Members of the BJP Mangaluru City South Mahila Morcha staged a protest near the mini-Vidhana Soudha on Monday, July 1, distributing black tea to passersby as a symbolic gesture against the recent hike in milk prices by the State government.
Led by Poornima, Secretary of the Dakshina Kannada district unit and a former Deputy Mayor, the protest highlighted concerns over what they termed an unscientific rise in milk prices. Poornima criticized the Congress government, attributing the increase in essential commodity prices to their policies, which she claimed have burdened the middle class and impoverished the poor.
Manjula Rao, President of the Dakshina Kannada unit of Mahila Morcha, expressed discontent over the government’s failure to fulfill promises made to voters, asserting that the rise in prices has exacerbated hardships for the public. She emphasized that women, particularly affected by such economic policies, would respond resolutely in the upcoming elections.
MLA D. Vedavyasa Kamath of Mangaluru City South echoed these sentiments, highlighting that milk prices have escalated twice in the past year without corresponding benefits to dairy farmers in the form of incentives. Kamath criticized the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) for allegedly withholding details on the utilization of funds collected from consumers.
Accusing the government of profiteering at the expense of the people, Kamath called for transparency in the management of consumer payments and demanded accountability from the authorities regarding dairy farmers’ dues.
The protest underscored growing public dissatisfaction over economic policies impacting daily essentials, signaling potential political ramifications in the region.