Mayoral chair awaits vada-pav vendor

MARCH 17: He grew with the Shiv Sena since the party's inception in 1966. And though he didn't aspire for brevet rank, his loyalty and perse...

MARCH 17: He grew with the Shiv Sena since the party’s inception in 1966. And though he didn’t aspire for brevet rank, his loyalty and perseverance paid him rich dividends. Pramod Rajput, the man who set up a Sena-sponsored vada-pav stall in Thane in 1967 in response to Bal Thackeray’s call to Marathi youth to seek self-employment, is today the Sena’s candidate for the post of mayor in the Thane Municipal Corporation.

A senior Sena leader termed this a befitting tribute to the tireless efforts of low-profile Rajput, saying it’s a case of an ordinary Sainik rising to the highest levels in the party hierarchy. He added that Rajput has always been extremely polite even with his political adversaries, earning the reputation of a man without enemies. He has also never been embroiled in any controversy, but scrupulously followed the path laid down by the Sena chief, the Sena leader said.

Pramod was attracted to the Sena in 1966 itself. At that time, he had a job in Thane’s postal department, but Thackeray’sappeal to Maharashtrian youngsters not to chase jobs but become self-employed struck a deep chord in his heart. When the Sena fought its first electoral battle in Thane in 1967, it couldn’t find a suitable candidate from Naupada, where Rajput resided. So some of Pramod’s friends persuaded him to quit his job and contest. Pramod was himself eager to devote more time to party activities, but couldn’t do so because of his job. He agreed to contest, but lost to the Jan Sangh candidate by a single vote. Having lost the polls, Pramod, coming as he did from a poor family, had nothing to do. He wanted to be self-employed, but didn’t have the necessary capital to start his own business. For some time, he sold berries on the Gokhale Road footpath. But poverty continued to haunt him. So the depressed Pramod went straight to the Sena chief. Hearing him, Thackeray immediately ordered Sainiks to collect funds for Rajput, so that he could start a venture on his own. Accordingly, Sainiks themselves contributed and collectedRs 300 for him, and he began selling milk from Chalisgaon. He would go to every house in the locality to deliver milk. He soon started a `batata vada’ centre in Thane, which became the talk of the town. Later, he set up Hotel Rajmata, which was inaugurated by Thackeray himself. He became a corporator in 1974 by defeating the Jan Sangh candidate by a margin of just one vote.

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But even after being elected to the TMC, he didn’t stop selling milk, that too from door to door. When his financial status improved, he also extended help to many local youngsters to start individual business ventures. At the same time, his work for the Sena continued to grow.

In 1992, he contested against Congress nominee Gurya Sawant, a gangster who was later detained under TADA, but was defeated. Sawant had then unleashed great terror in Thane. But Rajput won the election in 1997. Hearing of his nomination as the mayoral candidate in the Sena-ruled corporation, sixty-year-old Rajput expressed his resolve to improve the state ofaffairs in Thane. He said he would fulfil all the expectations of the Sena supremo, and added he was confident that members of all parties would co-operate with him in his work.