Maharashtra BJP Led Mahayuti Government Cooperative Ordinance Sparks Over 40,000 Farmers Protest Led By Congress Satej Patil In Kolhapur

Tens of thousands of cultivators filled the primary roads of Kolhapur, walking together with loud calls defending rural self rule. Over forty thousand village milk producers and field hands took part in the massive Sangharsh Morcha headed by senior Congress leader Satej Patil. Demonstrators carried banners and raised black flags to express strong public opposition to a recently enacted order by the Maharashtra state administration. The gathering stayed peaceful throughout the route, even as participants from far off villages gathered in large numbers to protect their local institutions from state capital interference.

The main cause of this widespread anger is an executive ordinance introduced by the BJP led Mahayuti government that directly changes how large cooperative bodies are managed. Under this controversial rule, the state cabinet has taken the power to place nominated expert members on the governing boards of cooperative institutions with large financial turnovers. Crucially, the change grants full voting power to these selected individuals. Local farming families view this step as an undemocratic move designed to alter majority control within bodies that have historically been guided entirely by elected directors.

At the center of the dispute stands the famous Kolhapur District Cooperative Milk Producers Union, widely recognized as the Gokul dairy. Gokul functions as the economic lifeline for hundreds of thousands of small producers across western Maharashtra. In the recent board elections, the Congress led alliance won thirteen out of twenty five seats, securing a majority against the twelve seats won by the Mahayuti alliance. When the ruling coalition in Mumbai cleared seats for government nominated directors inside Gokul with voting rights, Congress and opposition leaders claimed it was a direct effort to capture power through the back door.

Addressing the massive gathering in Kolhapur, Congress leader Satej Patil declared that cultivators will never allow outside rulers to seize control of bodies built through local sweat and savings. He explained that dairy factories, sugar mills, and rural credit banks were founded through decades of sacrifice by ordinary farming households. He criticized ruling coalition ministers for undermining cooperative autonomy, demanding that the authorities scrap the ordinance without delay. Prominent regional opposition figures, including Jayant Patil of the NCP Sharadchandra Pawar faction and farmer leader Raju Shetti, also joined the front lines to express solidarity.

The cooperative framework forms the basic foundation of the rural economy across Maharashtra. Village societies manage critical supply lines, distribute seed loans, run irrigation projects, and collect daily milk yields at protected baseline rates. When these societies are governed by members who win public ballots, directors remain directly accountable to their neighbors. Cultivators openly worry that directors selected by ruling party leaders in Mumbai will put political loyalty ahead of fair prices for milk and sugarcane.

The demonstration began from Dasara Chowk and stretched for several kilometers through town avenues toward the district collectorate. Elderly villagers walked side by side with young dairy workers, while some participants brought cattle along the march route to highlight the direct impact on agricultural households. Kolhapur residents and small business owners provided cold drinking water and food items to the walking crowds. Many villagers traveled overnight from distant talukas using tractors, public buses, and open carrier vehicles to ensure their voices were heard at the district center.

One elderly dairy producer at the gathering stated that his entire household income depends on the daily milk collections handled by the local society. He noted that every building and chilling unit owned by Gokul was funded through the modest contributions of village farmers over several decades. Allowing outside nominees appointed by the state government to make final decisions on budgets and payouts feels like a direct violation of their dignity and their democratic voting rights.

The demonstration featured speeches from several opposition parties and independent farm unions who pledged to expand the campaign across every district in Maharashtra. Speakers cautioned the ruling administration that if the notification is not taken back, similar rallies and road blockades will be organized outside cooperative commissioner offices in other major agricultural belts.

Leaders from the BJP led state government have defended the decree, stating that expert nominees help introduce modern corporate governance, technological upgrades, and better financial auditing into large cooperative enterprises. Agricultural leaders strongly disagree with that justification, arguing that existing laws already permit societies to hire certified specialists, technical advisers, and independent auditors without handing them voting power over elected directors.

City police personnel maintained heavy deployments along all protest points to direct traffic and preserve order. The organizers collaborated with ground authorities to ensure that patient ambulances and essential services continued moving through bypass streets. Observers commended the peaceful conduct of the vast crowd, noting that tens of thousands made their point firmly without any damage to public infrastructure.

The long procession concluded outside the Kolhapur district collectorate, where a delegation of farm leaders submitted a formal resolution directed to the state governor and cabinet leadership. The petition calls for the immediate withdrawal of the voting provisions given to nominated directors. Farmer representatives declared that if the administration fails to address their grievances, they will take the legal fight to the high court while continuing ground protests across the state.