‘BJP has stooges in MVA working for them’: Raju Shetti

Kolhapur: He is a firebrand farmer leader who has been fighting for the community’s rights in Maharashtra for the last 34 years. He is the founder of the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana (SSS), one of the strongest factions of the Shetkari Sanghatana, a union set up by the legendary farmer leader Sharad Joshi. He’s also a two-time member of Parliament from the Hatkanangle Lok Sabha constituency in Kolhapur district from 2009 to 2019.

Raju Shetti, 56, who will contest the 2024 polls from Hatkanangle again, isn’t affiliated with any major political party. Since his political debut in the early 2000s, he has represented his own party, the Swabhimani Paksha. Despite losing the 2019 polls, he’s expected to make it a proper triangular fight this time, where he will be up against the two Shiv Sena factions.

Shetti has an eventful history with both sides: he had joined the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance in 2014 but left in 2017 after alleging that the party cheated farmers. Ahead of the 2024 polls, he tried to get the Maha Vikas Aghadi’s (MVA’s) support but claims it refused to let him contest the elections under his own party’s symbol.

Shetti spoke to HT while campaigning in Hatkanangale, where he lashed out at MVA leaders for allegedly working as BJP’s stooges, ruled out tying up with the BJP again, discussed farmers’ issues, and also gave his prediction for the polls.

Excerpts (edited for clarity):

Why is a triangular fight happening in Hatkanangle constituency when you were trying to get the MVA’s support?

BJP has stooges in the MVA, and one of them is [Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar’s Maharashtra chief] Jayant Patil. When the BJP realised it was losing in Hatkanangale and Sangli, a stooge was activated. He misguided Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, saying Raju Shetti should be asked to contest under their mashal (flaming torch) election symbol because the party is contesting very few seats in western Maharashtra. He did the same in Sangli by inducting his own man, [wrestler] Chandrahar Patil, as the Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate because they did not have a candidate, despite the Congress being in a position to win the seat [in its bastion, Sangli].

What was the reason given for asking you to contest under the mashal symbol?

I was told I was on a sticky wicket, and contesting under the mashal symbol would improve my chances. This condition was unreasonable, and I did not take even a minute to reject it. I started a movement for farmers’ rights 34 years ago. I founded an organisation that has a presence across Maharashtra. Contesting under the mashal symbol means finishing off whatever I have earned in all these years.

So, has the Hatkanangale poll fight been made difficult for you?

It is still not a difficult fight for me because the sitting Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) MP, Dhairyasheel Mane, did nothing and has slipped to the third position. I am in a direct contest with Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Satyajit Patil Sarudkar. I lost the last election because the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi candidate took over 123,000 votes. I lost by a margin of 96,039 votes.

MVA leaders claim you will join hands with the BJP after getting elected as an independent MP.

The irony is half of the MVA leaders have joined either BJP or its allies in the last few years. It is me who has been fighting against the BJP for the last five years, and they still have the audacity to talk nonsense about me. Why would I do this when the BJP wanted me to join the Mahayuti [alliance]? And the offer was open till the last day of filing nominations.

But why didn’t you join hands with the BJP?

I am against their ideology of communal polarisation. I also do not agree with their economic policies.

But you were with the BJP during the first Modi government?

I was told they want to work for development. Not only me, but many fell into their trap. We thought that PM Modi was preparing to follow in the footsteps of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

What is the biggest issue farmers are facing, according to you?

Getting the proper price for agricultural produce has been a major issue for the agrarian community. They get a minimum support price (MSP) for only 6% of the total production, and the government buys only that much from the farmers. If a law is enacted to have mandatory MSP for the produce, then a majority of their issues can be resolved.

What would the post-poll scenario be in Maharashtra?

The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance will get only 16 of the 48 seats in Maharashtra. That’s because they have brought down the level of Maharashtra politics to its lowest point. MVA leaders were bought like potatoes and tomatoes in the last few years. The people did not like this.