By I C Naik
The attempt to “use” cooperatives at elections by the UPA dispensation has backfired. The new govt of BJP has to set the cooperative house in order to be really able to exploit it for electoral gains in the future.
The historical reforms overdue since Brham Perkash Committee recommended bold measures like abolishing Rule making Direction giving power of the States, culminating in to The Constitution ( 97th Amendment ) Act 2011 got severe beating at the behest of such pioneering State.
The Maharashtra Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Act 2013, the Maharashtra Co-operative Societies Election to Committee Rules, 2013 (Draft Pending since Aug 2013), Maharashtra Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Rules 2013 (Drafted in December 2013) and (DRAFT) Model Bye-Laws of each and every classes of cooperative societies hastily posted within one week of the promulgation of the 1st Ordinance to amend the M C S Act 1960 all of them sent management of all cooperative societies in tizzy.
The height of dereliction of statutory responsibility of appointing a head of State Cooperative Election Authority for nearly two years resulted in several housing societies carrying on with Committees dragging the feet after expiry of the tenure.
This mess can be sorted out only with a totally fresh thinking. Instead of a “Cut and Paste” technique rewrite the M C S Act 1960 on the basis of The Constitution ( 97th Amendment ) Act 2011 which lays a strong foundation based on the principles of voluntary formation, democratic member-control, member-economic participation and autonomous functioning.
Follow Brahm Perkash recommendation of giving up powers of making Rules and issuing directions every third day and let the Act and Bye-Laws take care of management of every cooperative society. It may be difficult but for such an efficient bureaucracy that cooperation Department of the State Government possesses it should not be difficult to overhaul it within six months on these lines.
The statement of the new Chief Minister shows the Co-operative Societies (Amendment) Act, 2013 and a series of other rules have not yet been passed and become low. How then is the Co-operative Commissioner pounces on small housing co-operatives quoting the provisions of the Amendment Act 2013 which is still in draft stage as per the Chief Minister’s statement!! How can anyone say that the elections held in some societies during the period February 2013 to October 2014 are not lawful! How can Co-op. Commissioner initiate action against societies which have conducted elections as per the approved 2009 bye laws!
He may be right as far as the recen Lok Sabha and Assembly elections are concerned. Prior to that, the loot from just one Urban Co-operative Bank in Mumbai saw Congress (I) and its alliesa won majority of the Mumbai seats, thanks to Raghavan Sarathi (an ex office bearer of Congress (I) in Mumbai and Gurudas Kamat. After ditching around 3000 depositors of that bank, a totally partial merger deal was struck and then it was the turn of Shiv Sena to gloat over the spoils.
IF NEW GOVT WISH TO CHANGES IN CO-OP ACT RELATED IN ELECTION MaNOFASTO THEY CAN CHANGE SUCH THINGS WITH PASSING ORDINANCE WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT. IN ORDINANCE THERE MUST BE SEEN TRANSPARENCY , NO Politics No RELATIVES OF MLA/MP & OTHER POLITICAL INFLUENCE. AND I WE SUGGEST THAT GOVT PERSON/ AUTHORITY BE ONLY CONTROLLING AUTHORITY & IF ANY SOCIETY & /OR INSTITUTIONS ACT AGAINST RULES & REGULATIONS. THEY(PERSON)NEVER STOOD IN THEIR LIFE IN CO-OPERATIVE FIELD.
I HAVE OBSERVED THAT MOST OF THE CLAUSES IN ACT HAD BEEN DONE PURPOSELY INFAVOUR OF HIMSELF AS WELL AS FOR POLITICALLY POINT OF VIEW.SUCH TYPE OF CHAIN SHALL BE / MUST BE BROKEN IN NEW ERA BY THIS NEW.
LETS US SEE WHAT CAN NEW GOVT DO IN NEXT STEPS