Sharad Joshi, a pioneer of the organised farmers’ movement in Maharashtra who formed the Swatantra Bharat Paksh and Shetkari Sanghatana and contributed to the paradigm shift in the agricultural economy, died in Pune on 12 December after a prolonged illness. He was 81.
He is survived by daughters Shreya Sha hane, who lives in Canada and Gouri Joshi, who lives in New Jersey.
About Sharad Joshi
- Sharad Anantrao Joshi (3 September 1935 – 12 December 2015)
- He was an Indian politician who founded the Swatantra Bharat Paksh party and Shetkari Sanghatana (farmers’ Organisation)
- He was also a Member of the Parliament of India representing Maharashtra in the Rajya Sabha during the period 5 July 2004 till 4 July 2010.
- On 9 January 2010 he was the sole MP in Rajya Sabha to vote against the bill providing 33% reservation for women in Indian parliament and assemblies.
- Sharad Joshi was a member of Advisory Board of the World Agricultural Forum (WAF), the foremost global agricultural platform that initiates dialogue between those who can impact agriculture.
- He is also founder of Shetkari Sanghatana, an organisation for farmers. Shetakari Sanghatana is a non-political union of Farmers formed with the aim to “Freedom of access to markets and to Technology”.
- He did Master of Commerce from Sydenham College, Mumbai, in 1957
- Awards:
- C.E. Randle Gold Medal for Banking (1955)
- Cursetjee Dady Prize for work on Computation of Irrigation Benefits.
- Lecturer in Economics and Statistics, University of Poona, 1957–58
- I.P.S Indian Postal Service (Class I) 1958–68
- Chief Informatics Service, International Bureau, UPU, Bern, Switzerland, 1968–77
- He served as a United Nations officer before founding Shetakari Sanghatana
- Joshi jumped into the farmers’ movement by sacrificing his career in the Indian Postal Service and opportunities to work abroad.
Supporter of Globalization
Joshi was a passionate supporter of globalisation and free market economy for farmers. His organisation raised issues like securing remunerative prices for agricultural produce and freedom of access to markets and technology. This resulted in a significant mass movement in the 1980s, breaking the hold Congress leaders of the time had on the cooperative movement.
Controversial Stands
In his forty years of public life, Joshi took stands which created controversies.
Bharat vs India
He raised the Bharat versus India debate, which had become a focal point in discussions on agricultural policy. “Bharat is that notional entity which continues to be exploited by the same policies as those of the Colonial rule even after the British left, while India is that notional entity which has obtained the inheritance of Colonial exploitation,” he had said.
Vote against Women’s Reservation in Parliament
A Rajya Sabha MP from 2004 to 2010, Joshi was the only representative to vote against the Women’s Reservation Bill in 2010, saying that it would create bitterness against the women’s movement in India and also affect electoral politics.
