Cong. sympathisers will withdraw deposits from cooperative banks if CPI(M) attempts to wrest their control, says Satheesan

Kozhikode DCC takes out protest march to District Police Chief’s office against the alleged police inaction during election at Chevayur Service Cooperative Bank

Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan has said that the Congress will direct its sympathisers to withdraw their deposits from cooperative banks in the future if the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] uses unfair methods to gain their control.

He said here on Tuesday that the party would continue its legal fight against the “undemocratic means” adopted by the ruling party to elect its nominees to the administrative board of the Chevayur Service Cooperative Bank. Mr. Satheesan was inaugurating a protest march to the office of the District Police Chief (Kozhikode City) against the alleged police inaction during the election held in November. The march was organised by the Kozhikode District Congress Committee (DCC).

Mr. Satheesan claimed that the party had supported the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government when allegations of corruption were raised against cooperative institutions such as the Karuvannur Service Cooperative Bank. “We did so considering the fact that a large number of middle class and poor people are dependant on such institutions. But, not any more. Because, we realised that the CPI(M) is trying to gain control of cooperative institutions through illegitimate means. In the past five years, the ruling party has usurped power in at least 21 banks in Pathanamthitta district which were earlier in our control,” he said.

Mr. Satheesan said that the party began responding to such tactics in its own way. “A large number of our depositors started withdrawing money from those institutions. Our game plan seems to have worked as the United Democratic Front has won the elections to three of those banks in the past two weeks,” he said. Mr. Satheesan said that if the Congress sympathisers withdrew their deposits from such banks, the whole system would collapse. Mr. Satheesan demanded that all those elected to the administrative body of the Chevayur bank be removed from their posts. The Congress would regain its control, he added.

‘Legal action planned’

K. Praveenkumar, Kozhikode DCC president, meanwhile, alleged that certain senior police officers had supported the CPI(M) to win the election to the Chevayur bank. He said that the Congress would pursue legal action against them.

Though the march was taken out from Mavoor Road to the District Police Chief’s office, the police stopped the Congress workers near the office of the Deputy Director of Education, by erecting barricades. A few Congress workers tried to cross over the barricades, but the party leaders dissuaded them. Later, the police used water cannons to disperse the workers. Leaders, including Mr. Praveenkumar, were arrested subsequently.

Published - December 03, 2024 07:12 pm IST