When Amul announced on Twitter that freshness of its milk and curd is coming to Bengaluru, it may not have expected a boycott trend and political mudslinging to follow.
Heightening drama in poll-bound Karnataka, Amul’s ‘launch alert’ in Bengaluru ticked off citizens and the state-owned Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) which produces popular milk brand Nandini. Political parties saw their chance and took it, alleging that the government wants to merge the state-owned cooperative with Amul with the help of the Centre.
Several state and national ministers accused the opposition parties, especially Congress, of spreading misinformation and denied any such merger. At first, the Bommai administration said it will take steps to make the brand more competitive, but the party has clarified today saying that the north Indian milk brand will not come to Bengaluru at all.
Let’s take a look at what has happened so far.
#AmulGoBack
In a tweet, Amul on April 5 announced that it will soon launch in Bengaluru. “A new wave of freshness with milk and curd is coming to Bengaluru. More information coming soon. #LaunchAlert”
Netizens, former Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) officials and politicians pointed out that Amul is breaking the “unwritten rule” of cooperative societies and is indulging in predatory practices to sell its “stale milk”. KMF is the second-largest milk procurer in the country.
‘#Amul Go back’ and ‘#Save KMF’ started trending on the microblogging site to oppose the entry of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd, which sells its milk products under the Amul brand, in Bengaluru market.
“It is an unwritten rule among milk federations not to enter into competition in other states. KMF believes it is unethical, which is why it has not ventured into other states despite surplus procurement,” said KMF former managing director Premanath A S. While there is no restriction on companies selling milk in any state, Amul’s entry into Karnataka liquid milk would defeat the very idea of co-operative milk societies, he added.
Officials said that KMF in its peak season supplies nearly five lakh litres of milk to milk-deficit states like Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and Maharashtra on the “request” of milk cooperatives in these states. In such instances, milk is supplied in bulk and the respective state milk unions sell them under their brands.
Row gets political twist
Awaiting a chance to corner the government ahead of elections, Opposition parties in Karnataka targeted the government for what they dubbed an anti-state move, saying that CM Basavaraj Bommai is trying to “loot us”.
"Is your purpose of coming to Karnataka to give to Karnataka or to loot from Karnataka? You have already stolen banks, ports and airports from Kannadigas. Are you now trying to steal Nandini (KMF) from us?" Leader of Opposition in the state Siddaramaiah asked.
The former chief minister and senior Congress leader asserted that Nandini is enough for Karnataka, smelling the BJP-led Centre’s conspiracy of manipulating milk production in the state to allow entry of outside players.
He said that the state's milk production had been affected since the day Union Cooperative Minister Amit Shah spoke about the possibility of merging the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) with Amul.
JD(S) leader and former CM H D Kumaraswamy also trained guns at the Centre for trying “backdoor entry” of Amul in the state. “Amul is strangulating the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) and the farmers. Kannada people should rebel against Amul," he said.
Rajya Sabha MP G C Chandrashekhar, in a press release, wondered if an artificial scarcity is being created in Karnataka to help Amul, which has been trying hard to gain its foothold in Bengaluru, launch fresh milk.
All smoke and no fire?
On the defensive, the Bommai-led state government accused Congress of politicising the issue. Even before Siddaramaiah made his allegations, the CM had said that steps will be taken to make Nandini more competitive and the top milk brand in the face of any competition.
Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar asserted that the state’s ‘pride’ Nandini brand is capable of facing any competition as its products are sold in other states and countries, too. "Other brands are being sold in the state from long time. Is Amul a BJP brand and Nandini a Congress brand?" Sudhakar asked.
However, BJP leader Amit Malviya on Monday clarified that Amul will not enter Karnataka at all. “Amul is NOT entering Karnataka. Both Amul and KMF sell their products across quick-commerce platforms,” Malviya said in a series of tweets. “There is a reason why India doesn’t TRUST Congress. They LIE! Latest being the misinformation campaign that Karnataka Milk Federation, which owns Nandini, is going to merge with Amul,” Malviya said.