Mumbai: Congress MLC Satej Patil on Thursday announced that a protest march under the banner of 'Kolhapur Sangharsh Morcha' would be held on November 9 against the Maharashtra government's decision to appoint nominated directors to the boards of large cooperative institutions, including Gokul Dairy.
Patil accused the BJP-led Mahayuti government of attempting to take control of the Kolhapur District Cooperative Milk Producers' Union, popularly known as Gokul Dairy, despite his panel securing a majority in the recent elections.
'Government Has Disregarded Farmers' Mandate': Satej Patil
Speaking to reporters, Patil said farmers would participate in the protest against what he described as an injustice to milk producers. “Farmers will participate in this march. The government has acted unjustly towards farmers and disregarded the mandate given by them,” Patil said.
Patil appealed to residents of Kolhapur and dairy farmers to participate in the demonstration on 9th November.
Maharashtra Cabinet Approves Amendment
The controversy erupted after the Maharashtra Cabinet on Wednesday approved an amendment to the Maharashtra Cooperative Societies Act, 1960, allowing the government to nominate five members to the managing committees of cooperative institutions with an annual turnover exceeding Rs 500 crore.
Under the proposed amendment, four nominated directors will have voting rights. The decision has sparked a political dispute because Patil's panel recently secured a majority in the Gokul Dairy elections.
Patil alleged that the amendment was specifically intended to overturn the election result and enable the ruling alliance to gain control of the cooperative.
“The government brought in this law only to take control of Gokul. I condemn this conspiracy,” he said.
Gokul Dairy elections
In the recent Gokul Dairy elections, the panel backed by Patil won 13 of the 25 director seats, while the Mahayuti-supported panel secured 12. However, the chairman's election was postponed after all 12 opposition directors remained absent from the scheduled meeting, leaving the board without the required quorum.
Following this, Patil's panel approached the Bombay High Court. The court directed that notices be issued to all 25 directors and that a fresh meeting to elect the chairman be held on November 10.
With the protest scheduled for November 9, Patil has asked people to participate in the large numbers.
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