KOLHAPUR: Farmers' leader Raju Shetti, who broke away from the NDA alliance, is trying to assert his might ahead of the 2019 elections. Known for his stir to get higher price for cane farmers, Shetti is using the same formula for dairy farmers.According to political experts, Shetti's stand is politically sound. He had stood against the ruling Congress-NCP regime for higher sugar cane prices and now, he is fighting against the BJP for better milk prices.Shetti, who represents the Hatkanangle constituency in the Lok Sabha , gained political prominence after taking up the cause of sugar cane growers and fighting for higher fair and remunerative price for their produce in the sugar belt of Maharashtra. His organisation, Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana, has its presence in Western Maharashtra.He took up the cudgels against the Congress and NCP leadership, who have a stronghold over the cooperative sugar industry in Maharashtra. In 2014 general elections, he joined the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance and won the Hatkanangle seat.However, after BJP started giving importance to fellow farmers leader Sada Khot, who was part of the SSS, differences between Shetti and BJP grew. Last year, Khot parted ways with the SSS and formed his own organisation, Rayat Kranti Sena, in Shetti's bastion of Hatkanangle taluka in Kolhapur district. Shetti, later, became more vocal against BJP, criticising its policies towards farmers.Political expert Prakash Pawar said that Shetti was using farmers issues to garner support for the forthcoming elections. "He took up farmers' issues to garner support during elections and successfully converted an agricultural issue into political issue. When he took up the issue of sugar cane prices, he garnered the support of farmers against the then ruling Congress and NCP. Now, he has raised the demands of dairy farmers and stood against BJP. His stand is politically astute," said Pawar.The difference between Shetti's position during the sugar cane agitations and the current milk agitation is that he has spread his wings, rather than restricting himself to his turf of western Maharashtra. Though the milk agitation did not garner much support in northern or eastern Maharashtra, he has become a known figure in Tamil Nadu, Gujarat Haryana and Rajasthan."His limitations are that he only raises demands of established agricultural products. He takes up issue of financially strong farmers. He does not represent landless labour or marginal farmers," Pawar said.Sources in the BJP said that Shetti was hoping to garner Congress and NCP support through the milk stir as it was aimed against the BJP. "However, this agitation was harmful for the dairy farmers who have a daily income. They cannot afford to waste the produce. Moreover, they are loyal Congress and NCP supporters and were unlikely to come up in Shetti's support," said a senior leader.

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