NEW DELHI: It is said that every contract or business Ponty Chadha eyed became his — and much before the charade of auctions was played out.
Ponty was known for his ability to turn the free-flowing liquor from his vends into a viscous glue that bound him to politicians across ideologies and parties. And make him flourish.
No wonder, on the cusp of winning power in Uttar Pradesh this March, the first family of the Samajwadi Party didn't hesitate to show up at the same ill-fated Chhatarpur farmhouse hours after Akhilesh Yadav had barely come off the microphone promising to end Chadha's illegalities under Mayawati. Not just them, former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh too never shied away from acknowledging his ties with the liquor baron.
Politicians of all hues, bureaucrats of all dispensations, brokers of all shapes bowed to this master of the liquor trade — and as years went by, of much more.
Only someone confident of his ability to negotiate the Mulayam-Mayawati political minefield of UP would have risked investments of that scale in the state.
The story of how Ponty lost an arm as a young man in Bareilly speaks volumes about his obsessiveness.
He was flying kites with a metal string which got entangled with a live electric wire. But Ponty didn't let go. He rolled back the string while trying to untangle the kite from the main power line. The continuing electric shock from the live wire forced an amputation.
Target-obsessed
The incident showed his obsession with the target on hand. Very early in his career, Ponty realized that political patronage was the key to success in business. And decided he would cultivate politicians better than anyone else.
So, the man who made it big under Mulayam Singh Yadav also went on to capture liquor business under his arch-rival Mayawati, and while at it, snapped up five sugar mills belonging to the state government for a song. Ponty's business had morphed into a behemoth with massive investments in liquor, sugar, malls, paper, and real estate in UP.
It's said he knew what made political leaders happy, what were their passion, love and weaknesses. "That is why he was close to both SP and BSP in UP, and both Akali Dal and Congress in Punjab," said a political researcher. Mulayam Singh Yadav gave him a foothold in UP. But that did not stop him from spreading his wings under Mayawati regime. It's said that when faced with problems in the BSP regime, he bypassed the most powerful bureaucrat of the regime, known as single-window clearance, to connect with the chief minister through a junior IAS. And went on to thrive.
In Mayawati's reign, Ponty grew his liquor business - he became the sole distributor of liquor in UP, and acquired distilleries and sugar mills. It's said despite his aversion for publicity, Ponty was known to every tippler in the state. Vends in UP charged Rs 20 above the sale price on every bottle, fully aware that consumers had no choice in the face of Ponty's monopoly. Even small change of Rs 5 and 10 was returned to buyers in the form of small packets of munchies, the brand called "khao pio". The salted mixture is also produced by Chadha bros!
His network cut across party lines
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His network cut across party lines
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His network cut across party lines
