Congress MLA Satej Patil on Thursday accused the Maharashtra government of insulting the people of Kolhapur by attempting to take control of Gokul Dairy, and announced a protest march against the move on November 9.
“This is not a personal vendetta against me….it is against the mandate of Kolhapur”s people. The government has insulted the people of Kolhapur and hurt their self-respect,” he said.
Patil alleges attempt to take control of Gokul
The announcement comes days after a panel backed by Patil defeated a panel supported by the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti in elections to the Kolhapur District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union, commonly known as Gokul Dairy.
The state government subsequently approved the appointment of five government-nominated members to the managing committees of cooperative institutions with an annual turnover of more than Rs 500 crore.
Patil alleged that the decision was aimed at taking control of Gokul Dairy. He said the protest march would begin at Dasara Chowk and proceed to the district collector’s office in Kolhapur on November 9.
Panel secured 13 of 25 seats
Patil’s panel won 13 of the 25 seats in the Gokul election, while the rival panel secured 12, he said.
The election of the dairy’s chairman was postponed after the 12 opposition directors did not attend the meeting, citing a technical issue related to quorum.
Patil said his side then approached the Bombay High Court, which directed that notices be issued to all 25 directors and that the chairman’s election be held on November 10.
Patil questions cabinet decision
According to Patil, the government agreed before the court to hold the election among the 25 directors. However, the state cabinet on Wednesday decided to appoint four additional directors with voting rights and issued an ordinance.
“The government brought in this law only to take control of Gokul. I condemn this conspiracy,” Patil said.
He said the legal battle would continue alongside the public agitation and appealed to residents of Kolhapur to participate in the November 9 march.
Gokul’s milk collection and payments
Gokul collects around 20 lakh litres of milk daily from nearly 5.5 lakh farmers and pays them about Rs 100 crore every 10 days, Patil said.
He also alleged that the government’s actions were part of a broader effort to bring milk cooperatives across states under a common structure. In this context, he referred to the proposed expansion of the Sardar Milk Federation.
Citing Karnataka’s Nandini brand, Patil said public opposition had prevented a similar attempt there.
Rahul Gandhi backs Patil
Patil welcomed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s support on the issue.
In a post on X earlier on Thursday, Gandhi said milk producers had defeated the BJP and that the party had changed the rules after the election to “steal the majority”. He described the move as an “adulteration in the mandate”.
