Ministers should not contest district cooperative banks elections

Aurangabad, March 1:

“A minister should work as a minister. The whole State is their jurisdiction. They should not try to contest election to enter Central Cooperative Banks, which are limited for a district. New members should be given an opportunity,” said Ambadas Mankape, president of the federation, Marathwada division of Cooperative Societies.

Addressing a press conference here on Monday, Ambadas Mankape said that an independent pane would be announced after March 10.

Adv Sadashiv Gayake and former divisional joint-director (Cooperatives), and Marathwada president of Aam Aadmi Party Subhash Mane were present at the briefing. Adv Gayake said that he would not answer the question since it is a press conference of Mankape.

Ambadas Mankape said that Cabinet and Minister of States, MP, MLC and MLA are on the fray for Aurangabad District Central Cooperative Bank (ADCCB) election.

He said that all these people want to take the bank in their control. “They have bigger jurisdiction and responsibility to solve problems of the State. But, it is not good that they should enter into banks limited to a district,” he said.

Mankape said that they have a habit of getting elected from a few members, so they denied membership to 2500 cooperatives.

He alleged that the district bank had not given a loan to various societies since 2009.

“This forced farmers to take a loan from a private moneylender and became debt-ridden and ending life. It is a norm that all transactions of Zilla Parishad (ZP) should be done through district central cooperative banks which are lagging in it. The district banks' general body meeting is held just for 10 to 15 minutes,” he added.