Vidarbha farmer's widow Kalavati wants Rahul Gandhi to help her sons

YAVATMAL (MAHARASHTRA): Kalavati Bandurkar, the Vidarbha farmer widow who shot to fame after Rahul Gandhi visited her in 2008 and narrated her plight in Parliament, now wants the Congress leader to help her sons earn their livelihood.

Away from the limelight of Rahul's latest visit to the agrarian crisis-affected Amravati district, 59-year-old Kalavati still remembers the day when the Congress vice president came calling.

"Rahulji helped us a lot. I won't have to beg. Rahul Gandhi has ensured that much. However, my sons have grown up. One has passed class XII exam and the other has passed the class X. My request to Rahul Gandhi is to help them and ensure that they stand on their feet," Kalavati said, sitting outside her house in Jalka village of Yavatmal district.

In the past, Kalavati had threatened to end her life if the Maharashtra state government did not intervene to resolve the agrarian crisis.

She continues to till her land herself and grow cotton. "This year, I spent over a lakh in cotton cultivation but the income was less than half the amount," she said.