Parthi Bhatol becomes GCMMF chairman

Anand, Apr 26 (UNI) Banas Dairy chairman Parthi Bhatol was today unanimously elected the chairman of the Rs 3,600 crore Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), the largest dairy co-operative and food products marketing organisation in India.

The election of Mr Bhatol was announced by district Collector D G Jhalawadia after four out of 12 members present in the GCMMF board meeting staged a noisy walkout protesting the State Government's alleged interference in the election of chairman to the co-operative body.

Mr Bhatol, who has been in the GCMMF board for the last 15 years for heading the Banaskantha District Co-operative Milk Producers' Union, succeeded the 'milkman of India', Dr Veghese Kurien, who had been the chairman of the federation since its inception in 1973.

For the first time in the 33-year-old history of the federation, an election to the post of chairman of GCMMF was necessitated following the resignation of Dr Kurien on March 20, in the wake of a rebellion in the board against him.

Expressing his concern over the manner in which the new GCMMF chairman was elected, Dr Kurien, who has been recently appointed as the first Chancellor of the Allahabad University, said, ''Politics and business should not be mixed.'' The four members, who walked out of the board meeting were Amul Dairy chairman Ramsinh Parmar, Dudhsagar Dairy chairman Vipul Chaudhary, Baroda Dairy chairman Narendra Patel and Rajkot Dairy chairman Govind Ranparia.

The disgruntled members, two of whom--Ramsinh and Vipul--were the front-runners for the post till last night, took serious exception to the alleged Gujarat Government's interference in the matter and the decision of some members to elect Mr Bhatol as chairman without taking them into confidence.

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