Maharashtra Gokul Dairy Row: Rahul Gandhi Accuses BJP Of 'Stealing Mandate'; CM Devendra Fadnavis Defends Cabinet Decision

· Free Press Journal

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government's decision to nominate five directors to the board of the Kolhapur District Cooperative Milk Producers' Union, popularly known as Gokul Dairy, has triggered a political confrontation, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and MLC Satej Patil accusing the ruling Mahayuti government of attempting to overturn the mandate of milk producers.

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Rahul Gandhi Accuses BJP Of Changing Rules After Gokul Elections

Reacting to the State Cabinet decision, Rahul Gandhi on Thursday accused the BJP-led government of changing the rules after the cooperative's elections to secure control of the dairy. In a post on X, he alleged that the appointment of four nominated directors with voting rights would increase the board's strength from 12 to 16 and enable the ruling alliance to manipulate the majority.

"In Gokul, milk producers have defeated the BJP. So the BJP changed the rules after the election – stuffed in four directors, turned 12 into 16 and stole the majority. This is theft of the milk producers' votes and adulteration of the mandate. Those who steal the milk producers' votes, remember – farmers don't forget," Gandhi said.

'Why Is Rahul Gandhi Tweeting About 4,500 Voters?': Devendra Fadnavis

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis hit back at the Congress leader, questioning his involvement in what he described as a local cooperative election. Speaking to reporters in Nagpur, Fadnavis remarked, "What has happened to Rahul Gandhi? Gokul's election has just 4,500 voters, yet he is sitting in Delhi and tweeting about it." He maintained that the government's decision to appoint directors was taken in accordance with the law.

Meanwhile, Congress MLC Satej Patil, who played a key role in the victory of the Rajarshi Shahu Shetkari Samvichari Aghadi in the Gokul elections, launched a sharp attack on the state government at a press conference in Mumbai. He alleged that the government had attempted to capture the dairy's administration through the backdoor, insulting the people of Kolhapur and disregarding the mandate given by milk producers.

Congress Announces 'Kolhapur Sangharsh Morcha' On November 9

Announcing an agitation, Patil said the opposition would organise a 'Kolhapur Sangharsh Morcha' from Dasara Chowk to the Collector's office on November 9 at 10 am. He said the alliance would pursue a legal battle as well as take to the streets to oppose the government's move.

Patil alleged that Medical Education Minister Hasan Mushrif and senior BJP leader Chandrakant Patil were behind the move to amend the law and take control of Gokul. He also claimed that the government was attempting to capture the cooperative through legislative changes, raising concerns that the institution could eventually be handed over to Amul.

"Nearly 5.5 lakh farmers depend on Gokul for their livelihood. The government is rejecting the mandate given by these farmers," Patil said.

Hasan Mushrif Defends Cabinet Decision, Cites Democratic Functioning

Defending the Cabinet decision, Medical Education Minister Hasan Mushrif said the intervention was necessary to restore democratic functioning in the cooperative and ensure that its administration was handed over to elected representatives. His son Navid had lost the recent Gokul election.

The controversy has also drawn reactions from other opposition leaders. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut called for the Maha Vikas Aghadi to unite against the government's decision, while NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar appealed to all those supporting democratic principles to gherao Gokul Dairy during the election of its chairman.

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The row follows the postponement of the Gokul chairman's election after 12 directors backed by the Mahayuti remained absent. The Bombay High Court subsequently directed that notices be issued to all 25 directors and that the chairman's election be conducted on November 10.

According to opposition leaders, the government had agreed before the court to hold the election among the existing 25 directors. However, the Cabinet's subsequent decision to nominate five additional directors, four with voting rights, has raised questions over the existing board's electoral arithmetic.

Established in 1963, Gokul Dairy is one of the most influential cooperative institutions in western Maharashtra. It recorded an annual turnover of Rs 3,966.28 crore in 2024-25 and is associated with around 4.41 lakh milk producers. The dairy collects milk daily through 8,009 village-level cooperative societies spread across approximately 1,810 villages in and around Kolhapur district.

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