Sharad Joshi to help change mindset of swadeshiwallahs

Joshi, however, sees nothing ‘more’ in his newer venture, beyond educating the BJP-ites. "Don’t read anything more into it," Joshi quipped when asked to interpret what he called a ‘BJP initiative’ in organising the training courses. The training was conceptualised at a very informal level. The modalities were finalised later at a formal meeting with senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde, he told the The Indian Express on Tuesday.

He also refuted the notion dubbing the training courses for BJP activists as a step in the direction of merging his Swatantra Bharat Party with the BJP. "Why should we merge?" he asked adding,"Tomorrow, if any other political party asks me to train their members, I would welcome it."

There was nothing to appreciate in BJP policies, he said commenting upon the State BJP’s campaign and publicity chief Atul Bhatkhalkar’s statement that the Shetkari Sanghatana leader lauded BJP’s views on agriculture. "I would rather look for an opportunity to appreciate their (read BJP) policies, but they are not giving me that opportunity," he said in a lighter vein.

It may be recalled here that Joshi has had an electoral truck with Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party during the last State Assembly and Lok Sabha polls in September.

The first batch of BJP members, possibly legislators, from Maharashtra would attend classes at Joshi’s Krishi Artha Prabodhini at Ambethan, about 40 km north of Pune, in the first week of June.

"It would be all about basic academic approach to agriculture, economics and liberalisation," Joshi said. The curriculum would cover various different economic schools and thoughts – Arrows, Friedman, Adam Smith and Julian Simen – and basics of various isms and their significance in the present day Indian context. The entire endeavour would address the need to develop the mindset of a political activist. It was generally observed that people faced problems when it came to changing their mindset, he said.

The Sanghatana leader is also working towards adding voice mail communications to his organisational machinery in 26 districts of Maharashtra.

Leaving for the US tour later this week, Joshi would attend a meeting of an advisory committee of the World Agriculture Forum and would also meet a group of NRIs in New Jersey, discuss an array of issues, including the contentious Narmada project.