In a special interview given to News18Surya said the opposition had to create fake and non-existent issues as it was disheartened over the prospect of losing the upcoming elections on May 10.
“If you have a problem with Amul, you should also have a problem with brands like Arokya, Heritage in Tamil Nadu, Thirumala and Dodla in Andhra Pradesh. Why was Amul targeted? The people of Karnataka clearly know that it is not love for Nandini but their hatred towards Amul because it is from Gujarat; and Amit Shah Narendra Modi are from Gujarat,” said the MP from Bengaluru South.
He also pointed out that Amul was a brand operating and selling products in Karnataka for decades and that contrary to the allegations made by the opposition, it was not a conspiracy to bring Amul to Karnataka. He asked Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah to be accountable to the people of Karnataka for what he has done for the development and improvement in the health of the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF), whose products are sold under the name Nandini.
What is controversy?
Milk politics is making headlines in the poll-bound state, especially with Congress and JD(S) making ‘Amul vs Nandini’ an election issue. The genesis of the controversy was a statement made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in December 2022, when he was inaugurating a mega-dairy unit of KMF in Mandya.
He had said, ‘Amul and KMF will work together to ensure primary dairy in every village of the state. In 47 years, Karnataka has progressed in the dairy sector and the turnover has increased by Rs 4 crore to Rs 25,000 crore during the same period. Amul and KMF will have to work together to promote cooperative dairy in Karnataka.
The issue turned into a full-fledged controversy last week when Amul’s official Twitter handle posted a series of social media posters – ‘#Amul Pariwar brings something fresh to the city of Bengaluru. More updates coming soon. #launchalert.’
This was immediately picked up on social media and by politicians in Karnataka, who began using hashtags such as #GoBackAmul and #SaveNandini in protest. Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah tweeted an appeal to Kannadigas to boycott the Amul brand and “support the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF), which is the livelihood of lakhs of dairy farmer families in the country”.
JD(S)’s HD Kumaraswamy also hopped on the ‘Amul vs Nandini’ bandwagon, saying that “Amul is handcuffing the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) and the farmers.” Kumaraswamy said, “Kannadiag should revolt against Amul.”
Surya said the BJP was “more upbeat” as the elections approached, but the MP also said the BJP and its cadre were unaffected by the baseless allegations of corruption against the Basavaraj Bommai-led government.
He said the Congress had no right to make allegations when its top leadership (Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi) and others, including its state unit president, were out on bail on corruption charges.
“The Congress has been running this campaign of corruption for the last 30 to 40 months. Why didn’t he approach the courts, the Lokayukta, or institutions like the CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General of India) to prove his case? Why are they getting into this spit and run, hit and run campaign?” he questioned.
He further said that perception matters a lot in politics and Congress should introspect before pointing fingers at BJP when it comes to corruption.
“Several ministers in the erstwhile Siddaramaiah government have faced serious allegations of corruption, be it their involvement in the sand mafia, the mining mafia in the old Mysore region, the real estate mafia in Kempegowda, Arkavathi Layout or a close aide of Siddaramaiah. Rs 200 to 250 crore related to SC, ST and OBC hostels; This is the kind of burden on the Congress in Karnataka.
Asked whether former chief minister and veteran BS Yeddyurappa has faced jail time on corruption charges, Surya said he has been acquitted by the courts, including the Supreme Court. “These are not allegations that stand the test in a court of law,” he said.
‘Modi wave’ in Karnataka
Asked how the state BJP hopes to capitalize on the ‘Modi wave’ when the prime minister is planning several public meetings and rallies here, Surya said his campaign tour would boost the morale of ‘karyakartas’ and also voters. Will affect Vote in favor of the saffron camp.
“It will also bring a new sense of hope among voters that the incoming government in Karnataka will deliver on the promises made, just like the PM has been doing at the Centre; The PM also called upon the people to vote in favor of a full majority, stable BJP government. I am sure people will heed his appeal.”
muslim reservation row
On the decision to scrap the 4% backward class quota for Muslims and reallocate it to the dominant Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities, Surya said what the BJP did was to “fix the constitutional anomaly”.
Describing as “unconstitutional” the reservation for Muslims, which was propelled by the Congress and the JD(S), he said it was only a move to cater to their vote bank. He also said he was confident that Karnataka’s request to the Center to consider a new amendment under the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution, to protect it from judicial scrutiny, would pass smoothly.
Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar recently made a statement that if his party came to power, it would reverse the decision to abolish the Muslim quota.
“He (Shivkumar) should clarify from whom he will take away this 4 per cent reservation to give back to Muslims. Will he take from Vokkaligas, Lingayats or other Hindu OBC castes? Hindu OBCs are asking him a pertinent and important question… which OBC caste quota will he take to give to Muslims? the MP asked.
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