Bhatol’s journey from schoolteacher to chairman

In 2006,Parthi Bhatol created history by becoming the first-ever elected chairman of the GCMMF after Dr Verghese Kurien was forced to step down. Sixty-five-year old Bhatol has got this post for the second consecutive time. He had started his career as a primary school teacher,adding on experience as an LIC development officer for 24-odd years and spent 27 years in the co-operative sector. A matriculate,Bhatol has been heading the Banas Dairy for the last 18 years. He is also a member of other co-operative institutions in Palanpur. He claims to be politically neutral,pointing to his failed attempt to contest the assembly polls in 1995 as an Independent. His detractors,however,say he was present at Narendra Modi’s hunger strike in Ahmedabad over the Narmada issue.