Draft:Ajit Nawale

Ajit Nawale was born in Nawalewadi, a village in the Ahmednagar district in the state of Maharashtra. His father, a former clerk in a sugar factory, took up farming after retirement.^[4] He is the grandson of Bhuva Nawale, who was the first President of the Maharashtra unit of All India Kisan Sabha, elected at its founding conference in Titwala in 1945.^[5]

Nawale completed his Class XII in 1994, securing 91% marks. Despite his aspiration to pursue an MBBS, he could not secure a seat in the unreserved category. Instead, he enrolled in the Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) program at Ashtang Ayurveda College in Pune.^[6] He completed his course in 2001 and returned to his hometown, where he established his own hospital, Aruna Hospital.^[7][8]

Ajit Nawale became actively involved in student activism, engaging with multiple political and ideological groups.^[9] He initially founded the Yuva Kranti Forum (lit. 'Youth Revolution Forum'), which focused on addressing student issues such as hostel accommodations and scholarships, as well as broader concerns affecting farmers and children.^[10]

Nawale's activism drew the attention of a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader, leading him to collaborate with its student wing, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), and associate with Sambhaji Nagar (Deccan Gymkhana) shakha in Pune.^[11]

When Ayurveda students protested against the Economically Backward Class (EBC) scholarship discontinuation, Nawale and others found support from Students Federation of India (SFI). Recognizing the need for collective efforts to resolve student issues, he joined SFI-led protests while continuing his engagement with ABVP, prioritizing issues over ideology.^[12]

Later, ABVP and SFI jointly demanded a separate Ayurveda university and other student concerns. During a protest against Shiv Sena-BJP government at Hutatma Chowk, Nawale was arrested. While ABVP did not intervene, SFI helped secure his release, a turning point that led him to align more closely with SFI.^[13] Through his activities in SFI, he joined CPI(M) in 2000.^[14]

After returning to his hometown in 2001, he established a local unit of the SFI while continuing his activism alongside his professional work.

With the mentorship of Ashok Dhawale, Nawale joined All India Kisan Sabha in 2005 and began taking up issues related to milk, onion, sugar, Below Poverty Line (BPL) ration cards at local level.^[15] He was inducted into the AIKS Maharashtra state committee in 2007.^[16]

In 2016, AIKS held a protest with about 1 lakh people over issues of forest land, minimum support price (MSP) and the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission report. He was elected as the General Secretary of Maharashtra unit of AIKS in the same year.^[14]

From 1 June to 11 June 2017, Nawale spearheaded a farmers' agitation demanding a full loan waiver, MSP at 1.5 times production cost, and the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission report with some other issues.^[17][18][19] Farmers stopped milk, fruit, and vegetable supplies, prompting government negotiations.^[20] A 17-member delegation met Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on the night of June 2/3. According to AIKS sources, Nawale was the only one in the delegation who strongly argued against withdrawing the strike, as key demands like loan waivers and fair prices remained unmet. It was reported that Fadnavis branded him as a ‘disruptive Communist’. The delegation walked out of the meeting and Nawale called the Chief Minister 'the government’s bluff'.^[21] On June 4, the old core committee for discussions with the CM was dissolved, and a new 35-member Coordination Committee was formed, with Ajit Nawale as the convenor.^[22] The statewide bandh on 5 June, which was called by leaders like Ashok Dhawale and Ajit Nawale on 3 June, garnered mass approval.^[23][24] On 11 June, the government started discussions with the farmers' coordination committee.^[25] After discussion, the government agreed to give complete loan waivers to the farmers.^[26]

Nawale was included in the loan waiver steering committee but, dissatisfied with its framework, continued leading protests at district and taluka levels.