In a region which suffered drought for the past three years and has seen a rising number of farmer suicides, a political debutant is asking people to proudly say ‘farmer’ as their profession on their visiting cards. Former Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh’s youngest son Dhiraj prefers to share his identity as a farmer with a visiting card.
“Agriculture is the backbone of India’s economy and it needs to be looked upon as a profession. What is wrong in it? Are we producing enough jobs presently? I don’t think so. It is necessary for farmers to turn towards state-of-the-art techniques of farming and to ensure profit in this business,” Mr. Deshmukh told The Hindu .
Mr. Deshmukh’s elder brother Amit is already in politics and is a Congress MLA, while his second brother Riteish is a well-known Bollywood actor. Mr. Deshmukh would be debuting for the Congress in the coming Zilla Parishad elections in Latur district.
Why did it take so long for him to join politics then? “There is nothing like later or sooner. I come from a political family and was always involved in politics in one way or the other. Everything was lined up this time and we thought this Zilla Parishad was the right time for me to enter the fray,” he said.
Latur being the home pitch for the Deshmukh family, is also a major challenge, since it stood with former Chief Minister, the late Vilasrao Deshmukh throughout his career. “I know how much love the people of Latur have bestowed upon my family and particularly my father. Living up to the expectations is my utmost priority,” he said. Commenting on the allegations of nepotism from the Opposition parties, especially from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Mr. Deshmukh said his politics would be of development and not of criticism.
Focusing on agriculture and the need to bring more skilled young men and women back to farm-related businesses, he recently launched another campaign called #selfiwithsheti (Selfie with farm), where he asked farmers to share their selfies with their farm, produce or their tools with him.“Farming is one of the many ways of preventing the migration of young educated and skilled men away from Latur. Technological advances have made agriculture profitable. My intention is to bridge the distance between that technology and them. But first they need to feel pride in the land they possess and the work they do,” he said.
