Chhagan Bhujbal: A street-smart champion of words and actions

Mumbai: In the early sixties, an inter-collegiate one-act play competition was held in Mumbai. A student of Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute in Matunga went up on the stage and delivered a scintillating performance. No one could match up to the young boy, and he emerged number one. The closest one could get to him was another boy, a few years older than him. He was Amjad Khan, who later shot to fame for essaying the iconic role of Gabbar Singh in the 1975 blockbuster, Sholay.

The number one boy was Chhagan Bhujbal, who became one of the tallest OBC leaders of Maharashtra. Bhujbal, who is now 76, only honed his oratory skills over time and became known for his speeches and street-smartness.

His fiery style made him an asset to any political party that he has been part of. He has worked with great leaders like late Balasaheb Thackeray and Sharad Pawar, but managed to stand tall on his own.

Comeback to combat

Now Bhujbal, the state's Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Minister, is back in the news and in the centre-stage of the row that has erupted over reservation for the Kunbi-Marathas from the share of the OBCs. The Eknath Shinde-led BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP government has been issuing Kunbi caste certificates to Marathas that would enable them to get reservation in jobs and education under the OBC bracket. But Bhujbal has taken up the mantle and has gone against his own government’s move.

This new quota row has brought Bhujbal back to the limelight. The two-time Mumbai Mayor, six-term MLA, one-term MLC, two-time Deputy Chief Minister and ex-Leader of the Opposition in Council has taken up cudgels in the true sense of the term by participating in an OBC Bhatke Vumukt Jaat Aarakshan Bachao Yalgaar Sabha. This rally, held on November 17, opposed induction of Kunbi-Marathas into the OBC fold, a stay on the Kunbi certificates being given and the dissolving of the Justice (retired) Sandeep Shinde Committee, formed to check the possibility of the community’s reservation.

Humble background

Hailing from the Mali community, Bhujbal, born on October 15, 1947, started as a vegetable vendor in the Byculla market. When Balasaheb founded Shiv Sena in 1966, he was among the first to join the party, working for the cause of Marathi manoos (Native Maratha pride). The fearless orator got elected as a corporator and later became the Mayor of Mumbai from 1985-91. In the Eighties, when demand for inclusion of Marathi-speaking areas in Maharashtra gained momentum, he entered Belgaum, disguised as an Arab sheikh, and evaded the police for some time, and ultimately even managed to unfurl a saffron flag.

When he was the Home Minister, he broke the backbone of the underworld and mafia, with “encounters”.

Another lesser-known fact about him is that he has acted in a Marathi film and produced one as well.

Blue-eyed boy-turned rebel

Bhujbal was considered the blue-eyed boy of Balasaheb, but in 1991, owing to differences with Shiv Sena leaders like Manohar Joshi, he joined the Congress under the leadership of Sharad Pawar and became a minister.This was the first big rebellion in the Shiv Sena.

When Pawar formed the NCP in 1999, he followed him and became a minister in the Congress-NCP Democratic Front government. In 2003, he had to resign as Deputy Chief Minister and Home minister, owing moral responsibility for an attack by his supporters on a television channel’s office, which was airing a show on his alleged role in the Telgi fake stamp paper scandal.

When his name was cleared, he became a minister again, holding the PWD portfolio. This time, his name got entangled in the alleged Maharashtra Sadan scandal and he was jailed for two years.The name of his son and former MLA, Pankaj Bhujbal, and his nephew and former MP, Sameer Bhujbal, too, cropped up. However, Bhujbal was discharged by the court.

‘Grassroots worker’ 

“Bhujbal is a colourful man, grassroots worker, a superb orator and has good organisational skills. In parties like the Shiv Sena and NCP, where the final call vested with Balasaheb and Pawar saheb, Bhujbal managed to create his own persona. He is a quick learner and a good communicator - whether it is Marathi, English or Hindi,” says veteran journalist, political analyst and writer, Prakash Akolkar. “In fact, he started the custom of showering petals from a helicopter during the Ganpati immersion over the Juhu beach,” he said.

Another veteran journalist and writer, Ajit Joshi, who has covered Mumbai’s civic affairs and Maharashtra politics over several decades, said, “As a Corporator, two-time Mayor, legislator and minister, Bhujbal has shown tremendous guts and has led from the front. On the other hand, he has friends cutting across party lines. He knows how to be in the limelight and how to make comebacks against all odds. On the personal side, he is an excellent host and a good singer.”

For Bhujbal, the post of Maharashtra Chief Minister has evaded for long, but the veteran politician knows how to resurrect. For now, he is trying to garner support from the entire OBC leadership, cutting across party lines. It remains to be seen whether his charisma will click again.