Pune: NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar on Thursday urged “all those who believe in democracy” to gherao Kolhapur's Gokul Dairy during its chairman's election, to show the power of the people's mandate amid a row over the appointment of government-nominated members to the board.
Pawar alleged on X that the government’s move to appoint nominated members was an attempt to take control of Gokul Dairy despite the mandate of 5.5 lakh voters in favour of a panel backed by a Congress leader.
The cooperative body's chairman is scheduled to be elected on November 10.
The Maharashtra cabinet on Wednesday approved the appointment of five government-nominated members to the managing committees of cooperative institutions which have an annual turnover of more than Rs 500 crore, excluding district central cooperative banks. Four of the members will be entitled to vote on the board of directors.
In the recent elections to the Kolhapur District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union, better known as Gokul Dairy, the Rajarshi Shahu Shetkari Samavichari Aghadi, backed by Congress MLC Satej Patil, won 13 of the 25 seats. The panel supported by the BJP-led Mahayuti secured 12.
The chairman’s post has remained vacant because election meetings failed to get the required quorum of 14 directors. The cabinet’s decision could affect the balance of power on the board and the outcome of the chairman’s election.
In a post on X, Pawar alleged that the Maharashtra government's move to appoint nominated members was an attempt to take control of Gokul Dairy by disregarding the mandate of 5.5 lakh members who had voted in its election.
"Setting aside the mandate given by 5.5 lakh members and appointing government-nominated members to take control of Gokul can only be described as 'Vinashkale Viparit Buddhi' (loss of reason when destruction approaches)," he claimed.
He asked people who believe in democracy and the Constitution to gather outside Gokul on the day of the chairman's election so that the message about the strength of the people's mandate reaches “from Mumbai to Delhi”.
He also expressed solidarity with Gokul members and Satej Patil, whose party is an ally of the NCP (SP) in the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), asserting that the entire Maharashtra stood behind them.
In a veiled dig at the BJP, Pawar suggested that the move stemmed from the "bruised ego" of those who could not celebrate their victory with a procession in Kolhapur on the day of the results.
"Does that mean the government will now attempt to manipulate people's mandate by appointing nominated members? This decision amounts to creating anarchy," he alleged.
Pawar said the Gokul Dairy issue was not merely about senior Congress leader Satej Patil or Kolhapur, but concerned everyone who believed in democracy and the Constitution.
"If such unfair tactics are being used in Gokul today, similar attempts could be made tomorrow after losing Lok Sabha elections," he claimed.