Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Friday, 6 November launched a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing the ruling party of hypocrisy for organising nationwide 'Save Democracy' marches while simultaneously using administrative levers to override an election result at the Kolhapur District Cooperative Milk Producers' Union (Gokul Dairy). The broadside adds a new front to the growing political storm in Maharashtra over the state government's decision to nominate five directors with voting rights to the cooperative body.

The Gokul Dairy Controversy at the Heart of the Attack

The trigger for Thackeray's remarks was the fallout from the Gokul Dairy Board elections, in which a Congress-backed panel led by Satyajit Patil won 13 of 25 seats, narrowly defeating the BJP-backed panel, which secured 12 seats. Following the defeat, the state government moved to nominate five government directors with voting rights — a step widely criticised as an attempt to artificially tilt the board's majority.

'If you truly have such a strong desire to preserve the roots of democracy, then in the Gokul case, after your BJP panel's 12 members lost to Satyajit Patil's panel's 13 members getting elected, why did you immediately appoint 5 directors from the government and give them voting rights? What exactly are you trying to prove with that?' Thackeray asked.

Thackeray's Sharpest Jabs at the BJP

Thackeray did not hold back on mockery, comparing the BJP's 'Save Democracy' campaign to what he called the 'iconic KFC logo mascot campaigning to save chickens.' He argued that a party holding power at every level of government — from the Centre down to local bodies — cannot credibly pose as a defender of democratic values.

'The Bharatiya Janata Party is a truly bizarre party. Even though it is in power from top to bottom, it is still taking out marches to 'save democracy'. This must be the only example in the world where the ruling party takes out a march against the opposition,' he said.

The MNS chief also alleged that the BJP routinely stages protests to deflect from governance failures — marching to 'save the country from terrorism' after security lapses, or to 'save the economy' after financial instability. He closed with a pointed reminder: 'Whichever path you took to gain that majority, all the opposition parties endured it for 12 years — so now, if the people of this country are starting to lean toward the opposition parties, the BJP should learn to endure it as well.'

Congress Doubles Down, Rally Announced for 9 November

A day earlier, on Thursday, 5 November, Congress MLC Satej Patil had already attacked the Mahayuti government over the same decision, calling it a 'clear conspiracy to hand Gokul over to Amul.' Speaking at a press conference in Mumbai, Patil announced a mass protest rally on 9 November from Dasara Chowk to the Kolhapur District Collectorate.

'Just because the election results didn't go in your favour, you change the laws. If law changes were needed, they should have been made before the election. They claim they are appointing 'expert' directors — yet those very people were rejected by the voters. If they were truly experts, the public wouldn't have defeated them,' Patil said.

Government Defends Move, Citing Procedural Deadlock

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and Cabinet Minister Hasan Mushrif offered the government's counter-argument, insisting the intervention was necessary to prevent an institutional deadlock — not to manipulate the outcome. Under the cooperative body's bylaws, a quorum of 14 members is required to convene a meeting and elect the chairperson.

'The voters gave a very unusual verdict in the Gokul Dairy elections — 13 seats went to Congress and 12 seats to the Mahayuti alliance. Since 12 members remained absent, the quorum could not be met, preventing the chairman's election,' Mushrif stated. He argued that repeated adjournments would have triggered the appointment of an administrator under the Maharashtra Co-operative Societies Act, followed by fresh elections — an outcome he said would have harmed the interests of 5.5 lakh dairy farmers.

'Should we, as an opposition of 12 members, simply attend the meeting and help them appoint their chairman? That is not the mandate the public gave us,' Mushrif said, framing the government's move as a safeguard for elected representation rather than an override of it.

What This Means for Maharashtra's Political Landscape

The Gokul Dairy episode reflects a broader pattern in Maharashtra's cooperative sector politics, where dairy and sugar cooperatives have long been battlegrounds for factional power. The government's nomination of voting directors after an electoral loss is reminiscent of similar controversies in cooperative institutions across the state over the past decade. With a Congress-backed rally set for 9 November and both Thackeray and opposition leaders sharpening their rhetoric, the row is unlikely to fade quickly. How the state government navigates the legal challenge that Satej Patil has promised will be closely watched.