The matter of 50 percent reservation for women in the cooperative societies in the state of Bihar has escalated from a political issue to a legal one. A petition has been filed in the highest court of the land challenging the state govt move.
The main petitioner who is contesting the state government is the Biscomaun Chairman Sunil Kumar Singh who also happens to be a member of the Governing Council of Country’s apex cooperative organization NCUI.
Talking to Indian Cooperative on phone Mr Singh said that the state government’s move not only violates Supreme Court guidelines of keeping the reservation within the limit of 50 percent but also ignores the provisions of much touted 97th Constitutional Amendment Act which made forming cooperative a matter of fundamental right.
Readers would recall that on 22nd May 2013 the state government has amended the state cooperative act to make provision for 50 percent reservation for women in the PACS and Vyapar Mandal, cooperative banks and other cooperative organizations. The anger of cooperative leaders has been boiling ever since.
Nitish government is trying to reduce the seats to two for general candidates in the PACS. A PACS has 13 members. There are already reservations for various categories and this latest move would virtually ban the entry of general candidates, Mr Sunil Singh said.
Cooperative leaders feel that the move is aimed at garnering women votes in favour of JDU. They cite the latest case 
of offering 3 crores computer tablets to the women of Bihar. Experiences from other states have proved that these tablets end up being used for other purposes, they added. Biscomaun Chairman lamented that such populist move along with making cooperative a tool for its political aggrandizement by the JDU govt is regrettable.
The matter is all the more regrettable as there was a general disagreement with the government move in the meeting it had called to seek cooperators opinion on the issue, Mr Singh added. Left with no option we have knocked the door of the Supreme Court under the Art 13. The Honourable court is sure to rule in our favour, a confident Sunil Singh confided with the Indian Cooperative.
