Rahul Gandhi accuses BJP of stealing milk producers' votes over government nominees at Gokul

A major controversy has erupted over a change in rules after the election of Gokul, the Kolhapur District Cooperative Milk Producers' Union. The state government has decided to nominate five directors to Gokul. The Congress has already been sharply critical of this decision by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's government. Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi has now joined the row.

Gandhi put out his views in a post on social media. Retweeting a post by Congress leader Pawan Khera, he targeted the BJP.

In his post, Gandhi said: "Milk producers defeated the BJP in Gokul. Then the BJP changed the rules after the election. Force in 4 directors, turn 12 into 16 and steal the majority. This is a robbery of the milk producers' vote. This is adulteration of the mandate. The BJP has become so desperate to save its power that it can go to any lengths. Those who steal the milk producers' votes should remember that farmers never forget."

Khera said in his tweet that the Maharashtra government has tried to alter the composition of the board representing milk producers at the Gokul milk union. According to him, the Congress-led panel won a majority with 13 of 25 seats, while the Mahayuti got 12. Khera also said the Bombay High Court has directed a fresh election on November 10. The state Cabinet has approved a proposal to nominate four government directors with voting rights.

Khera said this could change the election arithmetic and the verdict given by milk producers could be ignored. He asked whether a government can change the rules after an election if the result does not go its way. According to Khera, this is a big question, and for this reason the fight against the decision will be taken to the Supreme Court.

Here is the background. In the Gokul election held on October 19, the Rajarshi Shahu Shetkari Samvichari Aghadi of Congress MLA Satej Patil won 13 seats. The Rajarshi Shahu Vikas Aghadi, led by minister Hasan Mushrif, won 12 seats.

Under Gokul's rules, the chairman and vice-chairman can be elected only if at least 14 of the 25 members are present at the meeting. Meanwhile, the state government has decided to nominate five directors to Gokul. This could change the equations for the election of the chairman and vice-chairman, and the dispute has arisen over this.