In a dramatic turn of events India lost its ICA Board membership to Iran in the election conducted during General Assembly meeting in Cancun in Mexico on Friday.
Much heat was generated when NCUI President Chandra Pal announced his candidature, represented earlier by Iffco nominee Sriniwas Gowda. Chandra Pal withdrew later and told Indiancooperative.com that cooperative leaders had advised him to withdraw in support of Iffco candidate Sriniwas Gowda as it was not a regular election.
Things were smooth for Iffco’s candidate this far. But once the genie of the NAFED scam was out of the bottle everything went topsy-turvy. Sriniwas Gowda who along with several others figured prominently in the scam was recently issued recovery orders by the Central Registrar R K Tiwary.
Some of the names of present and former Directors whom recovery notices have been served along with Sriniwasa Gowda are Mr Bijender Singh, present Chairman, Mr C V Holkar, present Director, Nagar Dalli, former Director,Mr Makker former Director from Punjab. There are two former ministers from Karnataka in the list.
Dismayed at the development, the consensus candidate from India Sriniwas Gowda bowed out of race on moral grounds. It was a setback for Iffco. Barely able to cover up the disappointment, Director Cooperative Relation at Iffco Dr G N Saxena said on phone to Indian Cooperative “We are happy that he has set a glorious precedent by opting out”.
But things have really been bad for India as none of its candidates could get on the board of international forum. “There was no time and developments at Nafed coincided with the ICA Board election that we could do nothing”, said Saxena when it was pointed out that it had been better had everybody agreed to support Chandra Pal’s candidature.