Padalkar presses Dhangar ST quota, slams district bank and sugar mills at Arewadi Dussehra rally

BJP MLA Gopichand Padalkar sharply criticised the state government and the functioning of the cooperative sector at Arewadi in Kavathe Mahankal taluka. He was speaking at the Hindu Bahujan Dussehra Melava held at Biroba's grove. He raised a range of issues, from ST reservation for the Dhangar community to alleged malpractice in cooperatives and the development of religious places.

Padalkar said the question of Dhangar reservation was the most important matter of his life. He demanded that the state government promptly file its submission in the Supreme Court so that the community's case could be argued firmly. He said that if the verdict went against the community, preparation for the next phase of the fight would also be needed. For this, a meeting of experts, scholars, thinking young people and elders of the Dhangar community will be held in Pune on November 15. He appealed to people to come to the meeting with a concrete action plan rather than mere criticism.

Padalkar also targeted the working of the Sangli District Central Cooperative Bank. He said the district bank was built with the money of farmer members, so its benefits should go to ordinary farmers and their families. He alleged that big borrowers get loans of crores of rupees, while ordinary farmers have to visit the bank repeatedly for loans. He also alleged that money was demanded in the bank's recruitment and demanded that hiring be on merit. The bank administration's side has not been heard on these allegations.

Padalkar demanded that the minimum salary of bank employees be raised to Rs 15,000. He also suggested a scheme paying Rs 1,000 a month as room rent to children of farmer members who stay in Sangli for education.

He also raised questions about cooperative sugar mills. He sought an explanation for the alleged deal to hand over the Jat sugar mill for about Rs 40 crore. He criticised the sale transactions of the Tasgaon and Nagewadi mills. He objected to a land deal linked to the Mangaon Cooperative Sugar Factory in Atpadi. He also alleged that Rs 20 lakh to Rs 30 lakh was taken from candidates in the district bank's recruitment.

Padalkar appealed for a grand festival in Pune on the birth anniversary of Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar. He demanded that the state government conserve the fort at Wafgaon, where Holkar was born, that the government take the fort over from a private organisation, and that a separate fort conservation committee be set up for it. He said a grand memorial worthy of Holkar should be built at the fort. He also demanded that the name of Veer Shibgroba Dhangar, who fought the British, be given to the Connecting Link, that a statue of senior leader Ganpatrao Deshmukh be installed in the Vidhan Bhavan premises, and that an Adarsh Aamdar award be started in his name.

Padalkar demanded that the Biroba shrine at Arewadi, the fair at Pattankodoli, the Biroba fair at Vashi and the Dhuloba shrine be given facilities on the lines of the Pandharpur yatra. He claimed that of a plan of about Rs 149 crore prepared earlier for developing the Biroba shrine area, the process of sanctioning Rs 109 crore through the state government's planning department is in its final stage. He also said Parande Baba, who plays an important role in the Pattankodoli fair, should be given police protection and the facilities he needs. He demanded a separate law for managing the Balumama temple, with a 21-member committee headed by someone from the shepherd community, and fair representation for the community on it.

Padalkar also demanded a Basaveshwar Corridor in the Maharashtra-Karnataka border area. He appealed to various sections of the community to organise and set up cooperative societies, labour societies and processing industries. He noted that political struggle alone is not enough for the community's economic progress and that building economic institutions is also important.