: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State leadership is reported to be confused over its stance on the curbs imposed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on the financial transactions in cooperative banks.
While a group of the leaders, mainly State president Kummanam Rajasekharan and national executive member V. Muraleedharan, have raised serious objections about the functioning of the banks and societies in the State and accused them of turning havens for harbouring black money, another prominent section of leaders active in the cooperative sector are understood to have tacitly expressed their reservations about making sweeping comments without gauging its impact on the rank and file of the party, who are also beneficiaries of the cooperative sector.
The party has major stakes in 49 major banks and also a number of cooperative societies that are active in different realms such as welfare of women and traditional workers and agriculture development and marketing, among others.
Except in Kollam, Alappuzha, Idukki and Palakkad, the party has already cast its impact in the cooperative sector, but not as significant as in the case of the rival fronts, the United Democratic Front (UDF) and Left Democratic Front (LDF).
Sources in the cooperative sector told The Hindu here that the BJP wields absolute control over 14 banks in Kasaragod district, eight in Kannur, six in Thiruvananthapuram, two each in Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Thrisur, and Kozhikode and one each in Wayanad, Malappuram, and Ernakulam.
In addition to these are a host of societies formed for welfare of different sections. The total funds wielded by the banks has been pegged at Rs.1,222 crore, the highest of Rs.560 crore in Thiruvananthapuram, followed by Rs.142 crore in Wayanad.
Party sources said the State committee had not yet crystallised its stance on the RBI decision on cooperatives and the stray objections had given rise to concern among those managing the banks and societies as well as the camp followers of the party who were actively associated with the societies.
Much more than the financial transactions, the societies have also reportedly played a pivotal role in bringing together workers and sympathisers and also reaching out to families and its impact had reflected in the local government elections, mainly in Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod.
Some of the senior leaders are understood to have expressed their opposition in this score to the State leadership too. They are learnt to be advocated a more matured approach and sought a united stance than making stray comments.
