His name cropped in a high level meeting Union Minister Radhamohan Singh was taking of the top officials of Ministry that included Secretaries to Additional Secretaries to Joint Secretaries. The Minister suddenly asked “what happened to Mohan Mishra’s case”. There was silence as bureaucrats had not heard this name in any noticeable manner.
The matter referred to issue of the recall of NCCT Secretary Mohan Mishra to the parent body NCUI. The governing council of NCUI decided earlier to recall its staffs on deputation in various positions outside to ease out the situation of paucity of working hands at the apex cooperative body.
Many saw in this a political move aimed at removing Mishra from NCCT. Mishra is said not to be amenable to political pressure and works on his agenda leading to heartburns among Governing Council members, some of whom speak openly against his autocratic way of functioning.
NCCT controls several of the cooperative management institutions where transfer-posting is a big game. Obviously Mishra would favour only those whom he likes or those who have backing from the Ministry. He concedes little space to NCUI big-wigs.
Cornered by the Governing Council in the wake of his transfer order, a smart Mishra soon cultivated the Ministry officials including former Central Registrar Bhutani who is said to have sided with Mishra in his past-differences with the parent body. But Bhutani being no longer influential, Mishra looked for ways to get access to the newly appointed Minister Radhamohan Singh. With the help of some friends he succeeded soon leaving cooperators far behind.
The issue that cropped up in the high-level Ministry’s meeting referred to annulment of Governing Council recommendation transferring Mishra back to NCUI. A perplexed Secretary asked his Joint Secretary to look into the matter sooner than later. Additional Secretary Dalip Singh, vexed with the issue tried to resolve the impasse to the satisfaction of the Minister.