Gokul dairy row: Fadnavis defends law change; Congress to rally on 9 November

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said the State government has no interest in controlling Gokul, the Kolhapur district milk union, and that its recent legal amendment was only meant to resolve a deadlock over electing the union’s chairman.

Congress leader Satej Patil, who leads the group running the dairy, has said he will go ahead with a protest rally on Monday, 9 November, against what he calls the government’s attempt to trample on the mandate of farmers. The two sides also disagree on the rules for the chairman’s election: Mr. Fadnavis says a quorum is a must, while Mr. Patil says it is not required.

Why it matters

Gokul, formally the Kolhapur District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union, is one of Maharashtra’s largest dairy cooperatives, collecting milk from lakhs of farmers. Control of such cooperatives brings political influence in rural western Maharashtra, and the government’s amendment to cooperative rules is seen by the Congress as a way to weaken its hold.

What’s next

The rally on 9 November will test how much support Mr. Patil has among the union’s farmer members; the chairman’s election remains stuck until the dispute over the rules is settled.