Babulal Gaur: ‘Bulldozer man’ who gave Bhopal its wide roads

A lawyer, trade union leader and a politician who remained deeply wedded to the RSS ideology till his end, Babulal Gaur aka Baburam Yadav, commanded huge respect cutting across political divide and will be remembered as the “bulldozer man” instrumental in shaping New Bhopal’s infrastructure.
Born to a modest family at a village in Naugeer in Pratapgarh district in UP, Gaur made Bhopal his home and was a true representative of the state capital’s Ganga-Jamuni culture.At his residence in Berkhedi, he celebrated Diwali with the same zeal as Eid and was among the handful right-wing leaders who commanded great respect among the Muslim community, a fact that is corroborated by his 10 successive electoral wins in MP Assembly elections.
In the late 1960s, Gaur who had worked in Bhopal Textile Mills got involved with trade union activities and mobilized the workers fighting for their rights. He was among the founders of the Rashtriya Mazdoor Sangathan and gradually shifted his operation to the then lively BHEL township that housed about 17,000 workers and their families. Soon, he became a popular figure in the township and industrial area of Govindpura where most ancillary units of BHEL operated.
Gaur was accessible to people 24 x7, something, that he did not shy away till his end and this was a key element of his popularity. For anyone in distress, Gaur was always there and he never turned away anyone who went to him for help whether he was in the opposition or ruling party.
As his popularity increased, Gaur decided to test the electoral battlefield and contested the 1974 assembly election from Bhopal South constituency as an Independent and won. Thereafter, he contested Govindpura assembly seat in 1977 on a Janata Party ticket and won. He managed to keep the winning streak in the next eight elections held from Govindpura.
A man, who held senior positions in the Jana Sangh and BJP, Gaur was inducted as cabinet minister by late Sunderlal Patwa to his cabinet with the charge of local administration, law and legislative affairs, Parliamentary affairs, public relations, urban welfare, housing (urban) & rehabilitation of Bhopal Gas Disaster victims.
It was during this term that Gaur showed an iron will to free the government land in the state from encroachment and initiated drives in Bhopal, Indore and other urban areas of Madhya Pradesh. In Bhopal, he will be remembered for demolishing the building housing lodges and shops opposite Bharat Talkies that obstructed free movement of traffic to the railway station amid strong protests from local residents and political leaders. He stood his ground and made sure the encroachment removed earning him the nickname of “bulldozer man”.
Several of state capital’s wide road networks –including the one in the commercial zone of MP Nagar –are his gift to the people. His association with BHEL township and the satellite colonies became even stronger as days and years passed by. He was instrumental in getting several four-lane road networks in the township and its satellite colonies.
As a person, old-timers and journos remember Gaur as a very jovial character always there to lend a helping hand. In the 1980s and 1990s, it was a common site in newsrooms across Bhopal that he would walk in to discuss prominent issues with a pack of his favourite ‘mungodas’ with spicy chutney.
Gaur, took over as Madhya Pradesh chief minister in very tough circumstances after Uma Bharti had to relinquish her post after a court case in Hubli (Karnataka) in 2004. It is said she had sought a pledge from him to demit office when she was discharged by the court.
Bharti thought Gaur was his loyal, but he remained loyal to the BJP and did not budge when Bharti walked out of the BJP and formed her own outfit. He held the party together and when the BJP decided to name Shivraj Singh Chouhan as chief minister, he resigned as a loyal worker and did not accept the Speaker’s post offered to him, considering his seniority and instead decided to work under Shivraj as a minister.
In his demise, BJP and the RSS has lost one of its true soldier in Bhopal.