AHMEDABAD: A storm is brewing across Gujarat’s powerful cooperative dairy sector, as internal rifts within the BJP have begun spilling out in the form of infighting, corruption, and violent altercations at top dairies.
From Baroda to Mehsana to Surat, one scandal after another is laying bare the deep-rooted political and financial rot within the state’s milk cooperatives.
The latest flashpoint is Surat’s Sumul Dairy, where a fierce power tussle between Chairman Mansingh Patel and Vice Chairman Raju Pathak has exploded over allegations that milk from Maharashtra was being illegally sourced, mixed, and sold through local co-operative societies.
According to dairy sources, the issue, which started over fines imposed on milk importers, escalated when Pathak allegedly tried to assault the MD during a heated board discussion.
Sumul Dairy Director Jayesh Patel (Delad) told The New Indian Express, “Investigations revealed that 25 co-operative societies across Surat and Tapi districts were caught red-handed sourcing milk from Maharashtra, storing it in chilling plants, and funneling it into Sumul Dairy through unregistered centres. Sumul had imposed a fine of Rs 3.25 crore on these milk firms.”
Now, with the Congress entering the battlefield, the issue has snowballed into a full-blown political controversy. Surat Congress leader Darshan Nayak has accused the Sumul board of corruption, written to the Chief Minister, and demanded action against notified societies involved in mixing cold, imported milk with local warm supplies. He’s also called for an immediate quality audit and board dismissal, citing earlier allegations of crores-worth corruption in Sumul Dairy.
When The New Indian Express reached out to Sumul Vice Chairman Raju Pathak for a comment, he curtly replied, “I am busy,” and declined to say anything further.
The BJP high command has taken note. Sources confirm that the party leadership has summoned Sumul’s chairman and vice chairman to Gandhinagar.
Orders have been issued to audit the rogue societies and take legal action against those found violating milk sourcing norms. The milk auditor has been tasked with investigating chilling plants and purchase centres operating outside the legal framework.
This turmoil in Sumul follows on the heels of two other explosive incidents in Gujarat’s dairy network:
In Baroda Dairy, BJP MLA Ketan Inamdar found a financial fraud where milk was being deposited in the names of deceased members. He wrote to top officials, including the Chief Minister and Cooperation Minister, triggering an internal probe and prompting the MD, Ajay Joshi, to resign.
Meanwhile, in Mehsana’s Dudhsagar Dairy, a board meeting on 27 June turned violent when Vice Chairman Yogesh Patel accused Chairman Ashok Chaudhary of slapping him during a heated discussion over expired milk powder stock.
The following day, Patel revealed that large quantities of spoiled powder were lying at the dairy’s Charada godown, forcing the chairman to face the media. Sources claim the root of this clash lies in a power struggle between two BJP heavyweights in Mehsana, allegedly backed by a state minister and a top BJP organisational leader.
Across Gujarat, cooperative dairies once seen as engines of rural prosperity are now marred by corruption, factional politics, and violent infighting, reflecting the deepening cracks within the BJP’s own ranks. As the state government scrambles to control the damage, the credibility of the dairy sector and the ruling party's grip over it is under severe scrutiny.