Brahmagiri Development Society crisis: Employees, depositors to meet CPM leadership

Wayanad: The employees and the depositors to various projects of the cash-strapped Brahmagiri Development Society (BDS) will submit a memorandum to CPM state secretary MV Govindan who is expected to visit the district on Wednesday, a statement of the worker's collective said here.

Govindan is expected to participate in a discussion organised by the CPM district unit at Sulthan Bathery to finalise a solution for the sinking co-operative.

Months earlier, the CPM state secretariat had deputed Govindan and finance minister KN Balagopal to conduct an inquiry into the BDS crisis.

The workers would demand immediate release of the pending salary of employees for nine months, remitting the Provident Fund (PF) arrears and a revival package for the ailing Co-operative.

Brahmagiri Depositors Action Council president Murali LR told Onmanorara that with the visit at least they get a solution to the issue. There are depositors who are on the verge of suicide and there are many others who are struggling to make two ends meet as they had invested the total earning of their life in BDS considering its reliability as a CPM-backed co-operative entity, he added.

Meanwhile the Congress-led UDF camp, in a bid to cash in the crisis looming over BDS, has launched a series of agitations in the district. The Indian National Congress, front leader, had organized a protest march to the Malabar Meat plant complex of BDS at Manjadi near Sulthan Bathery, here, on Saturday.

The party demanded an immediate vigilance inquiry into the alleged financial irregularities of the co-operative. he protest turned violent when the large posse of police blocked the march with barricades in front of the factory gate. The agitation was organized by the Nenmeni and Cheeral Congress mandalam committees. DCC president ND Appachan inaugurated the march in the morning in which hundreds of Congress workers including women participated.

UDF constituent, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) also has announced a ‘People’s Protest Programme’ at Swathanthra Maidan, Sulthan Bathery, on Tuesday, demanding a CBI probe into the entire controversy.

The IUML district committee said in a press release that the party would continue the agitation till a CBI probe is ordered into the allegations. “Truth will come out only if an agency other than that controlled by the state government conducts an inquiry into the dark deals of the co-operative”, the release said.