Farmers' leader Kishor Tiwari disassociates from BJP

In a significant development, veteran farmers' leader Kishor Tiwari has "disassociated" from the BJP saying that the Centre has failed to do enough for the farmers.

Tiwari, the founder of Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS), a farmers' pressure group, is also the Chairman of Maharashtra government-run Vasantrao Naik Sheti Swavalamban Mission.

"Yes... I have disassociated with the BJP... I will continue with activism," Tiwari told DH over phone form Pandharkawada in Yavatmal district. "I was never a member of BJP, but I supported them for the betterment of farmers and address the agrarian distress," he said.

According to him, both, the erstwhile Dr Manmohan Singh-led UPA and the current Narendra Modi-led NDA governments had failed to address the issue.

Asked whether he would resign from the government-owned corporation, he said: "The government's tenure will be over soon... so resigning or not resigning is not much of an issue.... I am deeply hurt, I have disassociated with the BJP."

Of late, he had met Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray and addressed various farmers' issues like loan waiver, fresh crop loans, crop insurance disbursal and so on. "I met him (Uddhav Thackeray) to discuss farmers' issues," he said.

Tiwari said that he came to support the BJP because of Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. "While the state has taken several decisions, the Centre has lagged," said Tiwari, who enjoys a Minister of State status. He, however, said that he would be touring Maharashtra extensively ahead of polls particularly the Vidarbha and Marathwada regions.