India, Nov. 8 -- Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday defended his government's decision to amend the Maharashtra Cooperative Societies Act, saying the move was necessitated by the "legal impasse" over the election of the Kolhapur District Cooperative Milk Producers' Union's chairperson.

Fadnavis claimed that the government had no interest in taking control of the cooperative, popularly known as the Gokul Cooperative, and was merely trying to resolve the statutory deadlock. Meanwhile, Congress leader Satej Patil said he would go ahead with the November 9 protest rally against the government's manoeuvre, which was directly "trampling on the mandate of farmers".

The so-called impasse occurred after the panel backed by the Mahayuti...