‘Bulldozer’ the latest fad in UP

PTI, Mar 15, 2022, 5:39 PM IST

‘Bulldozer’ has caught on as a fad in markets here transcending from being a banal tractor to a popular mass object, if only temporarily. ‘Bulldozer’ became an oft-repeated phrase during the run up to the polls as political parties jousted with each other for attention.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was frequently called as ‘Bulldozer Baba’ by SP leader Akhilesh Yadav for the former’s claims of a razing illegal properties of criminals with a bulldozer. Adityanath too several times evoked bulldozer in his speeches, conjuring a tough leader image. But with BJP’s win, the sturdy bulldozer has now morphed into pop objects, that range from toys to water guns and even tattoos. Mohammad Asif, a water gun seller in Varanasi’s Harar Sarai, told PTI, ”we are not able to fulfil the growing demand for bulldozer water guns.” ”Earlier, there used to be a great demand for water guns with pictures of film stars like Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan, but this time there is a rush for the bulldozer water guns,” he said. Water gun sellers in Nai Sarak there also admitted to an increased demand for bulldozer water guns ahead of Holi. Harishchandra Srivastava, a toy-seller in the old city area of Lucknow, said that the sale of remote and battery-operated bulldozer toys have increased.

The fad is not limited to water-guns or toys. The machine’s popularity has also seen an uptick in its rent prices as well. Many contractors said they couldn’t find enough bulldozers to let immediately after the BJP victory. Rajveer Singh Sonu, who operates JCB machines in Lucknow and rents them out to political parties, said, “We could not meet the demand on the counting day as most of my workers were off.” Contractors Vinod Nishad and Mayank Srivastava said the charge for renting a JCB is around Rs 5,000 per hour usually, but it has now gone up to Rs 8,000 to 10,000 per hour.

Some pictures that emerged from Varanasi and Prayagraj even showed young men getting bulldozer image tattooed on their arms. On March 10, as the BJP romped home to power a second consecutive time in the state, several victory processions featured bulldozers.