The Congress on Thursday staged a walkout from the assembly over amendments brought in by the government to the Gujarat Cooperative Societies Act. They had demanded that the amendments be pulled back.
Congress said that the amendments were nothing but an effort to privatize cooperatives in the society. Congress MLA Virji Thummar said that institutions like Amul were the results of a strong cooperative movement in Gujarat. "The amendments allow the government to conduct elections in cooperative bodies. Earlier this was done by the collector of the respective district. If the election was not conducted properly, the collector could also be suspended. Now, there is no one to keep an eye on what the state does," said Thummar.