NCUI: Chandra Pal re-elected with a bang

The results of NCUI elections were on the expected lines and the strongman Dr Chandra Pal Singh Yadav got re-elected as the President of the apex body without any hitch. Those who lost were Ashok Dabas and Mudit Verma. The two new entrants to the highest decision-making body called Governing Council are Pramod Kumar Singh and Gurpartap Singh Khushalpur.

Chandra Pal has emerged stronger as the two irritants Dabas and Verma would not be there anymore in the GC meeting, said a cooperator on condition of anonymity. But of course he did not realize that there would be presence of some BJP members in the form of government nominee and co-opted members to continue the democratic debate in the GC.

Supporters surrounded Chandra Pal as soon as new Governing Council members elected him President unanimously. Garlands of flowers nearly choked him with everyone being in the race to be the first to honour the leader. GC members, women cooperators, NCUI staffs and cooperators cutting across various societies from across the country have turned in large number to congratulate him.

An emotional Chandra Pal posed happily and agreed to be clicked with everyone. Later, talking to the Indian Cooperative he said that “the movement is to be strengthened at all costs. There is a need to take the movement at higher level and we would restart our dialogue with the government with renewed vigour. All governments support the idea of cooperative movement and I am sure we can have meaningful discussion in days to come”, he concluded.

In his second inning as NCUI President Chandra Pal will have to negotiate skillfully the tricky issue of Income tax exemption and other issues with the BJP government to satisfy the expectations of those who have voted for him.

The elections of two vice-chairmen did not take place on Monday. It is being said that there is yet a consensus to be arrived on the matter. This is the first time in the history of the NCUI that the elections for the vice-chairmen have not taken place along with the President, quipped a cooperator.

There is an unsubstantiated rumour that the re-election of GH Amin to the post of vice-chairman is being resisted by some. Being close to the BJP government , they fear that if the opportune moment comes, Amin could be threat to everyone.

Amin has navigated himself carefully so far-without burning his bridge either with BJP or with Chandra Pal camp. Even his re-election as Director was made possible by the help of Chandra Pal when he had nearly lost it at the hands of woman cooperator Indu Chaudhary from Rajasthan, quipped a cooperator on condition of anonymity.

“See his greatness; despite BJP being his adversary he is going to co-opt two of their members in the Governing Council, said Sunil Singh who was the co-opted member in the last GC and has consoled himself by being the king-maker this time. Perhaps realizing his sacrifice Chandra Pal began to look for him soon after his re-election and took the initiative to have him by his side for a joint photograph.

A NCUI press release sent late evening read “Dr. Chandra Pal Singh, MP, Rajya Sabha, a well-known Cooperator and a leading farmers’ leader has been unanimously re-elected Chairman of NCUI during the Special General Body Meeting of NCUI held on 16th March, 2015 is an apex organisation of the cooperative movement.

The release further added that in his earlier tenure 16th Indian Cooperative Congress, was successfully organised in which more than 2000 delegates from all parts of the country participated. Dr. Singh undertook many initiatives in the field of cooperative education and training. Dr. Singh also played significant role in raising the international profile of Indian cooperative movement.