Nand Kumar Baghel

Some Lesser Known Facts About Nand Kumar Baghel

• He came from the Kurmi community and owned over 400 acres of land in Durg, Chhattisgarh.

• He cleared his class 10 exam with 84% marks.

• In an interview, he talked about being awarded a book on Acharya Vinoba Bhave for winning a debate competition in school. He claimed that the book influenced him to leave academics and follow the teachings of Acharya Vinoba Bhave.

• He contested a Lok Sabha election from Durg, Chhattisgarh as an Independent in the 1980s but lost.

• He was very vocal against the caste system and Brahminism.

• He was the president of Matdata Jagrukta Manch and Akhil Bharatiya Kurmi Kisan Mazdoor Mahasabha.

• He lived separately from his son, Bhupesh Baghel, for more than 20 years because of their different ideologies.

• In 2019, after the death of his wife, he performed the last rites of his wife according to Buddhist traditions in Dhamtari, Chhattisgarh, while his son, Bhupesh Baghel, performed the last rites according to Hindu traditions in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.

• Although considered Buddhist due to his views, he stated that he hadn’t converted to Buddhism in an interview with ‘The Week’ in 2021. He further claimed that he follows the teachings and principles of Buddhism.

• In an interview in 2021, he stated that he wanted to get his party, SOM (SC/ST, OBC and minorities) registered and field his candidates for the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections.

• In 2023, Bhupesh Baghel recalled that in his first election, his father, Nand Kumar Baghel, didn’t vote for him but for another candidate of his choice.

• Nand Kumar Baghel has claimed that he too wanted to join Congress after his son, Bhupesh joined it, but the leaders of the party such as Digvijaya Singh, Chandulal Chandrakar, and Ajit Jogi didn’t accept his views and style.

• He wanted to republish his book, ‘Brahmin Kumar Ravan ko Mat Maro,’ from the perspective of Ravan being a tribal from the Gond community who tried to protect his cattle, whereas, earlier he had written the book from the perspective of him being a Brahmin.

• On 21 October 2023, he was admitted to the Shri Balaji Hospital, Raipur, due to pneumonia and a blood clot in his brain. He was also suffering from a chronic disease related to the brain and spine, along with paralysis and uncontrolled diabetes.

  

• On 10 January 2024, his pyre was lit by his son, Hitesh Baghel.