GCMMF chief Bhatol to continue Kurien's pro-farmer policies

Palanpur, Apr 27 (UNI) The newly elected chairman of Rs 3,600 crore Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) Parthibhai Bhatol today expressed his resolve to continue to pursue the founder-chairman Verghese Kurien's pro-farmer policies during his two-and-half-year term.

Addressing his first informal press briefing here after taking charge of GCM , Mr Bhatol said: ''I'll try my level best to prove myself worthy of people's expectations who have reposed confidence in me.'' ''I am a son of the soil and would continue to work for the prosperity of the farmers in the larger interest of the milk producers,'' he added.

''During my 15 years' tenure as the chairman of Banas Dairy,'' he said, ''people have seen my achievements and failures too. The dairy has moved up from the fourth position in 1981 to second position, with the active support of the people of the Banaskantha district,'' he said.

When asked about his stability, GCMMF chief said, ''There is no obvious threat to my present position. I was backed by seven out of the 11-member electoral body. If the remaining four were absent, it was not our fault. It was their sweet will. How can we check them!'' Referring to the chairman of the Gandhinagar-based Mother Dairy, who could not vote due to some legal barrier, Mr Bhatol said that he could now vote after the High Court verdict, which came today (Thursday) and has rather extended that his support to me.

He claimed that he has all along been a non-political person and said: ''As long as I am in the saddle I will not join any political party. I will continue to remain a farmer and will always be loyal to my farmer-colleagues, and will do every thing in their best interst.'' Mr Bhatol refuted the suggestion his election was made on political grounds. If it was so, he said, some person from ruling party could have better chances of being elected. The three chairmen of Surat, Sabarkantha and Godhra dairies are known to be closer to ruling BJP as they are the members of the party.

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