Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar held a high-level meeting with the head of BJP’s Co-operative Cell and other important leaders connected with BJP and RSS at his office in Krishi Bhawan last week end.
The objective of the meeting was to find a way forward to carry the schemes and programme of the Central govt to the grass root levels. The govt is increasingly realizing that it is only through cooperative that the govt can reach up to the last man in the queue.
Those who participated included BJP’s Vice-president and Head of Party’s Cooperative Cell Shyam Jaju, senior co-operator from Gujarat who is NAFSCOB Chairman Dileep Sanghani and Sahakar Bharati leader Satish Marathe. The govt side was represented by two Ministers- Tomar and Union State Minister Parshottam Rupala.
The small size of the meeting was indicative of the fact that only a chosen few were invited. Sharing details of the meeting Dileep Sanghani said “Prime Minister Narendrabhai Modi is exercised over the issue of doubling farmers’ income by 2022; how could cooperative enrich agriculture and reach out to the last man were on the agenda.
“It was a preliminary meeting which would shortly by followed by a more concrete one, said Sanghani hinting at the formation of a kind of Cooperative Advisory Board for the Agriculture Ministry.
It was a meeting of govt, party and co-operatives, said Sanghani underlining the fact that govt alone or Party alone cannot reach out to the grass root levels. Govt have its limitations and even the BJP as a Party organization has its limitation and it is only cooperative which is already there with huge network of PACS across the villages in the country, added Sanghani.
It was also debated that BJP as a political party has to involve itself with cooperatives more and more. The hourlong meeting was aimed at finding a synergy for the three wings-govt, party and co-ops. The presence of Satish Marathe indicated that the govt is eager to involve Sahakar Bharati in its scheme of things. Sahakar Bharti, which is currently holding a 2 day conference is on a huge expansion mode.
Sanghani did not admit, as it was not formally spelt out, but the exercise was indeed aimed at the formation of an Advisory board with three members- Shyam Jaju, Dileep Sanghani and Satish Marathe.
The three of them are going to meet again and prepare a blue-print, which would be taken to the Party President Amit Shah for final discussion and implementation.