Sharma himself was once the BKS chief and was thrown out of the organisation, when in 2010, he spearheaded the farmers’ agitation in December 2010 against the “own” BJP government and gheraoed Bhopal with tractors. “I was thrown out of BKS when we gheraoed Bhopal with tractors during our agitation- Operation 10.12 in 2010. I was immediately arrested and sent to jail. ” His associates told Newslaundry that in a career of 40 years, Sharma has gone to jail 44 times for the raising the farmers’ cause.