Veteran farmers’ leader Sharad Joshi, who spearheaded several campaigns across the country to press for remunerative prices for agriculturists, died here on Saturday.
Joshi, 81, was suffering from age-related ailments and the end came at his residence here, according to his family.
An erudite scholar, Joshi had a term in the Rajya Sabha as an elected member from 2004-10, when he served on as many 16 parliamentary committees. Joshi, who had a stint with Indian Postal Service between 1958--68, had laid the foundation for the Pincode system that changed the postal system. He gave up a decade-long lucrative assignment with International Bureau of Universal Postal Union (UPU) based in Switzerland in 1977 to return to India and take up the farmers’ cause.
Joshi formed his trend-setting outfit Shetkari Sanghatana in 1979, galvanizing the unorganized farmers’ movement in the state. After launching the outfit from his farm at Chakan near here, Joshi shot into limelight by leading a prolonged agitation of onion growers in Nashik district, which took a violent turn leading to his arrest.