Reacting to the raging debate in the wake of government order delinking NCCT from NCUI, the government nominee to the apex co-op body(NCUI) Jyotindra Mehta said “what matters most for me is making ICMs and RICMs world class but things have yet to shape up in this direction.”
Trying to avoid courting any controversy Mehta said to Indian Cooperative “I am neither this side or that side; for me what is important is the excellence of co-op training institutes”, he said asking this correspondent if in his views ICMs have been up to the mark.
Unable to attend the Governing Council meeting of NCUI which took place last week in Bangalore due to his preoccupation with the RSS meeting in Nagpur Mehta said “I received two communications from NCUI.
In the first communication which I received much ahead of the GC meeting it was suggested that NCUI plans to take legal recourse in the matter. I gave a one-liner response and suggested that when the GC meeting is going to take place in a few days’ time it’s better to wait till then”, Mehta stated.
“Second communication that I received from NCUI contained agenda of the meeting along with the letter of Ministry delinking NCCT from NCUI. The agenda talked of various courses of action that NCUI proposes to take in the wake of the Ministry order but not even once does it talk of improving the training format currently in vogue.”, Mehta noted. “In my short reply, I requested them to also underline the need to improve our training modules so that the movement gets strengthened”, said Mehta.
Mehta, however, felt that it is better if a co-op institution is run by a professional body on a day to day basis. But so far as policy matters are concerned it is better to have a visionary leadership, Mehta summarized. He quoted the example of Amul and said it is successful partly because its daily operations are monitored by an expert team of professionals with little interference from the GCMMF Board members including the Chairman.
Known for his mild-manners and an unobtrusive leadership style Mehta has carried himself amiably with the other GC members of NCUI so far despite being from a different political school of thought. This development has brought him face to face with the established leadership of NCUI.
On the issue of a non-BJP group continuing to hold power in the NCUI, Mehta said that in co-operatives, political affiliation to a particular party does not matter as long as there is a commonality of interest of strengthening the co-operative movement.
“BJP would be there if it has enough strength to dominate the NCUI democratically; as of now I am not bothered and for me what matters is the focus of NCUI which should be nothing other than strengthening the co-op movement in the country, he said winding up a rather longish telephonic conversation.
