BJP leader Dhan Singh Rawat’s recent unanimous election as the new chairman of the state cooperative bank in Haldwani is dogged by controversy. The anger among the opposing cooperators on the issue refuses to subside.
Talking to this correspondent former Vice-Chairman of Bank Manvendra Singh accused the Managing Director and the Registrar, among others, of playing politics on the issue of election in the co-op bank.
Manvendra Singh said the schedule of elections was announced without calling the meeting of board of directors. As an acting chairman I removed the Managing Director, Manvendra added.
Earlier former bank chairman Sanjeev Arya had resigned reducing the electorate size to 12. Of these, three were BJP supporters from the beginning.
On the day of elections five directors including Kiran Negi, Devendra Aggarwal, Barfi Bhakti, Ramesh Ram –all from Congress changed their loyalties to BJP candidate. This made the former vice chairman of the bank, Manvendra Singh to withdraw from the contest. Singh alleged that the entire election process was rigged the cooperative norms were thrown to winds.
Interestingly, Kiran Negi is wife of Rajendra Singh Negi (chairman of Nanital District Cooperative Bank) and a close associate of Pramod Kumar Singh, a confirmed Congressman who is both on the board of NCUI and IFFCO.