Who is Kalawati Bandurkar, the farm widow mentioned in Amit Shah's Lok Sabha speech?

Rahul Gandhi visited Kalawati Bandurkar's home in 2008 after her husband died by suicide due to an agrarian crisis in Maharashtra.

Kalawati Bandurkar, a poor farm widow from Jalka, made headlines on Wednesday again after Union Home Minister Amit Shah took a jibe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, mentioning her in a speech in the Lok Sabha.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah participates in the discussion on the Motion of No-Confidence in the Lok Sabha during the Monsoon session of Parliament, in New Delhi, Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. (PTI Photo)

Gandhi visited Bandurkar's home in 2008 after her husband died by suicide due to an agrarian crisis in Maharashtra.

Attacking the Congress MP, Shah said, “There is one member in this House who has been launched 13 times in politics. This member failed all 13 times. I have seen one launching when he went to meet a poor lady named Kalavati. But what did you do for her? House, ration, electricity was provided to her by Modi government.”

Here are top five things about Bandurkar:

1. After Rahul Gandhi visited Bandurkar in 2008, she received significant financial support. Gandhi also mentioned her during a no-trust debate in the Parliament in 2008. While Gandhi did not help her financially directly but financial support poured in for her from many quarters, including ₹ 30 lakh from NGO Sulabha International, after the Congress leader's visit.
2. Kalawati had decided to contest from the Wani seat during Maharashtra Assembly polls in 2009, however, soon after, she withdrew her candidature. Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti, the NGO supporting her candidature had then said, “Her (Kalavati's) son-in-law threatened that he would commit suicide if she contests the Maharashtra assembly poll.”
3. Kalawati's husband Parshuram had committed suicide on December 23, 2005 because of agrarian crisis and then her son-in-law, Sanjay Kalaskar (25), a marginal farmer, who was also an auto driver, died by suicide in December 2010. In 2011, Kalawati's second daughter, Savita Khamankar (27), who lived in Radegaon near Warora in Chandrapur district, died by suicide by setting herself afire.
4. During Bharat Jodo Yatra last year, Kalawati met Rahul Gandhi in November after a few Congress workers took her to his rally in Washim.
5. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari had offered a financial help of ₹1 lakh to Kalawati.