Sharad Anantrao Joshi

Sharad Anantrao Joshi
Born(1935-09-03)3 September 1935
Satara, India
Died12 December 2015(2015-12-12) (aged 80)
OccupationsPolitician, Writer, Bureaucrat
Known forShetkari Sanghatana
(Farmers organisation)

Sharad Anantrao Joshi (3 September 1935 – 12 December 2015) 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, the upper house of the Indian Parliament from 5 July 2004 to 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.[1][2][3]

Joshi was a member of Advisory Board of the World Agriculture Forum (WAF), the foremost global agricultural platform that initiates dialogue between those who can impact agriculture.[4] Shetakari Sanghatana is a non-political union of Farmers formed with the aim to “Freedom of access to markets and to Technology”.[5][6]

Early life, education, and career

Sharad Joshi was born on 3 September 1935 at Satara, in the state of Maharashtra, India to Anant Narayan (1905–70) and Indirabai Joshi (1910–92). He obtained a master's degree in Commerce from Sydenham College, Mumbai, in 1957 and Diploma in Informatics from Lausanne in 1974.[7] During his career he obtained many awards including Award C.E. Randle Gold Medal for Banking (1955), and Cursetjee Dady Prize for work on Computation of Irrigation Benefits. He worked as a Lecturer in Economics and Statistics, University of Poona, 1957–58. Later he worked for the Indian Postal Service (Class I) 1958–68. His international career included a long stint as Chief of Informatics Service at International Bureau, Universal Postal Union at Bern in Switzerland from 1968 to 77. He served as a United Nations officer before founding Shetakari Sanghatana.[8][9]

Farmer's issues

Joshi was a founder of Shetkari Sanghatana (Farmers' Organisation) in Maharashtra. He led number of mass agitations on agricultural issues in India.[10][11] Most of them in the state of Maharashtra on issues of prices offered to Farmers. He was also founder Leader of the 'Kisan Coordination Committee (KCC)' composed of sister organisations from 14 states – Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala. The KCC led a number of agitations in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, and other states for remunerative prices of onions, sugar cane, tobacco, milk, paddy, cotton, against hike in electricity tariffs, for liquidation of rural debts, and against State dumping in the domestic markets. He lost Maharashtra Legislative Assembly election to Ashok Shinde of Shivsena from Hinganghat constituency in 1995.

Joshi was an economic liberal who demanded reduction of state control in agriculture sector. He supported the WTO as he believed Indian farmers could benefit if they had access to the global market.[12] Joshi is credited with coining the term Bharat v. India to highlight the neglect of rural farmers by urban elites.[13]

In his will, Joshi left most of his estate to the Shetkari Trust, which is entrusted to take his work forward.[14] He had been a columnist for the dailies 'The Times of India', 'Business India', and 'Lokmat' and also authored books on agricultural issues.

Shetkari Mahila Aghadi (SMA)

Sharad Joshi was also a founder of the largest organisation of rural women Shetkari Mahila Aghadi (SMA) celebrated for its work for women's property rights, notably for the Lakshmi Mukti programme that has conferred land titles on lakhs of rural housewives.[15] In 1986, Chandwad village of Nashik District in Maharashtra was witness to a gathering of over two lakh peasant women.[16][17]

Special Economic Zones for farm

Sharad Joshi advocated SEZs in areas of India's comparative advantage, notably organic farming, aromatic and medicinal plants, manufacturing of hybrid seeds and horticulture. Joshi also voiced on the need to establish credible certifying agencies for organic farm products. He suggested exclusive Zones for growing variety of onions popular in the Western countries, so the domestic market could be insulated from the international markets, and shortages could be averted without negative implications for foreign exchange.[18]

Socialism and Indian Constitution

In December 2005 Sharad Joshi tabled private member legislation in the Rajya Sabha, demanding deletion of the word socialism from the Representation of the People Act, 1951.[19][20] As the Act was passed by the Constituent Assembly itself, it is regarded as a part of the Indian Constitution. The word "Socialism" did not exist in the Indian Constitution prior to the Forty-second Amendment of the Constitution of India by Indira Gandhi during the Emergency. The amendment changed the Preamble to the Constitution and replaced "Sovereign Democratic Republic" with "Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic".[21]

Publications

A partial list of his writings and works includes:

English
  • Organisation of Peasants: Thought and Practice
  • Bharat Speaks Out (1982)
  • Bharat Eyeview (1986)
  • The Women's Question (1986),
  • Answering Before God (1994)
Marathi
Hindi
  • Samasyayen Bharat Ki (समस्याए भारत की)
  • Swatantrata Kyon Naakam Hui (स्वतंत्रता क्यों नाकाम हो गई?)

References

  1. ↑ "Economist, agriculturist and farmer leader Sharad Joshi, was the lone member of Rajya Sabha who voted against the woman's reservation bill on March 9. He explains his reservations against the bill.§". New Delhi: Rediff news. 15 March 2010. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
  2. ↑ Tewari, Ruhi; Santosh K. Joy (9 March 2010). "Upper House voted for the legislation by 186 votes to a single dissent vote by Sharad Anantrao Joshi, an MP representing the Swatantra Bharat Paksh". New Delhi: livemint.com. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
  3. ↑ "Women quota bill will prove fatal to democracy". Daily Times. New Delhi. 11 March 2010. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
  4. ↑ "World Agricultural Forum (WAF)". World Agricultural Forum (WAF). Archived from the original on 22 July 2010. Retrieved 10 November 2010.
  5. ↑ "Fields to polyhouses: Joshi urges farmers to adopt modern techniques". Pune: Indian Express News Service. 6 December 2009. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
  6. ↑ "Farmers' leader Sharad Anantrao Joshi passes away". dna. 12 December 2015.
  7. ↑ Choudhary, Manuwant (21 December 2015). "Why farm leader Sharad Joshi was a beacon of hope for India's liberals". Scroll.in. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
  8. ↑ HAZARIKA, SANJOY (23 August 1989). "Agitation by Farmers Is Challenging Gandhi". The New York Times. AMBETHAN, India. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
  9. ↑ Srinath, M. G. (15 January 1981). "Indian farmers end silence, protest prices". The Boston Globe. p. 3. Retrieved 15 April 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ BHOSALE, JAYASHREE (8 December 2009). "Farmers worried over climate disturbances". The Economic Times. Pune. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
  11. ↑ JAGANNATHAN, PRABHA (7 July 2009). "Union Budget 2009–'10: Not enough to propel farm growth to 4%". The Economic Times. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
  12. ↑ "Indian agriculture and Sharad Joshi's ideas". 14 December 2015.
  13. ↑ "India shining, Part 2". 10 November 2015.
  14. ↑ "Sharad Joshi's will: Farmers' leader leaves almost all to people he dedicated his life to". 27 December 2015.
  15. ↑ Kishwar, Madhu (31 May 2000). "Sabotage in the guise of support?". The Hindu. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  16. ↑ "Son of the soil". Frontline. 8 January 2016.
  17. ↑ "Sharad Anantrao Joshi". Archived from the original on 1 December 2016.
  18. ↑ Press Information Bureau. (11 February 2005). "SEZ Act to give big boost to FDI and Employment". New Delhi: Ministry of Commerce & Industry India. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
  19. ↑ "Delete word socialism from Constitution". New Delhi: Indian Express News Service. 9 December 2005. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
  20. ↑ Kashyap, Sanjeet (20 October 2021). "Sharad Joshi mobilized a mass farmer movement in India demanding free-market agricultural policies". www.libertarianism.org. Retrieved 22 June 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  21. ↑ Preamble to the Constitution of India, 1950
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