Mumbai: “If a chaiwalla can run the country, why can’t a farmer run a state?” asks Shrikant Vishnu Gadale, a 32-year-old farmer, who has written to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, asking to be made chief minister of the state and hold office until the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) resolve their dispute over power-sharing and form the government.
Shrikant made a beeline to stake his claim because “Unseasonal rains have hampered the ready-to-harvest crops. Farmers are in severe distress and instead of forming the government, the BJP-Sena combine is engaged in a political tug-of-war,” he pointed out.
This entire year has been tough for farmers, first, with the drought, then heavy rains, floods and now unseasonal rains, throwing the state into an agrarian crisis.
Shrikant, a resident of Kaij taluka in the Beed district of Aurangabad, is a third-generation farmer and he holds the government responsible for not being able to pull the farmers out of their misery.
He submitted his letter, addressed to the governor, at the Beed collector’s office on Thursday. In his letter, he has said, if the authorities won't take his letter seriously, he will embark on a peaceful dharna.
“I want to be the CM, not for power, but to solve the problems of the farmers and the common people. Being a farmer, I understand the problem of the farmers and I want to ensure justice is done to them,” Shrikant told the Free Press Journal.
On Friday afternoon, he was summoned by the collector’s office, where he was informed his proposal was under consideration and the authorities would get back to him after two working days.
"Farmers have never been the first priority of political parties, they only use the farmer to garner sympathy votes. We have been used as a trump card by the political parties for decades now,” he said.
Even though Shrikant has not received any formal education, he is sure he can do a good job as the CM because he is familiar with ground realities. He is also one of the popular young faces in his tehsil, and the villagers' go-to person in times of crisis.
He also believes there is no need for formal education if one's intentions are noble. “Sixty-five per cent of the state’s economy is based on agriculture and despite this, our educated leaders fail to deliver justice to the farmers.
I am a farmer’s son and I know the root of farmers' problems,” stated Shrikant. He had wanted to contest the recent Lok Sabha elections as an Independent but was 'strongly' dissuaded by the local BJP cadres.
“Today I am forced to write a letter, when all I wanted to do was contest the polls. They forced me to step down. People who supported me had to face the wrath of the BJP cadres,” Shrikant informed.
