Cooperative issue is now under political shadow, leaders argue

KATHMANDU: Rastriya Janamorcha Chairman Chitra Bahadur KC has highlighted that political instability in the country casts a shadow over cooperative issues. 

During a programme organised on Saturday to address misappropriations of cooperative organisations' funds, KC emphasised that hundreds of thousands of people have suffered due to embezzlement of their deposits in these cooperatives. He attributed this unfortunate state to the prevailing political upheavals. KC urged both the public and political parties to exert pressure on stakeholders to tackle cooperative challenges, emphasising that a few individuals have misused the hard-earned money of the poor.

Addressing the programme, Ramesh Lekhak,  Chief Whip of Nepali Congress in the parliamentary party, described cooperative issues as a highly sensitive challenge. He pointed out that people have deposited billions of rupees in cooperative organisations, and raised serious concerns about the security of these deposits. Lekhak expressed concern about the involvement of public figures and state officials in the embezzlement of cooperative funds.

Dev Prasad Gurung, General Secretary of CPN (Maoist Centre), criticised the limited implementation of the cooperative concept in Nepal. He asserted that the true philosophy of cooperatives should lead toward socialism. He emphasised that cooperatives should focus on exporting goods through production rather than merely pursuing profit. He called for a strong stance against individuals involved in embezzling cooperative funds.

Constitutionalist Kashiraj Dahal highlighted the delayed resolution of cooperative sector issues by state mechanisms. He advocated for the establishment of a high-powered commission to address cooperative challenges. Meanwhile, Durga Poudel, Vice-chairperson of Rastriya Janamorcha, lamented that genuine cooperatives adhering to cooperative principles have also suffered due to the negative perception created by a few wrongdoers.

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