Opposition leaders, however, said the move was to “hijack the cooperative movement” that currently falls under the State governments. “They [the BJP] want total control of the cooperative movement across the country and that’s why they have made Amit Shah in charge of the Ministry. How can they create a ministry without an Act of Parliament, “ Mr. Chennithala, a sitting lawmaker from Kerala, said. Ministry of Cooperation will require an Act of Parliament to be notified, as cooperatives in Maharashtra are under a State Act of 1960, but it will be very beneficial if the cooperative movement spreads across the country,” he stated. Senior BJP leaders said that a growing grass roots cooperative sector, facilitated by the Central government, would uproot some “political monopolies and old shibboleths”.

Source: The Hindu July 09, 2021 11:15 UTC