Bengaluru, Nov 3 (IANS) Senior BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly R. Ashoka on Tuesday accused the state government of attempting to pacify public anger by announcing a marginal reduction in curd prices after increasing them substantially, and demanded a rollback of the hike in milk and curd prices.
Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Monday said he had directed the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) to reduce the price of curd, even as he defended the recent increase in milk prices, stating that it would benefit 11 lakh farming families and 25 lakh milk vendors across the state.
In a statement, Ashoka questioned the Congress government’s decision to increase the price of curd by Rs 14 per litre and subsequently announce a partial reduction following strong public opposition.
“What kind of pro-people governance is this? First, prices are increased excessively and then reduced marginally in an attempt to deceive the public,” he said.
He said the increase in milk and curd prices had already placed an additional burden on the monthly budgets of ordinary families. At a time when people were struggling with rising prices of essential commodities, imposing further financial burdens was not a sign of responsible governance, he added.
Addressing CM Shivakumar, Ashoka said it was the government’s responsibility to protect farmers’ interests by providing adequate incentives to milk producers and strengthening their financial position.
He claimed that during the previous BJP government, incentives were provided to farmers without directly transferring the financial burden to consumers.
“If the government is genuinely concerned about farmers, it should bear the cost of the necessary incentives itself. What is the justification for the government evading its responsibility and shifting the burden onto ordinary people in the name of helping farmers?” he asked.
Ashoka also criticised CM Shivakumar’s reported remark that nobody questions an increase in the price of bottled water, questioning how the Chief Minister could use such an argument to justify the hike in milk and curd prices, which are daily necessities for people.
He said a marginal reduction in curd prices was not sufficient and demanded that the government reconsider the milk price hike as well and reduce the prices of both milk and curd.
The government should provide adequate incentives to farmers from its own funds instead of passing the burden on to consumers, he said, adding that the government’s responsibility was to provide relief to people rather than increase their financial burden.
–IANS
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