Mumbai ‘milkman’ returns home to fight polls

“Mumbai ka paisa walah party (the rich man of Mumbai)” is how voters know 41-year-old Tulsi Singh Rajpoot,who is contesting as a nominee of a little-known party,Akhil Bhartiya Sanyukta Adhikar Manch.

The young Rajpoot started his preparations for contesting the election about a year ago. He has introduced himself to voters as a leader of north Indians who fights against MNS leader Raj Thackeray. His education is Class eight. “Athwan pass,” Rajpoot says candidly.

“I have been fighting against Raj Thackeray for the last five years. Before deciding to contest the election from Chandauli,I realised Raj is right in his approach to stop people’s migration from his place. So,we must do something for our people in order to enable them to get jobs here,” he said in Kushhawan village in Chandauli.

In Mumbai,Rajpoot has had his share of troubles — he was once booked under the dreaded MCOCA. “I was falsely implicated by police,but I was never arrested under the MCOCA,” he says.

The City of Dreams also gave him enough riches. Today,the founder of the “Rajpoot Group” that deals in real estate owns 10 vehicles,five of them Pajeros. Rajpoot’s businesses include building malls and a string of projects are under way in various parts of Mumbai.

“I don’t know what he would do after the elections. But at present,his role is like that of a dream merchant,” says Rajnarayan Yadav as Rajpoot’s convoy passes by. According to Yadav,till about a year ago,no one had heard of Rajpoot,but now everybody recognises him as he splurges on them.

About a year ago,he started his new company,Rajpoot Agro Industry Private Limited,in Chandauli which he says will provide jobs to people. “I want to introduce cooperative system here on the lines of Gujarat and Maharashtra,” says Rajpoot,who is alleged to have links with the fake stamp paper case mastermind,Abdul Karim Telgi. “I never react to such allegations. I know what I am,” he retorts.