Mumbai, Nov 5 — Congress MLC Satej Patil on Thursday launched an attack on the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra over its decision to appoint five state-nominated members—including four non-official directors—to cooperative unions such as the Gokul Milk Union (Kolhapur Zilla Sahakari Dudh Utpadak Sangh). These four non-official directors will be granted voting rights.
Lashing out at the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis-led Cabinet’s decision during a press conference in Mumbai, Satej Patil took a defiant stand, declaring that he will take to the streets for Gokul. He announced a mass protest rally on November 9 from Dasara Chowk to the Kolhapur District Collectorate.
With this, the controversy surrounding the election of Gokul's President has intensified. Out of 25 board seats, Satej Patil’s Samvichari Aghadi holds 13 seats, while 12 seats are held by the Mahayuti. However, neither side possesses the required quorum of 14 directors independently to elect the president.
Granting voting rights to four state-appointed directors paves a clear path for the Mahayuti to seize control of the Board. The proposal file has been submitted to the Governor for signature, and a gazette notification is expected shortly.
Expressing outrage over the move, Satej Patil questioned the Devendra Fadnavis government's intentions. "Just because the election results didn't go in your favour, you change the laws. If law changes were needed, they should have been made before the election. They claim they are appointing 'expert' directors—yet those very people were rejected by the voters. If they were truly experts, the public wouldn't have defeated them. Our legal battle against this will continue," he said.
Patil claimed the Mahayuti government was altering the law simply because the results did not turn out in its favour. "Any legal modification should have been enacted prior to the elections. The government is naming candidates as "expert" directors who were explicitly rejected by the electorate. If they possessed true expertise, the voters wouldn't have voted them out. There is a clear conspiracy to hand Gokul over to Amul. The government is working actively to dismantle the state's democratic framework," he alleged.
To a question on friendship with NCP minister Hasan Mushrif, he claimed that the minister had committed betrayal and entered through the backdoor. He noted that in a similar way director appointments were made in Amul, but the High Court rightfully struck them down. In the case of Gokul, the general public and the milk producers have rejected the Mahayuti outright, he said.
"The Vajpayee government fell by a single vote. Today, that crucial single-vote margin stands with us. Disregarding the public mandate renders people's votes entirely meaningless. If this continues, governments could similarly grab power in municipal corporations by appointing nominated members," stated Patil.
He further stated, "Rahul Gandhi raised awareness nationwide about "vote theft". Now, this government is engaged in direct "power theft". In response, we will lead a protest march on November 9 from Dasara Chowk to the Kolhapur District Collectorate."
Meanwhile, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi said, "Gokul, milk producers have defeated the BJP. So the BJP changed the rules after the election - bring in 4 directors, turn 12 into 16, steal the majority. This is theft of the milk producers' votes - adulteration in the mandate. The BJP has become so desperate that it's going to any lengths everywhere to save power. Those who steal the milk producers' votes, remember - farmers don't forget."
Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera claimed that the Maharashtra government was brazenly attempting to subvert the democratic mandate of milk producers at the Gokul Milk Federation by using legislative changes to manipulate the composition of an elected board.
"In the 19 October elections, the Congress-led panel won 13 of 25 seats, securing a majority over the Mahayuti’s 12. After Mahayuti-backed directors stalled the chairman’s election by remaining absent, the Bombay High Court directed a fresh election on 10 November. Instead of allowing the elected board to function, the state Cabinet has approved a proposal to nominate four government directors with voting rights, potentially altering the electoral arithmetic and overturning the mandate of milk producers.
"The larger question is whether a government can change the rules after an election simply because it does not like the result. We are challenging this decision in the Supreme Court to defend the democratic mandate and the autonomy of cooperative institutions," remarked Khera.