Congress demands early polls for cooperative societies in Raj

Blaming Rajasthan government for spoiling cooperative system by appointing administrators, Congress today asked Governor Kalyan Singh not to clear an amendment bill on Rajasthan Cooperative Societies Act 2001, and demanded that cooperative polls be held soon.
In this context, a delegation of Pradesh Congress Committee led by president Sachin Pilot accompanied by senior party leaders Dr B D Kalla, Dr Chandrabhan, Parsadi Lal Meena and Ramlal Jat submitted a memorandum to the Governor here.
Pilot told reporters here that the BJP government, through the amendment which was passed in the House without any debate, placed "administrator" in cooperative societies even without completion of elected cooperative body in the state.

He said Congress has urged the Governor to direct state government to hold free and fair cooperative polls in the shortest time whereever administrators were occupying top posts.
A number of Congress's chairmen of cooperative societies were replaced by administrators before expiry of their terms, and this process needs be checked, PCC Chief said.
By the amendment, which is pending with the Governor for clearance, the state government was acting arbitrarily by appointing adminstrators which would damage the spirit of cooperative movement, he alleged.
Congress in its memorandum urged the Governor not to accord his sanction to the bill.
On a question, Pilot said there was no monitoring on the rising prices of pulses as their prices were hitting Rs 230 per kg, especially for Arahar dal. The state government should make arrangement for cheap sale of this very pulse consumed by every family in the society, he added.