Having relaxed a little after the hectic schedule of taking care of more than 200 outstation guest-cooperators, Biscomaun Chairman Dr Sunil Singh phoned Indian Cooperative to discuss the outcome of the three-day Bihar Cooperative Conference which concluded this Sunday.
Do you know the main outcome of the Bihar’s co-op conference, asked Sunil whose popularity soared sky-high in the wake of the successful holding of the Conference, which was inaugurated by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar through the last-minute change in his itinerary?
“It was bringing cooperators of differing political affiliations on one platform and pitching for a united cooperative front”, Sunil himself replied before this correspondent could suggest anything. Referring to several past stories of differences among cooperators Biscomaun Chairman said “see even Ashok Dabas is here”.
Readers would recall that it is Ashok Dabas who has filed an arbitration case on the issue of reorganization of the NCUI constituencies, leading to an uncertainty in the election of the apex body. A GC member in the past, Dabas 
failed to enter the board in his last attempt.
Dabas, in a way has directly challenged the duo of Chandra Pal and Bijender Singh but was seen having lunch and dinner with them on the occasion of the Bihar Co-operative Conference. Almost winking at this correspondent, Sunil Singh said the ice is thawing and the much sought-after unity of cooperators is taking shape.
Elaborating further, Sunil said “It was my heart-felt desire to prove that cooperative brotherhood is stronger than political affiliation.” Sunil cited the presence of Sahakar Bharati Patron Jyotindra Mehta, BJP cooperators such as Ashok Thakur and Arun Tomar, among others to prove his point.
Indian Cooperative is witness to the fact that Biscomaun Chairman indeed made sincere attempts to rope in Jyotindra Mehta for the event. Mehta had called a state level meeting of UCBs in Gujarat on the same day and it was difficult for him to be present in Patna. But Sunil persisted with him and got him here at Patna.
Similarly, the coming together of IFFCO and Kribhco on the same platform is no mean achievement, quoted one of Sunil’s associates who did not want to be named. “Till recently the two co-op titans would not allow
membership to each other”, he stated.
Sunil was supported in this by the statement of Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar when he said cooperators do not have any political colour. “A cooperator is first a cooperator and then a political activist”, Kumar stressed. Nitish also sort of offered immunity to Sunil who himself is seen as a Laloo protégé, a staunch rival of Nitish.
Besides the unity among cooperators as displayed during the event, the unprecedented turnout of people at Bapu Sabhagar was something which surprised everyone including the state Chief Minister. While the CM came at 11 am on Sunday the spacious auditorium was packed and not a single empty chair was to be found by 9 am.
“Don’t forget that this huge turnout happened despite a call for “Bihar Bandh”, said Sunil stressing that his goal of establishing a direct interaction between the cooperative icons and cooperative soldiers (PACS members) was made successful by the grace of God.
