP CM Adityanath's campaign to raze the properties of criminals and anti-social elements during the past two years.
Chouhan has been known to follow Adityanath's example in many of his actions including the law on 'love jihad', against stone pelters, focus on religious projects and so on. He has also brandished a very stern attitude towards criminals, threatening to 'bury them'. During the past one year, properties of those accused in several criminal cases have been razed, with the government dubbing them as illegal. Also Chouhan has shown a publicly stern attitude against lackadaisical or corrupt officers, warning them of severe action.
During the past three days, respective district administrations razed 'illegal' properties of the accused in rapes and communal clashes in Seoni, Shahdol, Sheopur and Ratlam.
However, the distinct attempt at branding Chouhan as 'bulldozer mama' came on the eve of the BJP government, as well as Chouhan, completing two years of fresh tenure on Wednesday.
Chouhan had taken oath as chief minister for the fourth time on March 23, 2020, three days after Kamal Nath resigned as CM ahead of facing a floor test that was directed after 22 Congress MLAs left the party with Jyotiraditya Scindia earlier that month.
Chouhan, after meeting the family members of a tribal youth killed in a communal clash in Raisen district last week, said: “Criminals and anti-social elements should not think this is the government of Congress or Kamal Nath. This is Mama's (as Chouhan is popularly called) rule. If anybody engages in wrongdoing, I will not spare them. Mama's bulldozer is running now and won't stop before burying anti-socials,” the CM said.
Almost simultaneously in Bhopal, BJP MLA and former pro-tem speaker Rameshwar Sharma put up a hoarding branding Chouhan as 'bulldozer mama'. Even as the hoarding went viral, on Wednesday, on occasion of completion of two years of BJP government, Sharma organised a felicitation programme for Chouhan at his residence and lined up numerous bulldozers to welcome the CM.
An elated CM reiterated on this occasion, too, that simple punishment is not enough for those who put a bad eye on mothers, daughters and sisters. “They get bail and return. We will teach them a lesson that will make criminals tremble with fear. Law will punish them, but bulldozers will also run (properties will be razed),” Chouhan said.
Political watchers feel that the attempt to rebrand Chouhan is deliberate in view of the 2023 Assembly polls, which is around 17 months away. Yogi's electoral success due to his strong image has given the Madhya Pradesh BJP a cue to attempt similar style in the state, especially because their key slogan of 'maaf karo maharaj; hamare neta Shivraj' (forgive us Maharaj, our leader is Shivraj) for the 2018 Assembly polls was construed as negative and putting more emphasis on the opposition. Maharaj was seen as a reference to Scindia, who was heading the Congress campaign committee then.
However political watchers are wary whether the strong image branding will work for Chouhan and for the people of Madhya Pradesh who have a different life attitude. Questions are also raised about the decision to raze properties of the accused—first as to whether punishment could be given before someone is convicted of crime and second if the razed properties are illegal; why does the administration allow them to flourish in the first place and wait for a crime to take action?
As expected, the Congress has taken a dig at the BJP’s new move. Congress spokesman Narendra Saluja said that Chouhan tries to emulate Yogi, but in the case of MP, the bulldozer seems to have 'eyes'. Elaborating, Saluja said that the action of razing properties is taken selectively, targeting only some people while sparing the criminals and anti-socials who have links with the BJP. He named a rape accused close to Rameshwar Sharma, the alleged involvement of the brother of BJP state general secretary in-charge Hitanand Sharma in a ration distribution scam, associates of minister Vijay Shah found involved in sex racket in Indore and so on.
“There is no action on these people. The bulldozer does not see them. Indeed the bulldozer in MP has special eyes,” he said.