Bulldozer Baba, Bulldozer Mama, bulldozer justice

 

‘Bulldozer Baba, Bulldozer Mama, bulldozer justice’: How the modest machine has become the buzzword in Indian politics

After Uttar Pradesh, the bulldozer has become the go-to tool to deal with alleged rioters in Madhya Pradesh's Khargone and Delhi's Jahangirpuri. Backed by the BJP, the demolition drives have been slammed by the Opposition, who call it the 'bulldozing' of democracy

FP ExplainersApril 21, 2022 09:38:40 IST

Illegal structures being razed during a joint anti-encroachment drive by NDMC, PWD, local bodies and the police, in the violence-hit Jahangirpuri area, in New Delhi. PTI

Nine bulldozers rolled into Jahangirpuri on Wednesday morning, tearing down several structures close to a mosque as part of an anti-encroachment drive by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled civic body.

Chaos and mayhem ensued as residents saw their homes being torn down and their source of livelihoods being razed. It was only after the Supreme Court intervened twice that the drive was paused.

Politics quickly broke out over the demolition drive with the Opposition accusing the BJP of ‘bulldozing’ democracy, while the latter held its ground, stating that ‘bulldozer justice’ was the right way to move ahead from the communal violence that had earlier broken out in the northwest area of Delhi.

At one point during the drive, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI{M}) leader Brinda Karat was seen blocking a bulldozer waving the copy of a Supreme Court order. Speaking to NDTV about the incident, she said, “We saw the bulldozers just smashing structures. They just bulldozed everything selectively. We had to stop it. After we stopped it, a senior police official came. I spoke to him and showed him the court order. Then he said yes, yes, we will stop it now.”

CPI(M) Leader Brinda Karat stood in front of a JCB to halt demolition drive in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri at 12.10 pm. Drive continued till 12.15 pm despite SC asking MCD to maintain status quo around 11 am. Action a few days after communal clashes on 16 April. @TheQuint @QuintHindi pic.twitter.com/JLH8RcvprZ

— Eshwar (@hey_eshwar) April 20, 2022

Wednesday’s incidents weren’t the first time that the nation saw ‘bulldozer politics’ being played out. In the recent months, the bulldozer has suddenly become the buzz word in politics. We trace this development.

Rise of ‘bulldozer baba’ in UP

Ironically, the beginning of bulldozer politics began with a jibe.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath earned the nickname of ‘Bulldozer Baba’ in Uttar Pradesh for his extensive use of the machinery to free up over 67,000 acres of government land from the clutches of land mafia in the state.

During the Assembly elections, his rival, Samajawadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav, used his nickname to attack the chief minister. He had then said, “He (Yogi Adityanath) changed the name of everything. Till now, we were calling him ‘Baba Chief Minister’, but today one English newspaper called him ‘Baba Bulldozer’. I have not kept this name, this name was kept by a reputable English newspaper.”

Unfazed by Yadav’s comments, Yogi then used the bulldozer jibe as a campaigning tool, saying it was a sign of how his government had cracked down on the mafia and was a symbol of development in the state.

Also read: How bulldozer becomes the most iconic weapon against land mafia’s illegal encroachments in Uttar Pradesh

At one of his election campaigns, Yogi had said: “We have a special machine which we are using for building expressways and highways. At the same time, we are using it to crush the mafia who exploited people to build their properties.”

Unsurprisingly, when the BJP won the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, workers and party members used bulldozers to celebrate.

Shivraj’s transformation to ‘Bulldozer Mama’

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was quick to realise the popularity of Yogi and took a leaf out of his Uttar Pradesh’s counterpart’s playbook.

He passed a very stringent law to recover damages during acts of rioting. It has a provision of recovering the double value of damaged properties within a fixed time.

On 22 March, when a youth died in Raisen district after a clash between two communities, the chief minister ordered demolition of the accused persons’ houses, News18 reported.

Also read: Nine states, 15 days: India is witnessing a spate of communal violence

The bulldozers came out once again when clashes erupted in Khargone district of the state on the occasion of Ram Navami. The rioting in Khargone saw the destruction of more than 50 houses and properties. The chief minister then used bulldozers to demolish 16 houses and 29 shops of alleged stone-pelters.