Lord Diljit Rana, a noted philanthropist and a leading Indian business tycoon in the UK, was elected as the interim president of the GOPIO International following the impeachment and expulsion of Ashook Ramsaran at the Diaspora body's general council meeting held in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. The general council meeting of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin, presided over by Sunny Kulathakal, GOPIO executive vice president, also accepted the resignation of Dr Piyush Agrawal from his position as senior vice president.
The council meeting, attended by 44 life members and chapter representatives of the voluntary and not-for-profit organisation, including former presidents and other senior founding members, declared the formation of the executive council of GOPIO null and void as it violated constitutional norms, and elected an ad hoc executive committee.
Lord Rana, a leading hotelier and businessman from Northern Ireland, had served as GOPIO president from 1999 to 2004. Following the general council meeting, the newly formed executive council met under Lord Rana and decided to remove Munish Gupta from the position of GOIPO international coordinator and from his role as liaison officer with the Government of India. The move was in consideration of a letter from Founding Chairman Dr Thomas Abraham advising to keep the K.N. Gupta family members away from the organisation's activities due to their alleged involvement in Saradha Chit Fund scandal involving crores of rupees.
The general council meeting, traditionally held every year immediately before the opening of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, also decided to reinstate the Toronto Chapter of GOPIO International, which was hastily dismissed in violation of the bye law stipulation of a minimum 30-day notice. The meeting also entrusted the newly formed executive council to regularly monitor the compliance status and operations of all chapters of the organisation that was founded in 1989 as the foremost global networking of more than 28 million Indian Diaspora.
In consideration of an impeachment notice served against Ramsaran on 28th October 2014, the council members deliberated at length the various acts of commissions and omissions of Ramsaran, including his various acts of non-compliance with GOPIO Charter and lack of transparency and non-accountability in financial management during his tenure before voting (35-4) to oust him from the position of president with immediate effect.
The meeting decided to inform all government institutions and authorities about Ramsaran's expulsion to ensure that he does not represent GOPIO in any official capacity. Since and Dr Agrawal had resigned, a similar impeachment notice served against him was not considered. It was also decided that the next international council meeting to be held in one of the Gulf.
The meeting proposed the formation of an International Finance Committee and the post of Honorary Treasurer with immediate effect to ensure compliance with all existing US, EU and international financial requirements, regulations and laws as well as all regulations on transfer of money from registered charity accounts. The meeting also entrusted the finance committee to investigate and report any such regulatory violation that might have occurred recently or in the past to the appropriate authorities in respective countries without any delay.
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