Uncertainty gripped the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which markets the Amul brand milk and its products, as 13 out of 16 members of its Board, representing district milk unions, reportedly passed a no-confidence resolution against their Chairman Vipul Choudhary at Anand on Thursday.

 

Later, talking to Business Line over telephone, Choudhary said Kheda District Milk Cooperative Union President Ramsinh Parmar had raised a point-of-order at the GCMMF Board meeting about the agenda. “I presided over the meeting, asked the Managing Director (R S Sodhi) to get the agenda approved by the Chairman and distribute it to the Board members. Thereafter, I adjourned the meeting,” he said, without confirming whether the majority of Board members had, indeed, passed a resolution against him.

 

However, both Choudhary and Parmar were not present when the resolution was passed, reports said.

 

Last month, these Board members had served a no-confidence notice against Choudhary in the wake of his meeting with Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi here. Choudhary, a former Congress leader and present Chairman of Mehsana Milk Union as well, had switched allegiance to the ruling BJP a few years ago but was seen warming up again with leaders of his former party.

 

According to reports, he did so as he was “eying” the chairmanship of National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) whose chief, Dr Amrita Patel, retired in November after remaining at the helm for 15 years. She was, however, given a three-month extension by the Union Government recently.

 

When member-unions revolted against him, Choudhary got a High Court stay on the no-confidence notice on the plea that there was no such provision in the law. However, the Board member met on Thursday and passed the resolution, saying that the court had not prohibited their meeting.

 

GCMMF had a turnover of over Rs 18,000 crore last year and is expected to cross Rs 20,000 crore this year.

 

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