Kalavati Bandurkar became famous when Rahul Gandhi met her.
Kalavati Bandurkar, widow of a farmer in Maharashtra, was once again in limelight after Union Home Minister Amit Shah took a jibe at Rahul Gandhi who visited her home in 2008. The Home Minister said that Mr Gandhi has been “trying to launch in politics” 13 times, starting from the time he met Ms Bandurkar. He also said that previous government led by Congress did nothing for her. “House, ration, electricity was provided to her by Modi government,” Mr Shah said in her speech.
Here’s more about Kalavati Bandurkar:
Rahul Gandhi made her a household name when he narrated her story during the nuclear debate in Parliament. She became the face of farmers’ distress in Maharashtra. After his visit, the poor widow of a farmer from Vidarbha region, received Rs 30 lakh from Sulabh International, an NGO working towards improving access to sanitation in the country.
The amount was kept in fixed deposit in her name in the Maragaon branch of the Central Bank of India, and Ms Bandurkar started receiving a monthly interest of Rs 25,000 to meet education expenses of her four children and help them lead a comfortable life.
In 2010, news emerged that her son-in-law allegedly committed suicide after he failed to repay his debt.
Sanjay Kadaskar’s crop in 4.5 acres suffered badly due to untimely rains and failed to repay the loan he took for an auto-rickshaw, the president of a local NGO said. Ms Bandurkar’s husband Parshuram, a farmer, too had committed over farm issues.
Ms Bandurkar had announced that she will contest the 2009 Maharashtra Assembly election, but pulled out due to her poor health condition.
She again met Rahul Gandhi in November last year, when he launched the Bharat Jodo Yatra. She was taken to his rally in Washim by local Congress workers.
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