Who Is Kalawati Bandurkar? The Widow Referenced In Amit Shah's Lok Sabha Speech

Kalawati Bandurkar, a poor farm widow from Jalka, found herself in the spotlight once again on Wednesday as Union Home Minister Amit Shah referenced her during a speech in the Lok Sabha, using her situation to criticise Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Back in 2008, Gandhi had paid a visit to Bandurkar's residence following her husband's tragic suicide, which was attributed to the agrarian crisis prevalent in Maharashtra.

In his critique of the Congress MP, Shah stated, "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 the Modi government."

Here are top five things about Kalawati Bandurkar:

• After Rahul Gandhi's visit in 2008, substantial financial support poured in for Kalawati. Although Gandhi didn't directly offer financial assistance, his visit sparked contributions from various quarters, including a donation of Rs 30 lakh from the NGO Sulabha International.
• Initially, Kalawati had plans to contest for the Wani seat during the Maharashtra Assembly polls in 2009. However, she eventually withdrew her candidacy due to her son-in-law's threat to commit suicide if she participated in the election. Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti, the NGO supporting her, conveyed this decision.
• Tragedy struck Kalawati's family when her husband Parshuram tragically took his own life on December 23, 2005, as a result of the prevailing agrarian crisis. Later, her son-in-law, Sanjay Kalaskar (25), a marginal farmer and auto driver, also met the same fate with his suicide in December 2010. In 2011, her second daughter, Savita Khamankar (27), who resided in Radegaon near Warora in Chandrapur district, tragically ended her life through self-immolation.
• During the Bharat Jodo Yatra last year, Kalawati had met Rahul Gandhi in November, facilitated by a group of Congress workers who brought her to his rally in Washim.
• Union Minister Nitin Gadkari extended a gesture of support by offering a financial assistance package of Rs 1 lakh to Kalawati.