National Cooperative Union of India, the apex body of cooperative is suddenly hogging headlines. Its election in March 2010 is said to have been rigged by cooperative mafias. Taking note of the gravity of matter the Central Registrar has appointed an arbitrator to enquire into the matter.
Talking to Indian Cooperative. Com Ranjit Singh, brother of Late Ajit Singh and son of famed cooperator Tapeshwer Singh said that the constituencies made in the election of governing council was manipulated to favour certain candidates.
If multi state societies form one constituency, housing cooperatives form another and tourism cooperatives make a third one. But some influential person made a hotch-potch of constituencies leading to multi state societies having members from housing cooperative as delegates, consumer cooperatives having members from tourism cooperative as delegates and so on and so forth.This was done to increase winning chance of certain candidates and of course, with the connivance of the returning officer, claims Ranjit Singh. Mr Singh’s nomination was thus rejected due to illegal manipulation.
Before going to court Mr Singh has filed a petition with Central Registrar who has appointed an arbitrator Mr Sanjiv Gupta to look into the matter. Effort by Indian Cooperative to contact Central Registrar did not materialize.
Readers may be aware that the National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI), the apex organisation of the Indian Cooperative Movement traces back its origin to 1929. Having been re organised as Indian Cooperative Union, it was renamed later as All India Cooperative Union in 1954 and re-christened as National Cooperative Union of India in 1961.
It aims at promoting and developing the cooperative movement in India.It also intends to educate, guide and assist the people in their efforts to build up and expand the cooperative sector and serve as an exponent of cooperative opinion in accordance with cooperative principles.
Against this backdrop it assumes importance that a body meant to strengthen the movement is itself caught in controversy. In NCCF election Indian Cooperative.com has exposed how returning officer can make mockery of the entire election process.Ram Hatt a candidate could not file nomination as there was was none to receive his papers while the papers of chosen few were collected from a different destination.
Even the choice of returning officer is an issue which if not addressed will reduce the entire cooperative movement as pocket borough of a few.Is the Govt listening?
