Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister (CM) Dr Mohan Yadav became emotional on Sunday as he stood before the ancestral house where he was born, raised and spent his childhood, before personally wielding a pickaxe to demolish part of the property for a major development project linked to preparations for the Simhastha Mahakumbh.
The Chief Minister’s decision to surrender his ancestral home for public infrastructure has been presented as a reflection of his commitment to Ujjain’s development and the expansion of civic amenities ahead of the religious congregation.
CM Dr Yadav, who reached his ancestral house on September 27, first performed a puja outside the property before taking up the pickaxe and beginning the demolition work himself.
A still from MP CM Dr Yadav's last visit to his ancestral home
“Having to demolish the house where you were born, grew up and played naturally affects the mind,” he told the media. However, he said that if the sacrifice was necessary for Simhastha, it had to be made.
“We all have to make this sacrifice for development,” he said, adding that people across Ujjain were voluntarily making similar contributions to ensure that others could benefit.
Ujjain sets an example of public interest
Reflecting on his political journey, CM Dr Yadav said that since winning his first election from Science College, followed by contests for joint secretary and president, he had always believed that public representatives should set examples through their conduct and actions.
He cited Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi as an example of prioritising public interest, rules, laws and good governance over personal interests.
CM Dr Yadav said Ujjain’s residents had demonstrated a similar spirit by voluntarily moving back their properties to facilitate development. He noted that while the city has a population of around eight lakh, it is expected to bear the pressure of nearly 40 crore visitors during the Simhastha period.
He also thanked his government and highlighted the participation of people from different communities, saying that Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians and Parsis had contributed, with even places of worship being moved back where required.
According to the Chief Minister, such collective cooperation helps strengthen public trust in the government.
Personal property made part of wider development plan
The Chief Minister’s ancestral house falls within the designated project area for Simhastha preparations. Its partial demolition is part of the same administrative process being followed for other properties affected by the proposed road-widening work.
Despite the decades-old memories associated with the family home, CM Dr Yadav viewed the change as necessary in the larger public interest. The exercise forms part of a wider effort to upgrade roads, traffic management and urban infrastructure in the old city ahead of Simhastha 2028.
730-metre road to be widened
CM Dr Yadav giving up his ancestral home
The road from Khajur Wali Masjid through Abdalpura and Jiwajiganj police station to Ganesh Chowk is being widened to 15 metres. The stretch is approximately 730 metres long.
Around Rs 9.80 crore sanctioned by the state government will be spent on the road-widening and associated development works.
The route is among Ujjain’s important and busy connecting roads. With a significant rise in the number of pilgrims and vehicles expected during the Simhastha Mahakumbh, the widening project is aimed at making traffic movement smoother and better organised.
For CM Dr Yadav, giving up a part of his childhood home has therefore become a symbolic part of a much larger transformation taking place in Ujjain; one aimed at preparing the historic city for the demands of one of the world’s largest religious gatherings.