From slum to Germany: a homegrown Hitler - Dictator's namesake an engineer who grew up in a shanty, will contest for BJP

Hitler Choudhury, the BJP candidate contesting
from ward 20 of SMC, in Siliguri on Tuesday.
Picture by Kundan Yolmo

Bireswar Banerjee, TT, Siliguri, April 14: He answers to Hitler, was in Germany and has political ambitions.

Had Hitler Choudhury sported a toothbrush moustache, he would have been the biggest curiosity of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation election.

Hitler, 30, is trained to be an engineer. He was born and raised and continues to stay in Chittaranjan Colony, a slum in Siliguri town.

Hitler is contesting as a BJP candidate from ward 20, whose best known resident is Asok Bhattacharya.

Hitler's relations with Asok are old. The CPM leader had helped Siliguri's Hitler go to Germany, the country of Herr Hitler, in 2009.

But "ideology" has out Hitler and his one-time saviour to two sides of the political spectrum.

This is young Hitler's maiden foray in elections.

Asked about his name, which is indelibly etched on the map of world history and politics, the engineer says: "My name was given by my father. He knew that the German dictator tried to conquer the world. His aim was to rule every nation with an objective that there would be no second in command. My father is well aware of it. But what he dreamt about me is that someday, his son would work for the people not by commanding them, but for their betterment."

In Chittaranjan Colony, a slum adjacent to Siliguri Town Station under ward 20, Hitler started his schooling. Nirmal Choudhury, his father, was a roadside vendor then but now runs a grocery shop. Mother Shikha is a homemaker.

Hitler used to stay in a single-room shanty with his two elder brothers and parents.

"I am the youngest son. My elder brother Pallab is a commercial tax officer and is posted in Malda. My second elder brother Palash manages the grocery shop with my father," Hitler said.

Asked about his education as an engineer, Hitler spoke of the kindness of his neighbours. " My neighbours, who knew I was struggling for space, used to provide me a place in their households so I could continue my studies without interruption," he said.

Hitler passed Madhyamik in 2001 from Panjipara Elahibaksh High School and took admission in Islampur Boys' High School. After his HS exam in 2003, he took admission in Siliguri College with Physics, Chemistry and Biology and secured 80 per cent marks in 2004.

The same year, he started preparing for the state joint entrance test. He ranked 1405 in the Scheduled Caste category.

"When I got a rank, I had no money to pursue a career in engineering. Some bank officials came to my place and arranged for an educational loan, which helped me complete my five-year degree in information technology in 2009 (in Siliguri Institute of Technology)," he said.

After getting the degree, he got an opportunity to work under ABUS Security Tech, an organisation based in Augsburg in Germany, in 2009.

When officials of the German consulate in Calcutta called him for the visa interview, he faced some problems over his documents.

At that time, Asok Bhattacharya, then the state minister for urban development and municipal affairs, helped him with a recommendation letter.

"Asok Bhattacharya immediately recommended my name by writing a letter to the consulate that helped me get the visa without any delay. I stayed and worked in Germany for six months," Hitler said.

"Asok Bhattacharya also gave me another recommendation letter when I went to the Siliguri Institute of Technology to meet the authorities," the young election candidate said.

Hitler calls Asok "kaku" and said he had "a lot of respect for him. But choosing the BJP for contesting the civic poll is all about the question of ideology".

"I can relate to the BJP as its leader and today's Prime Minister himself used to sell tea and I believe is a true representative of the working class. Also, several projects which the party has taken up for the development of common people are being ignored by other political parties," he said.

After getting a degree in IT and a trip to Germany, Hitler studied further and obtained a diploma in civil engineering.

From 2010 to 2012, he studied at The Institution of Civil Engineers in Delhi and got a civil engineering degree. He then returned to Siliguri and worked in a private construction company.

Right now, he has quit his job to focus on the campaign.

"I am still a slum dweller. I might have engineering degrees but I cannot forget that I had even worked as a vendor in front of schools and studied on railway platforms.... I have joined politics with the single intention of doing something for other slum residents," Hitler said .

Asok, who is campaigning for Maya Paswan in ward 20, was asked about Hitler.

"I helped him so that he could pursue his engineering degree after he secured a rank in Joint Entrance Examination. He was an intelligent student who scored good marks despite living amid poverty. I also helped him for his Germany trip," the CPM former minister said.

"However, when it comes to the political arena, he is just a contender like any other. I would always wish that he excels in his professional career but I have reservations about the party for which he is contesting the civic polls."