BJP, CPI question government hurry to conduct PACS polls

Need to reorganise the cooperatives in line with new mandals and districts, says BJP

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Telangana unit has requested the State Cooperative Election Authority, who is also the Additional Registrar of Cooperative Societies, to take up reorganisation of primary agricultural cooperative credit societies (PACS) in tune with the increased number of mandals, keeping in view the interests of the farming community.

In a letter addressed to the election authority on Friday, BJP State vice president S. Malla Reddy said the elections to cooperative societies were announced in a hurry without implementing reforms in the cooperative sector. The term of the 906 PACS was completed in 2018 itself and instead of completing reorganisation of the societies after reorganisation of mandals, the government had announced the elections.

He questioned the rationale behind the State government decision to go for the cooperative elections in a hurry without reorganising the PACS, when it had been repeatedly requesting the Centre to increase the number of Navodaya and Kasturba Gandhi residential schools. Similarly, reorganisation of district cooperative central banks (DCCBs) was also necessary in tune with the increased number of districts.

‘Cover up of irregularities’

Alleging that the government had gone back on the plans to reorganise the societies, Mr. Malla Reddy said no action had been taken against the ruling party leaders who were allegedly involved in the irregularities and misuse of funds in several societies. An exercise was taken to have at least two societies in every mandal, but in vain. As a result, a large number of new mandals would be left with no PACS, he pointed out.

Further, he demanded that election of chairman and vice-chairman of the PACS be conducted on the day of the directors’ election results itself to prevent irregularities in the office-bearers’ election. Similarly, the election of DCCB directors be held on the next day of PACS polls and the elections to Telangana State Cooperative Apex Bank the following day.

Medaram Jatara

Meanwhile, State secretary of Communist Party of India (CPI) Chada Venkat Reddy too faulted the announcement of PACS elections in a hurry to prevent the Opposition parties getting breather from the recent urban local bodies’ elections. He sought to know where was the need to conduct the PACS polls when Sammakka-Saralamma biennial fair was also due in the first week of February.