Former Congress MLA's Cotton Mill Secures State Guarantee Following BJP Switch
In a significant development highlighting political realignments in Maharashtra, the Jawahar Cooperative Cotton Mill in Dhule district, controlled by former Congress MLA Kunal Patil, is poised to receive a substantial restructuring loan of Rs 156.9 crore from the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC). This financial support comes months after Patil's high-profile switch from the Congress party to the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Cabinet Approval and Loan Recommendation
The Maharashtra cabinet, in its Tuesday meeting, formally cleared the proposal to recommend the mill for the restructuring loan under the state's scheme for modernizing and rehabilitating cooperative spinning mills. An official from the textiles department clarified that the state government has merely provided its recommendation for the loan and has not disbursed any funds directly from its treasury.
This move represents a notable shift in fortunes for the mill, which faced scrutiny from the Income Tax department in October 2023. At that time, Kunal Patil was serving as a Congress MLA and had been entrusted with managing the party's campaign in Lok Sabha constituencies across north Maharashtra and Vidarbha. The IT raid extended over nearly three days, though Patil subsequently asserted that the mill's audit had been completed without revealing any discrepancies.
Political Background and Family Legacy
Kunal Patil carries a significant political legacy as the son of veteran Congress leader late Rohidas Patil. His father received notable attention during the second leg of Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra, when the Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition visited the ailing leader and even made a call to Sonia Gandhi from his residence. Following Rohidas Patil's passing in September 2024, Kunal contested the 2024 Assembly elections on a Congress ticket but suffered defeat to BJP's Raghvendra Bhadane-Patil.
The political trajectory took a decisive turn in July 2025 when Kunal Patil made the strategic decision to join the BJP, setting the stage for the recent developments regarding his family's cotton mill.
Pattern of State Guarantees for Cooperative Mills
This instance is not isolated in Maharashtra's political landscape. The state government has previously extended similar guarantees for cooperative mills operated by political figures aligned with the ruling BJP:
- In July 2023, the government provided a guarantee for a loan amounting to Rs 548 crore from NCDC, benefiting sugar factories controlled by prominent BJP leaders including Ranjitsinh Mohite-Patil, Harshvardhan Patil, Dhananjay Mahadik, Abhimanyu Pawar, and Raosaheb Danve.
- Another substantial guarantee of Rs 436 crore was extended to mills associated with BJP politicians in April 2025.
The current recommendation for Kunal Patil's cotton mill thus fits within a broader pattern of state support for cooperative enterprises linked to political figures from the ruling establishment. The development underscores the complex interplay between political affiliations and economic benefits in Maharashtra's cooperative sector, particularly in the crucial textiles industry that forms a significant part of the state's rural economy.
