Farmers’ leader, and economist Sharad Joshi died on Saturday in his Pune home. He was 81. Joshi, who also worked as an agriculturist and journalist, had been in poor health, and was recently discharged from a city hospital, The Hindu reported.

Joshi was an instrumental figure in Maharashtra’s politics in the late 1970s, and ‘80s, forming his pan-Maharashtra organisation, the Shetkari Sanghatana. The organisation sought to bring farmers greater access to markets, technology and better prices, while challenging class heirarchies. Joshi’s movement gained a a lot of ground in the state. He served as a Rajya Sabha MP from 2004 to 2010, and was known also for his controversial endorsement of Bt Cotton. He was the lone member of the House to vote against the women’s reservation bill.