K’taka BJP protests against milk price hike, demands rollback
Bengaluru: The Karnataka unit of the BJP staged a protest in Bengaluru on Saturday demanding that the state government take back its decision to revise milk prices.
On June 25, the Congress government in Karnataka revised the price of milk by Rs 2, with an additional 50 ml of milk added to each pouch.
The revised rates came into effect from June 26.
BJP workers in large numbers gathered at Freedom Park with cows and raised slogans against the Congress government.
N. Ravikumar, BJP MLC and Chief Whip in the council, who led the protest, stated that the people are suffering after the price hike. The government must change its policies which would affect the farmers.
The government should start releasing Rs 4,000 to farmers under the Kisan Samman Nidhi which was stopped after the Congress came to power. Milk dues to the tune of Rs 957 crore are pending for the last eight months. They should be released immediately in the interest of farmers, Ravikumar demanded.
Seeds and fertilizer prices have also gone up. They should be made available to the farmers at cheaper prices, he underlined.
BJP MLC Chalawadi Narayanaswamy slammed the government for increasing the price of milk by giving additional quantity.
BJP Farmers’ Morcha president A.S. Patil Nadahalli asked whether customers had demanded 50 ml more milk in every packet? To defend the milk price hike, the government is placing arguments without any basis, he added.
After the decision to revise the milk price was taken on June 25, Karnataka Milk Federation president Bheema Naik had said, “We are charging Rs 2 additionally for the 50 ml extra milk which is going to be added to each packet.”
He said that there is no increase in the price of milk, the extra charge is for the 50 ml of milk being added to each pouch.