A handful of people of the Mathur family in a small village Bedal in Pali district were celebrating the birth of a baby on January 2, 1952. After 72 years, around 10,000 people came to Jaipur to celebrate the birthday of the same boy who has transformed into an ace political, an astute organisation man – Om Prakash Mathur.
A distinct signature in BJP, Mathur chose to celebrate his birthday quietly at his newly constructed home in the suburb of Jaipur. But party workers quietly started gathering at his house and turned this into a gala celebration which saw in chief minister, deputy chief minister of two states and ministers of two states, senior party leaders from across the country and party workers thronging at his house. The 500 sq yards of his house proved smaller for the steam of people flowing in through the foggy day and into the chilling night.
Red beacon shines at Mathur's place
Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari, ministers Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, and Sanjay Sharma and all the cabinet colleagues of Bhajan Lal Sharma visited Om Prakash Mathur and showered their wishes.
Deputy chief minister of Chhattisgarh Arun Sao along with his four cabinet colleagues travelled down 900 km to wish Mathur a long and healthy life.
Mathur is the state in charge of Chhatisgarh. He is credited with having recorded an unimaginable victory for the BJP at the time when all pollsters and surveys declared a repeat of the Congress government in Chhattisgarh.
But the man on mission continued with the midas touch, he is known for. For those who know the workings of Mathur were convinced of the BJP's victory even before the coin was tossed up. They knew that when BJP can register victories in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Gujarat out of nowhere then the party can easily make a comeback. And Mathur proved his detractors wrong and loyalists right once again.
PK Gupta
The BuckStopper, run by a group of seasoned journalists, holds the powerful accountable. The buck stops with them, as they cannot shrug off their official responsibilities.
