‘Bank dissolution is politically motivated’

The state labour minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) legislator from Kolhapur, Hasan Mushrif, on Monday warned of a severe backlash from the rank and file of the party if the Congress
continues to harass the NCP leadership.

Talking to reporters in Kolhapur, Mushrif described the dissolution of the board of directors of Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) as ‘politically motivated’ and an attempt to corner the NCP leadership.

“I have already told the NCP high command that the party workers are seething with rage after the RBI’s action. The anger of NCP workers against the Congress is on the rise,” he claimed.

The central bank had recently dissolved the board and appointed administrators for the bank following its dire financial condition. The NCP leadership, including its chief Sharad Pawar, had expressed annoyance over the decision.

Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, who was a prominent board member of the bank, had also lashed out against the Congress for targeting NCP, besides describing the RBI’s action as politically motivated.

“Contrary to what is being projected by the RBI, the bank has been performing well under the present board of directors. There is not a single case of misappropriation of money of that bank,” Mushrif claimed.

“The Congress is maligning the image of Pawar family. No NCP worker would tolerate it,” he said.