Amit Shah in Anand: ‘One cannot deny the contribution of Dr Verghese Kurien, but the cooperative university has been aptly named after Tribhuvandas Patel'
Speaking from the dais at the Anand Agricultural University after laying the foundation stone of TSU, Shah said he had been told that Congress leaders had arrived to protest against the naming of the university as 'Tribhuvan'.
Shah said, 'I want to tell the Congress leaders from this stage that the university is not named Tribhuvan after any (Hindu) god, but it is named after Tribhuvandas Kashidas Patel. I have no hesitation in saying that since the university has transparency, accountability, expertise, and discipline along with the values of cooperatives in its foundation, no one else, except Tribhuvandas, represents these better. The Congress leaders did not even know that Tribhuvandas Patel was not a leader of my party (BJP), but he belonged to the Congress party of that time. My party (BJP) was not even formed at that time…
'त्रिभुवन सहकारी यूनिवर्सिटी' सहकारिता के प्रति मोदी जी के समर्पण और दृढ संकल्प का प्रतीक है। गुजरात के आणंद में देश के पहले राष्ट्रीय सहकारी विश्वविद्यालय 'त्रिभुवन सहकारी यूनिवर्सिटी' के भूमि पूजन समारोह से लाइव… https://t.co/bcLA7aK4q5
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) July 5, 2025
'He is the same Tribhuvandas, who, under the guidance of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, sowed the seeds of a new thought (of cooperatives) on this very soil in order to take on the autocratic Polson Dairy. A small milk collection unit became the base of a massive movement. In 1946, Kheda District… was born, and today the seed sown by Tribhuvandas has turned into a massive banyan tree that encompasses 36 lakh women running a business of over Rs 80 crores, without investing more than Rs 100 into it… It was Tribhuvandasji who took on the task of creating a strong cooperative unit to challenge Polson Dairy's exploitative means. Today, the Amul brand is among the most valuable brands in the world's FMCG sector.'
The Union home minister said that Tribhuvandas's vision has ensured that the cooperative sector is competing with private brands globally. Shah further said, 'He burned like a lamp to strengthen the cooperative sector, and when he resigned on his own as the director of Amul, the six lakh women who were attached to the cooperative contributed Re 1 to gift him the sum. He used the money to create the Tribhuvan Foundation.
'It was his vision that has ensured that our cooperative dairy is standing tall against the several private dairies of the world. The cooperative model has emerged as a winner among the world's MNCs. It was the vision of Tribhuvandasji that prompted (then prime minister) Lal Bahadur Shastri to turn it into NDDB (National Dairy Development Board)…'
Addressing allegations of downplaying the legacy of Dr Kurien, Shah said, 'They say that there is a big contribution of Kurien sahab. The contribution of Kurien sahab is well known; no one can deny it. The value system of Gujarat does not permit us to forget the contributions of Kurien sahab. Those who are speaking about it are the ones who did nothing for his centenary celebrations. It is Amul that is celebrating the centenary year of Dr Verghese Kurien. It was Tribhuvandas Patel who had sent Kurien sahab to the Netherlands to study and backed him in the progress of the cooperative…
'Tribhuvandas Patel presented an example of what effect it can have on nation-building if a cooperative leader, who thinks about the progress of all, works towards the goal. He did it on this land, and this is where the university is being established. The decision to name the university after Tribhuvandasji is definitely an apt one… (Narendra) Modiji has truly paid a tribute to the legacy of Tribhuvan Kaka.'
Shah added that the Ministry of Cooperation, which completes four years on Sunday, has undertaken 60 new initiatives since its inception on July 6, 2021.
Stating that the TSU would ensure the end of nepotism and help 'fill the vacuum' that had compressed the potential of cooperatives, Shah said, 'TSU is the much-needed initiative to overcome the shortcomings that exist in the movement of cooperation… The cooperative movement is growing at a fast pace, with over 30 crore members – which means every fourth person in the country is attached to it. But the backbone of the development of this movement is the employees and the members of the cooperative committees, who need to be trained and updated… I want to remind that initially people were employed in cooperatives and then trained, but now this university will ensure and is preparing for times when only those people will be employed in the cooperative sector, who have studied and trained in the field…
'Now, you will not like what I say next, but this (university) will ensure that the bhai-bhatija vaad in the cooperative sector will end. Only those who graduate from the cooperative university will get jobs in the cooperative sector, which will increase transparency. Different technically advanced courses will be introduced – this will include accounting and scientific methods as well as marketing strategies, but, most importantly, the graduates will learn the values of cooperation. This is a movement for the poor man of the country, for the Dalits and the tribals.'
TSU will be built on a 125-acre plot at a cost of Rs 500 crore, Shah said. From the dais, Shah also urged the Gujarat government to adopt the lessons of the cooperative sector in the state board syllabus, like the CBSE has done.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
33 minutes ago
- Hans India
42 pc BC quota issue takes centerstage ahead of Telangana local body polls
Hyderabad: All key political players in Telangana are vying with each other to capitalise on the reservation for backward classes (BCs) in the run-up to local body elections in the state. With the High Court recently directing the state government to conduct panchayat polls within three months, the ruling Congress and opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are going all out to take mileage from the BC reservation issue. Both Congress and BRS are trying to mount pressure on BJP's state leadership to secure approval from the Centre for two BC reservation bills passed by the state legislature, providing 42 per cent reservation for BCs in education, jobs and local bodies. The BJP, however, has launched a counter-attack saying the responsibility to implement BC reservations lies with the state government. Telangana Jagruthi president and BRS MLC K. Kavitha's call for 'Rail Roko' on July 17 to mount pressure on the BJP to secure Presidential assent for the BC bills and AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge's reported direction to the Congress government to go for local body elections only after implementing 42 per cent BC reservations as promised have heated up politics over the issue. Kavitha, daughter of BRS president and former chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, tried to take political advantage by dashing off a letter to Kharge on his visit to Hyderabad on July 4. She urged the Congress chief to conduct local body polls only after implementing the poll promise of a 42 per cent quota. She questioned the silence of top Congress leaders, including Kharge and the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, on the BC reservation. Kavitha also asked Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy as to why he was not leading an all-party delegation to the Centre to press for finalisation of the BC reservation issue. Telangana Congress president Mahesh Kumar Goud questioned the credibility of Kavitha. "The tone and tenor of the letter is quite strange from a person who never spoke a word on BC quota when she was an MP and MLC when her father was the Chief Minister for nearly 10 years," said Goud. Kharge virtually launched the Congress campaign for local body polls on July 4 by addressing a meeting of the party's village, mandal and district-level presidents and other party functionaries. He vowed to continue the fight to make the Centre agree to 42 per cent BC reservation. Kavitha sent another letter to the newly appointed state president of the BJP, Ramchander Rao, to secure the Centre's nod for BC reservation bills. She pointed out that it has been a long time since the bills were sent for Presidential approval, but there has been no progress. "If BJP is truly committed to the cause of OBCs, must act now. It's the responsibility of Mr Ramchander Rao to get the bills cleared by the Centre," she said. Meanwhile, BJP state chief Rao challenged the Congress party to implement its promise of 42 per cent reservation for backward classes ahead of the local body polls if it truly believed in social justice. Citing legal issues involved, Rao suspects the sincerity of the State government in implementing the 42 per cent reservation. "The Congress government would have consulted legal experts before passing the bills if it were committed to the welfare and advancement of the BCs," he said. Telangana Assembly, on March 17, unanimously passed two bills to enhance reservations for BCs to 42 per cent in education, employment and elections to rural and urban local bodies. Telangana Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (reservation of seats in educational institutions and of appointments or posts in services under the State) Bill 2025 and The Telangana Backward Classes (Reservation of seats in Rural and Urban Local Bodies) Bill 2025 were adopted by the Assembly. The bills enhanced reservations for BCs from the existing 25 per cent in education and employment and 23 per cent in local bodies. This was the major promise made by Congress in the 'BC declaration' announced in the Assembly elections held in 2023. As enhancing BC reservations to 42 per cent will breach the 50 per cent Supreme Court ceiling for the overall quota for all sections, the bills passed by the state Assembly require the Centre's approval. Revanth Reddy on March 17 wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking time to meet him along with leaders of all political parties on enhancing reservations to BCs. The Chief Minister sought an appointment to meet the Prime Minister along with leaders of Congress, BJP, AIMIM, and CPI. The Congress has been urging the state BJP leaders to persuade Prime Minister Modi to include in the 9th Schedule of the Constitution of India the bills passed by the Telangana Assembly. With "no response" from the Centre, the Congress party is planning to fix the BC reservation at 42 per cent based on the caste survey by exercising the powers under Article 243D (6) of the Constitution. The state government is consulting Constitutional experts and also sought the law department's opinion. Political observers say by enhancing the BC quota by exercising its Constitutional powers, Congress will go to the polls claiming credit for the hike in the BC reservation. The issue of BC reservation hit the spotlight after the Congress government conducted a caste survey, which revealed that BCs constitute 56.33 per cent (including 10 per cent BC Muslims). Backward groups among Muslims currently enjoy 4 per cent reservations in education and employment. They are categorised as BC (E). (Mohammed Shafeeq can be contacted at [email protected])
Time of India
34 minutes ago
- Time of India
TPCC scrambles for truce as Warangal Congress rift deepens; crisis ahead of panchayat polls
HYDERABAD: Factional feuds within the Warangal unit of the ruling Congress are threatening to snowball into a full-blown crisis, just ahead of the crucial panchayat elections scheduled for Aug. At the centre of the unrest is a bitter standoff between endowments minister Konda Surekha and her husband and senior leader Konda Murali on one side, and a group of party MLAs, MLCs, and senior district leaders on the other. The internal strife has reached the Telangana Congress' disciplinary action committee, which is now working to broker peace before the party's poll preparations are derailed in the politically sensitive district. While the committee has already heard both the sides-albeit in separate sittings-it is now likely to summon the warring factions for a face-to-face meeting in a final attempt to resolve the dispute amicably. Bid to defuse crisis If the committee fails to bring about a truce, it will escalate the matter to the TPCC leadership, which may then seek intervention from the AICC, given that a sitting minister and multiple elected representatives are involved. Congress MLAs Naini Rajender Reddy, KR Nagaraju, Revuri Prakash Reddy, and Gandra Satyanarayana Rao, along with MLC Basavaraju Saraiah, Warangal town Congress committee president Errabelli Swarna, and KUDA chairman Enagala Venkatram Reddy, submitted formal complaints to the party, alleging 'unilateralism and high-handed behaviour' by the Konda couple. They also accused the duo of sidelining party MLAs, MPs, and MLCs, and making decisions without consultation-damaging the image and internal cohesion of the party in the district. In a show of strength, Murali appeared before the disciplinary committee with a large group of supporters and presented his version of events to vice-chairman A Shyam Mohan. He was later served a show-cause notice and asked to submit a written explanation. Despite the committee's intervention, tensions have only escalated. Murali made a statement claiming he had spent 70 crore in the last elections, funding it by selling 16 acres from a total of 500 acres he owns. He added that his political journey had always been a battle against upper caste dominance and reaffirmed his commitment to the political empowerment of BCs. Speaking to TOI, Shyam Mohan said, "All of them are our own party leaders. Some differences have cropped up, and we want to strike a truce by eliminating misunderstandings. This matter involves MLAs, MLCs, and a senior minister, and we aim to resolve it after a thorough inquiry." Sources said that the TPCC leadership is equally keen to defuse the crisis before the panchayat poll notification is issued. With Congress eyeing strong grassroots consolidation, any visible internal discord could weaken its position on the ground-especially in districts like Warangal, where the stakes are high, party insiders said.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Beyond permitted period: Supreme Court seeks removal of ex-CJI Chandrachud from official residence 'without further delay'; writes to Centre
Ex-CJI DY Chandrachud (File photo) NEW DELHI: In an unprecedented move, the Supreme Court administration has written to the Centre seeking possession of the official residence of the Chief Justice of India (CJI) at the Krishna Menon Marg in the national capital. In a July 1 letter to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), the apex court administration noted that the current occupant of the residence, former CJI DY Chandrachud, has stayed beyond the permissible period. Justice Chandrachud took over as the country's 50th chief justice in November 2022 and retired two years later. The current CJI, BR Gavai, is the 52nd chief justice, and took over this May. The Supreme Court administration requested the MoHUA secretary to take possession of Bungalow No. 5, Krishna Menon Marg, "without any further delay," so that returned to the court's housing pool. The permission granted to Chandrachud to retain the accommodation expired on May 31. Under Rule 3B of the Supreme Court Judges (Amendment) Rules, 2022, a retired Chief Justice of India can retain type VII bungalow, a level below the 5, Krishna Menon Marg bungalow, for a maximum period of six months post-retirement. Ex-CJI Sanjiv Khanna, who succeeded Justice Chandrachud, chose not to move into the official accommodation during his six months post-retirement tenure. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 새로 나온 "실손보험" 최적가 비교가입! "월 보험료 줄이고, 보장은 실속있게"... 굿리치 [등록번호:제2006038313호] Undo Even incumbent CJI BR Gavai opted to continue living in a previously allotted bungalow. On December 18 last year, Justice Chandrachud had written to then-CJI Khanna, requesting his permission to continue residing in the 5, Krishna Menon Marge residence till April 30, 2025, saying although he has been allotted Bungalow No. 14 on Tughlak Road in accordance with 2022 rules, renovation work at the new residence was going on. Then-CJI Khanna gave his nod, pursuant to which MoHUA approved the retention of the type VIII bungalow at Krishna Menon Marg by Justice Chandrachud from December 11, 2024, to April 30, 2025 on payment of licence fees of around Rs 5,000 per month. The ministry conveyed the approval to the Supreme Court administration by a letter of February 13, 2025. Subsequently, Justice Chandrachud made an oral request to then CJI Khanna to continue residing in the same residence till May 31, 2025, which was also approved by the then CJI with a condition that no further extension would be granted. The July 1 letter of apex court administration flagged the breach of both the timelines and the legal framework, and said the Krishna Menon Marg residence was permitted due to "special circumstances." The communication of this nature to the government is a rarity for vacating the official CJI residence that too from an ex-CJI. According to government sources, in the past, several former CJIs have been informally granted extension to stay in the official residence for a limited time of two months, till they make appropriate arrangements for their accommodation post retirement. Sources confirm that Justice Chandrachud in his earlier communications has informed the apex court about the delay in moving out of the 5, Krishna Menon Marg residence in view of making the Tughlak Road Bungalow liveable for his family especially his two daughters with special needs, who are undergoing treatment at AIIMS. Sources also confirm that Justice Chandrachud has written to then CJI Khanna in April informing him that he was in process of shortlisting of an accommodation in accordance with the special needs of his daughters and urged extension of time for vacating the official residence till June 30.
