The Manesar ‘rath’ maker who gives horsepower to political campaigns

GURUGRAM: If Akhilesh Yadav manages to win the battle for Uttar Pradesh, it will set off a little celebration in a part of Gurugram best known for automotive engineering rather than its political inclinations.

Babbar Raju’s engineering skills, however, have a close connection with heartland politics. The 51-year-old maker of ‘raths’ — the swish, luxurious caravans on wheels that politicians that politicians like to name thus, perhaps for an aura and effect — had wheeled out one for the UP chief minister’s party this year. And, who knows what a win might do — Akhilesh’s favourite

Mercedes ‘rath’

, which he considers a lucky charm, could end up with another auspicious mascot alongside.

But even if he doesn’t win, Raju could still end up on the side of the victor. His clientele stretches across party lines, which includes Akhilesh’s rivals, the BJP. Raju has designed 30 political caravans since 1998, making it possible for the bigwigs of national politics to criss-cross their states or constituencies in comfort. He claims to be the only designer in South Asia to have a unique selling point — more accessories in a smaller vehicle, IN Raju’s case, usually a Tempo Traveller.

Among those Raju has made caravans for are Bihar rivals Lalu Prasad Yadav and Sushil Modi, Shahnawaz Hussain, Gurgaon MP Rao Inderjit Singh, and Manoj Tiwari, the Delhi BJP chief.

His workshop, Babbaraju Mobiles (BRM) is in

Manesar

where automobile designers have to look beyond horsepower and torque to find the right mix of comfort and utility for their political clients.

Some of the interesting features of these ‘raths’ include a partition with a motorised window, aircraft-type roof-lighting, roof-mounted air-conditioning through ducts, fold-out tables from the wall, a home theatre system with an LED screen, and an intercom. There are, of course, all the necessary appliances like a microwave oven and refrigerator, too.

In addition, the vehicles have toilet cubicles with under-floor pressured water system, hand shower, wash basin and geyser. There are sofas to hold private meetings and satin curtains on the windows.

However, the features are not all restricted to the interiors. Exterior customisation includes reinforcement of the body for extra doors, laminated window glasses for a guest compartment, luggage rack and side footsteps. “This is not only economical, but allows the vehicles to move through narrower, crowded areas, thus offering more reach to the masses,” says Raju. The ‘raths’ also have public address systems and elevated platforms for politicians to hold small rallies or public meetings. The base model costs somewhere between Rs 11 lakh and Rs 13 lakh for the Tempo Traveller, though final price for each luxurious ‘house on the move’ is different, based on the fittings.

“Each caravan is different because we focus on intricate details like what kind of interiors and comfort the customer requires. For instance, in the SP election van, the interiors have a pearl and teak finish. Once complete, they are given to the client for a few days for a trial run and then brought back to the workshop for a couple of days to ensure all technical and designing fixtures are working fine,” says Raju.

The design for the exteriors, Raju says, is chosen by politicians themselves. The ‘Mulayam Sandesh Rath’, which he designed for the Samajwadi Party this time, has a red body, in tune with the party’s colour, and has large pictures of Akhilesh and his father. As Tiwari’s van is saffron with a hint of green and intends to celebrate ‘Garib Kalyan Varsh’ that was declared by the PM after demonetisation. It has photos of Tiwari with Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah.