Bommai said Amul reached its peak in Karnataka when Siddaramaiah was the chief minister but then he could not see the danger.
“Nobody speaks on this aspect with confidence like I am saying. The reason is when Siddaramaiah was the chief minister here, the milk production and the production of milk products were 64 lakh litres only. During my time, it has gone to 84 lakh (litre). Shortly, we are going to overtake Amul. Nandini has got all the products that Amul has. If Amul tries to make Mysore Pak, we will make Shrikhand of Gujarat. So we are not going to sit quiet,” Bommai said.
Calling the controversy a political bogey, Bommai said, “Amul was at its peak during Siddaramaiah’s time. He did not see the danger to Nandini then. Nandini is very strong and it needs not be afraid of any brand. There are at least 25 brands entering Karnataka from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra. Nandini is growing every day. I have sanctioned two mega-dairies for Nandini. These people see politics in milk, water air. That’s the desperation.”
Just ahead of the election, Amul vs Nandini became a major issue with the opposition accusing the government of allowing Amul to sell fresh milk and curd in Bengaluru. The BJP dismissed the charge and said Amul has been there in the state all along. When Rahul Gandhi visited Karnataka, he visited a Nandini store and had ice cream there. “Karnataka’s Pride – NANDINI is the best!” he wrote.
Before Bommai, Congress leader Siddaramaiah at the same platform said that if he becomes the chief minister, he would ask people to not buy Amul milk. “Amul should stick to its present consumer base. By entering Karnataka, it is trying to cause injustice to the local farmers. That’s why we will oppose the entry of Amul. If I become the CM, I will ask people not to buy Amul milk,” Siddaramaiah said.
Bengaluru MP Tejasvi Surya reacted to Siddaramaiah’s statement and said, “But what he doesn’t say is that it was he who was the CM when Amul first entered Karnataka in 2017! For how long will Congress keep pitting one state vs another, one language vs another, one caste against another? Karnataka will reject this divisive politics on May 10th.”
Source : The Hindustan Times