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Amit Shah in Anand: ‘One cannot deny the contribution of Dr Verghese Kurien, but the cooperative university has been aptly named after Tribhuvandas Patel'
Stating that the upcoming Tribhuvan Sahkari University (TSU) in Anand district in Gujarat would end the 'bhai-bhatija vaad' (nepotism) in the cooperative sector, Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Saturday addressed the controversy around naming the university after Tribhuvandas Patel. Shah said that the value system of Gujarat 'did not permit' sidelining the contributions of Dr Verghese Kurien, but naming the University after Tribhuvandas Patel was 'apt' and a 'fitting tribute' to the legacy of the father of the cooperative sector.
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…
— 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.
