The Congress government in Karnataka appears to be in damage control mode after coming under fire for raising the prices of milk and curd. In an attempt to justify the hike, the government has placed advertisements in newspapers, claiming that Nandini dairy products remain the most affordable compared to several other states.
The Congress government is already facing severe criticism for raising bus fares and metro fares earlier this year.
On Sunday, March 30, KMF placed ads in newspapers which stated that “Nandini Milk Price is still the lowest” and listed the prices in seven other states. The ad also said, ‘“Without farmers no country can progress”. Request our valued customers to continue their cooperation and support as always.”
Besides advertisements in newspapers, they are also using social media to highlight that even after the hike, Karnataka’s milk prices are still the lowest compared to 12 other states including the Left-ruled Kerala and TDP-ruled Andhra Pradesh.
Earlier, on March 27, the state government announced a price hike for milk and curd sold by the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) under the Nandini brand. The revision, which raises the cost of curd and milk by Rs 4 per litre, is set to take effect from April 1.
Minister for Cooperation KN Rajanna said the prices were being raised for the benefit of dairy farmers.
Chief Minister K Siddaramaiah took to X (formerly Twitter) immediately after the price hike announcement, drawing comparisons with milk prices in 12 states, including Rajasthan, Kerala, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Assam, Delhi, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh.
Meanwhile, the BJP has strongly opposed the Congress government’s decision, arguing that the price hike imposes a financial burden on the people. The party has announced plans for a series of protests against the increase in milk prices, along with other recent policy decisions.