BJP women's wing protests milk price hike in Bengaluru
Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje and other leaders were detained during a demonstration at Freedom Park against rising dairy costs.
The BJP Mahila Morcha staged a protest at Bengaluru's Freedom Park on Monday to demand the Congress government withdraw a recent increase in milk prices. According to reports from Urban Acres and Deccan Chronicle, police detained Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje and other BJP leaders when demonstrators attempted to march with milk cans and placards.
The Karnataka Cabinet decided last Thursday to raise the price of Nandini milk by Rs 8 per litre, a change that took effect on November 1. Of this amount, Rs 7 is intended for milk producers and Re 1 for the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF).
Following the decision, KMF raised the cost of curd by Rs 14 per litre and increased prices for certain toned and special milk varieties by up to Rs 12 per litre. Former MLC Bharathi Shetty claimed that previous increases of Rs 2, Rs 3, and Rs 4 have brought the total rise to Rs 12 per litre.
Addressing the crowd, Karandlaje alleged that the state administration has deteriorated over the last three to four months. She stated that the price hike would increase daily expenses for people working in hotels, taxi drivers, auto-rickshaw operators, and roadside business owners.
Karandlaje also alleged that the government provides inadequate drought relief of Rs 2,500 per acre under 17 to 18 conditions. She further claimed that Rs 5,000 crore from the Gruha Lakshmi scheme has not been accounted for and that transport corporations face fund shortages for diesel and repairs.
The state government, KMF, and transport corporations have not responded to these allegations. Bharathi Shetty said the BJP Mahila Morcha will continue protests across various districts, mandals, and wards in Karnataka.