Sharad Joshi’s speeches in Rajya Sabha 

from July 2004 to July 2010 

           Shri. Sharad Joshi, the Founder of Shetkari Sanghatana and Founder and National President of the only liberal party in India - the Swatantra Bharat Paksha was elected unopposed as a member of Rajya Sabha from the Maharashtra State Legislative Assembly Constituency in July 2004. He was the only member in the Parliament representing the Swatantra Bharat Paksha. Through out his 6 years tenure while deliberating on various issues as an M. P. (Rajya Sabha) he stuck to the tenets of his party. 

           It would appear that Sharad Joshi was never entirely happy about his stint as member of Rajya Sabha July 2004 to July 2010. Apart from the fact that the assignment obliged him to remain in Delhi separated from his people the farmers and that resulted in certain lack of discipline in the Party cadres. He was unhappy of the fact that even on issues like farmers’ suicides he would be allotted in light with the Rajya Sabha rules 5 to 6 minutes for putting across a largely innocent Rajya Sabha the details of his alternative paradigm. The only speech he likes to recall is the one he made on his own Bill for Amendment of the Constitution to remove the word ‘Socialism’ from the preamble of the Constitution. As is customary, the time limit rule was not imposed given very strictly in the time given for consideration of private member’s bills. The other speeches he remembers were all to oppose the reservations of either OBCs or Scheduled Castes communities. He continued his opposition to the very concept of reservations by opposing the Women’s reservation on a strictly technical matter. This aroused quite a controversy and opposition. 

           Through the period he hardly got any chance except in the maiden speech that he delivered in Hindi to present before the Rajya Sabha the alternative paradigm that Shetkari Sanghatana stood for. He thought it was a lucky stroke that he could out of the Rajya Sabha and not be cajoled into accepting yet another term. 

           Here are his speeches in the Rajya Sabha, thanks to Miss Parmita Sarma who downloaded the relevant portions of the verbatim reporting of the working of the Rajya Sabha from its website, extracted Sharad Joshi's presentations, checked them with the help of VDO recordings of the respective sessions of the Rajya Sabha and formatted efficiently.