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 SS in January 1982, the last resolution passed had clearly stated, ‘The huge support of the farmers which the Sanghatana enjoys does not affect elections. Political parties are trying to take advantage of that. Sharad Joshi, Madhavrao More and Prahlad Karad Patil are authorized to decide our policy regarding elections so as to enhance the force of farmers’ struggle.’ However critics remained conveniently oblivious of that resolution and just used that one sentence as a handle to discredit him. That used to pique Joshi in later years. He used to point out several examples of other organizations like Shiv Sena to Assam Ganatantra Parishad who initially had strongly condemned political parties but later on changed their stance and became political parties themselves. Bharatiya Janata Party was born out of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Even the Congress Party which had ruled the country for most of the years after independence was originally formed by British Civil Servant Alec Douglas Hume in 1885 as a non-political organization. ‘Our policies depend on the circumstances and when they change, it is but natural for the policy also to change. What was so wrong in it?’ – Joshi often asked. Once he had mentioned to this writer, ‘As the child grows, his old dress has to be discarded and a new one stitched. As Sanghatana began to grow, confidence increased and I began to realize that I can rise at the national level as well; the cloak of Sanghatana became too small for me.’ Gradually, there was a change in SS policy towards politics. It would be unfair to attribute his entry into politics to his personal ambition. It was just not possible for him or the farmers to remain out of politics for long. The mind of an Indian farmer is engrossed in politics at the local level – be it the election of gram panchayat, Zilla Parishad, cooperative society or sugar factory. In a lighter vein Joshi used to quip, ‘Our farmer can do 244

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Sharad Joshi : Leading Farmers to the Centre Stage