Farmers' groups protest in Kozhikode over dissolution of Malabar Milma board

Pro-Left farmers' organisations held separate protests in Kozhikode on Wednesday against the dissolution of the board of the Malabar Regional Cooperative Milk Producers' Union (MRCMPU), known as Malabar Milma, even as the union's annual general body meeting took place in the city.

The Dairy Development Director recently issued an order dissolving the MRCMPU, a regional union under the Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (Milma). The Deputy Director of Dairy Development in Wayanad has been appointed its administrator. Milma has three regional unions in Keralam; the Thiruvananthapuram union was also dissolved some time ago.

The Kerala Karshaka Sangham, the State unit of the All-India Kisan Sabha, took out a march to the Calicut Trade Centre, the venue of the general body meeting. Inaugurating the protest, Sangham State vice-president M. Mehboob alleged that the V.D. Satheesan-led United Democratic Front government in Keralam was trying to assist the BJP in its attempts to capture the cooperative sector.

Describing the dissolution as a "mischievous act", he said no irregularities had been reported in the union's functioning as claimed by the government. The dissolved board had launched several initiatives for the welfare of dairy farmers and their cooperative societies, he said. Mr. Mehboob alleged that the dissolution was part of a "BJP-UDF deal" and that Mr. Satheesan had become subservient to the BJP. K.S. Mani, chairman of the outgoing board, and former MLA K.P. Kunhammedkutty were present.

Earlier, Sangham activists raised slogans outside the meeting venue, and some delegates at the annual general body meeting expressed solidarity with them from inside the premises. Police personnel were deployed in the area ahead of the meeting.

At a separate protest outside the office of the Deputy Director of Dairy Development, Kisan Sabha leader Sathyan Mokeri condemned the dissolution as an "anti-democratic move with a political motive". No inquiry had been conducted into the alleged irregularities, he said. CPI district secretary P. Gavas and others were present.