Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje demands rollback of milk price hike in Karnataka
The BJP State Mahila Morcha held a protest in Bengaluru against rising milk and curd prices.
Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje on Monday demanded that the Congress government in Karnataka roll back milk price increases and provide justice to farmers. Speaking at a protest organised by the BJP State Mahila Morcha at Freedom Park in Bengaluru, Karandlaje said the government should step down before a revolution occurs.
According to The New Indian Express, Karandlaje alleged that state administration has reached its lowest level over the last three to four months. She stated that people with modest earnings, such as street vendors, taxi and autorickshaw drivers, and hotel workers, are facing hardship as they must manage rent, electricity, water, and garbage bills alongside rising costs for milk and curd.
The Union Minister also alleged that Rs 5,000 crore intended for the Gruha Lakshmi scheme has gone missing without any accounting. She further claimed that the government's drought relief of Rs 2,500 per acre was provided with many conditions, whereas the previous B.S. Yediyurappa administration provided Rs 4,000 to farmers in addition to central PM-Kisan Samman scheme assistance.
Former Legislative Council member Bharathi Shetty also attended the protest and called for a price rollback. Shetty noted that the government has increased milk prices four times, including recent hikes of Rs 4, Rs 3, Rs 2, and Rs 8 per litre, and urged the state to fund milk subsidies from the treasury as promised in its manifesto.