Politically weakened in the national capital territory of Delhi by AAP, BJP is eager to revive its cooperative wing in the state to take on the ruling dispensation as well as Congress Party in the next elections. The party has made Ashok Dabas the head of the state cell to accomplish the job.
Dabas-a well-known face who also served on the board of apex body NCUI in the past is busy these days erecting a strong team. “Team may consist of about 200 cooperative soldiers”, Dabas said talking to Indian Cooperative.
”We intend to create teams at all levels beginning from mandals , districts to state, he said referring to a FB post where he invited application for an advocate for the cooperative cell. Obviously, cooperatives are having lots of legal issues at hands and he needs a legal expert to help him out.
Despite AAP coming into power in the state, the cooperative sector in Delhi continues to be dominated by Congress party so far. The AAP Minister Rajendra Gautam had made noises of ridding co-ops of Congress influences but he has failed to make a dent.
District cooperative banks and state co-op bank are being headed and managed by cooperators owing allegiance to Congress. Bijender Singh, former Congress MLA is still the Chairman of State Co-op Bank. Delhi State co-op union is again in the hands of congress with VP Singh the most notable name.
Even Delhi Urban Co-op Bank Federation is headed by a cooperator Laxmi Dass whose sympathies primarily lie with the Congress Party.
In such a scenario Ashok Dabas has an uphill task at hand. He is mostly focusing on Thrift and Credit societies which populate the cooperative landscape in a big way. According to an estimate, there are more than 1500 TCSs active in the state.
Dabas says that the scene is not that hopeless and quotes Keshav Sahakari Bank as one of the fine examples of RSS-BJP style of functioning. ‘Even in Delhi Nagrik Bank’s most of the Directors who have won in the recently concluded elections are from our party fold”, he added. The results have not been implemented as the matter has gone to court, though, he added.