A Kerala cooperative bank run entirely by CPM members discovered that a one-party board eliminates the inefficiency of having anyone around to ask uncomfortable questions about where the money went.
The Adoor Service Cooperative Bank in Pathanamthitta, Kerala, has achieved something remarkable: a board composed entirely of CPM members that allegedly siphoned ₹75 lakh from depositors with zero internal dissent. The highlight reel includes ₹30 lakh silently withdrawn from a depositor's account without their knowledge, interest magically redirected to other accounts, and loans issued using forged documents with proceeds allegedly shared among local leaders. Bank president Ponthamara Pillai — wife of former CPM state committee member and ex-MLA R. Unnikrishnan — resigned on March 23, just hours before a no-confidence motion was scheduled. The cooperative movement, originally designed to protect people from predatory banking, has once again proven it can be predatory banking with extra steps and party meetings.