Narendra Singh Tomar, whose huge posters dotted NCUI’s campus on the occasion of the 66th Co-op Week did not turn up for the event, leading to a frantic last-minute search for a suitable guest by NCUI officials. The exercise also led to a delay of nearly 45 minutes for the event to start.
It was Santosh Kumar Gangwar, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) and a co-operator at his heart who saved the situation not only for NCUI but also for hundreds of co-operators who had assembled on the occasion.
But this did not stop co-operators from fretting and fuming about Tomar’s action. “When he had promised to come and as his name was announced in press releases as well as in posters, he should have come. His failure to turn up only shows his lack of respect for the cooperative movement of the country which claims to be the strongest in the world”, was the general sentiment.
The assembled co-operators were aware that Tomar has preferred a political event-swearing-in ceremony in Haryana over the Co-op Week event. “Had he been indisposed, it would have been a different case’, they voiced.
Later, as the event unfolded they were happy with the choice of Santosh Kumar Gangwar as the Chief Guest. Gangwar who is a practicing co-operator (he runs an urban co-op bank in Bareli successfully for many years) also touched issues close to cooperators’ heart- creation of a separate ministry.
The 66th All India Cooperative Week with the main theme “Role of Cooperatives in New India” organized by National Cooperative Union of India is being celebrated from 14th to 20th November, 2019 all over the country.
The event was attended by several Governing Council members of NCUI along with several Chairmen and MDs of national level co-op federations. Balu Aiyer, Regional Director, International Cooperative Alliance, Asia-Pacific was the Guest of Honour.