"Bulldozer Mama": After UP, BJP Pushes 'Tough-On-Crime' Image In Madhya Pradesh

Dozens of hoardings of Mr Chouhan with a bulldozer in the background have come up in several areas of capital Bhopal calling him "Bulldozer Mama".

While addressing an election rally in Uttar Pradesh recently, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had highlighted Yogi Adityanath's "bulldozer" approach to criminals saying the move had turned out to be a successful deterrent against crime in the state. First used as a jibe by the Samajwadi Party, "bulldozer" made it to the election lexicon as the BJP decided to use it as a badge of honour. "Baba (Yogi Adityanath) came with bulldozers and the mafia was buried. Today, mafias like Mukhtar Ansari are afraid that 'Bulldozer Baba' will come," Mr Chouhan had said. Weeks later, dozens of hoardings of Mr Chouhan with a bulldozer in the background have come up in several areas of capital Bhopal calling him "Bulldozer Mama". 

The hoardings have been put up by BJP MLA Rameshwar Sharma and are captioned, "Bahan-beti ki izzat se jisne kiya khilwar, bulldozer pahachega uske dwar. Beti ki suraksha mein jo banega rora, Mama ka bulldozer banega hathora (Bulldozer will reach the doors of anyone who dares to dishonour sisters and daughters. For those who become a hindrance in the security of daughters, Mama's bulldozer will be the hammer)."

These posters have popped up after the administration razed the homes of those accused in recent cases of gang rape, rioting and kidnapping. Several properties were demolished in the Seoni, Sheopur, Raisen, Jaura and Sahdol districts in the last 72 hours.

The houses of Mohsin, Riyaz and Shahbaz, accused of raping a minor girl in Sheopur, were demolished. In Seoni, the houses of Hariram Verma, Rahul Verma, Vikas Singh, Nirpat Verma, and Virendra Verma, accused of raping a college student, were demolished.