DK Shivakumar shows support for Nandini amid Amul row, visits store in Hassan

Amid the ongoing row over the entry of dairy brand Amul in poll-bound Karnataka, Congress state chief DK Shivakumar on Monday, April 10, visited a store of the local famed milk brand Nandini in Hassan. The KPCC chief bought milk products from the Hassan store and even sipped what seemed to be milk from a bottle. 

Taking to his Twitter, Shivakumar slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party and accused it of hijacking the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) owned Nandini brand. The Congress leader equated the local milk brand with the self-esteem of state farmers and "Kannadigas".

"Visited Hassan's Nandini store today and bought milk products. The BJP government is trying to hijack the Nandini brand which is a symbol of self-esteem of our farmers and Kannadigas," the KPCC chief tweeted.

Slamming the saffron party, the grand-old-party leader said, "Let the BJP government remember this, Kannadigas will never sell their self-respect." 

Notably, this comes a day after former Chief Minister and party leader Siddaramaiah attacked the BJP-led Centre, asking PM Modi, who was visiting Karnataka on Sunday, whether the purpose of his visit was "to loot the state". He also questioned whether the Centre is "trying to steal Nandini" from the southern state.

Amul vs Nandini row: Why politics over milk brands in Karnataka?

The political faceoff between the ruling BJP and the Opposition erupted following speculations that Gujarat-based Anand Milk Union Limited's brand will merge with KMF and thus the latter will lose its hegemony in the state. 

The issue further escalated when Amul began selling its products from April 6, online in the southern state. The Opposition parties-- Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) have been accusing BJP of trying to "push for Amul's backdoor entry" into the state by conspiring to destroy KMF's Nandini.

Lambasting the Congress for politicising the matter, CM Basavaraj Bommai said, "We have absolute clarity with regard to Amul. Nandini is a national brand. It's not restricted to Karnataka. We have popularised Nandini as a brand in other states as well."

Hitting out at the Congress, Health Minister K Sudhakar said, "Does Amul mean BJP and Nandini Congress? Are you building such narratives? Should you insult our farmers, our system and our institutions this way? This must be stopped."