BJP accused of attempting hostile takeover of Gokul Dairy

Abhijit Deepak, convener of the Cockroach Janata Party, has levelled serious allegations against the BJP for attempting a 'hostile takeover' of the Gokul Milk Cooperative. Through a video message on social media, he stated that despite losing the elections, the BJP has appointed four members to maintain control. Deepak alleged that the ruling party is acting against constitutional norms to disregard the mandate of the milk cooperative elections.

According to a report by The Hindu, the Maharashtra Cabinet last week took a decision approving the appointment of five members nominated by the government to the management committees of cooperative institutions having an annual turnover of more than ₹500 crore. This rule does not include District Central Cooperative Banks. Under this new rule, four members will be entitled to vote in the Board of Directors.

In the elections of the Kolhapur District Cooperative Milk Producers Union, known as Gokul, held on 19 October, the Rajarshi Shahu Shetkari Sanvidhari Agadi won 13 out of 25 seats. This group was led by Congress MLC Satej Patil, while the Mahayuti-supported panel won 12 seats. Notably, the ruling coalition led by the BJP had campaigned together to gain control over this institution. The annual turnover of this dairy is more than ₹4,000 crore.

Mentioning Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in his video, Abhijit Deepak said that earlier the Chief Minister had described protesters as anarchic and unconstitutional elements, especially the CJP. However, in the case of Gokul, the BJP has attempted a hostile takeover by appointing four members so that they can remain in control even after losing the elections. He further added that unconstitutional attempts are being made to grab power in the cooperative institution.

Raising questions, Deepak asked that if they can go to such lengths in the milk union elections, how far can they go to steal the people's mandate in state-level elections with the help of Chief Election Commissioner Ganesh Kumar? He had praised the local dairy farmers who were protesting on the streets against the government decree. Due to this decree, the strength of the Mahayuti will increase from 12 to 16, which will change the balance of power in the cooperative institution.

Gokul Dairy was a well-known milk cooperative institution located in Kolhapur district. It was one of the large dairies in Maharashtra with an annual turnover of more than ₹4,000 crore.