Congress brought Amul to Karnataka, blaming BJP because it’s election time: Nirmala Sitharaman

Related: Asaduddin Owaisi speaks on Nandini-Amul row

‘Not against Karnataka’

“In India’s scheme of things, every state has its own milk cooperative. Karnataka’s Nandini — whoever doesn’t recognise it? Even now as I’ve come, I had Nandini milk, curd, peda… Of course in Delhi I’ll buy Amul. I represent Karnataka (but) in Delhi, if Nandini isn’t available, I’m mentally not a sanyasi to say I won’t drink milk if Nandini isn’t available. I still buy Amul. That’s not being against Karnataka,” Sitharaman said.

Strengthening Nandini and dairy farmers in Karnataka had never been a question, she said, adding that it would continue to happen.

Nandini too sold its products in other states such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh, just like other state dairies’ products are also available in Karnataka, she pointed out.

“Good competition I would say… The idea is therefore to strengthen India in every aspect. That’s why India became the world’s largest milk producer,” she said.

The minister was responding to a question regarding the Amul-Nandini controversy, during the interaction with Thinkers Forum, Karnataka, in Bengaluru.

Related: Nandini on Milma crosshairs for selling ‘fresh products’ in Kerala

‘Congress brought Amul’

Stating that to falsely and suddenly say Amul was being brought to kill Nandini was “brazen”, she said, “Amul entered Karnataka when there was a Congress government here. I’m not sure I should name the chief minister at that time. The same respected former chief minister is now questioning Amul’s entry. It was during his time Amul entered North Karnataka for marketing in those areas.”

She alleged: “This, strictly speaking, is tweaked, twisted, and made an emotional issue because it is election time.”

She added that “instead of building a healthy competition and a positive narrative” the issue was twisted, “and our farmers and women need not be brought into a political issue”.

Karnataka’s milk farmers need to be supported, Sitharaman said, giving credit to former Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa’s government for having raised the procurement price of milk for the first time. He gave ₹2 more per litre. Subsequent governments, too, did their bit.

“Again the current BJP government increased it to ₹5. So, support to milk-giving farmers will continue,” she said. Farmers and those engaged in animal husbandry are also given many other facilities by the Centre, she added.

Related: Point in the Amul-Nandini row is the question of federalism 

The Nandini-Amul controversy

Ever since Amul announced its launch of fresh milk and curd in the Bengaluru retail market, farmers, leaders of Opposition parties, and activists alike in Karnataka have accused the Gujarat-based dairy cooperative of violating an unwritten understanding between cooperatives not to compete in each other’s market for daily consumption products.

When South First reported about the brewing concerns in Karnataka on 6 April — a day after Amul announced its launch in the Bengaluru retail market with milk and curd — neither political parties nor TV news channels took notice of what it was leading to.

While on the ground pro-Kannada outfits are protesting against Amul, deeming its entry into Bengaluru’s milk and curd market an attempt to “finish off Nandini”, Opposition party leaders from the Congress and JD(S) have turned it into a matter of Kannada pride and identity ahead of the 10 May Karnataka Assembly election, putting the BJP on the back foot.

The Congress also accused the BJP of forcing cooperation between dairy cooperatives to eventually control them.

Since cooperatives are clearly under the state list as per the Constitution, the Congress’s Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka and AICC Communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh has alleged that the BJP was forcing cooperation between state-run cooperatives in a “brazen move” to control the cooperative societies in various states.

(With PTI inputs)