States » SouthPosted at: Oct 31 2026 8:41PM


BJP to launch statewide agitation against milk, curd price hike: Vijayendra

Bengaluru, Oct 31 (UNI) BJP Karnataka president Vijayendra Yediyurappa on Saturday announced a statewide agitation against the Congress government's decision to increase milk and curd prices, accusing the DK Shivakumar-led government of imposing an additional financial burden on ordinary people ahead of Deepavali and Kannada Rajyotsava.
Addressing reporters in Davangere, Vijayendra said milk prices had been increased by Rs 8 per litre and curd prices had also been revised upwards, while the government was preparing to raise bus fares in the coming days.
Questioning the timing of the hikes, he said people were already facing economic difficulties and the government should have avoided imposing additional burdens on consumers.
While acknowledging that the price revision could benefit milk producers, Vijayendra argued that the government should have increased the subsidy to dairy farmers instead of passing the additional cost on to consumers.
He cited the previous BJP government's decision under former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa to provide subsidies of Rs 2 and Rs 4 to milk producers on two occasions, and questioned why the Congress government was not following a similar approach.
Accusing the Congress government of repeatedly increasing the prices of essential commodities and services, he said petrol, liquor, stamp duty and milk had become costlier since it assumed office. He also pointed to rising expenses related to healthcare, parking and transportation.
Demanding withdrawal of the price increases, Vijayendra said the government should bear the additional financial burden to protect consumers. The BJP would launch protests across Karnataka if the decision was not reversed, he warned.
Reacting to Congress leader VS Ugrappa's statement that the party would stage a protest during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit if the Valmiki community's reservation benefits were not included in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution, Vijayendra accused the Congress of engaging in political theatrics.
He said the Congress government should have effectively defended the reservation issue before the courts when it was in power, instead of shifting responsibility to the Prime Minister.
Vijayendra criticised the state government for failing to resolve the problems of sugarcane farmers, saying the Chief Minister's recent visit to Delhi had not yielded any concrete outcome.
He said farmers had expected the Chief Minister to return with a solution but were instead told that the government would write to the Centre.
The government should make sincere efforts to address the concerns of sugarcane growers rather than shifting responsibility to the union government, he said, citing the special package reportedly extended to farmers in Haryana.
Responding to CM Shivakumar's statement about difficulties in arranging diesel for buses, Vijayendra said the BJP had been demanding a white paper on the state's financial position for the past six months.
He claimed that nearly Rs 1,700 crore in subsidies payable to milk producers remained pending and said the reported difficulty in purchasing diesel for buses raised questions about the state's finances.
Vijayendra said the NDA's victory in all four Legislative Council constituencies was a response from voters to the Congress government's performance.
He accused the ruling party of focusing on its guarantee schemes while neglecting its basic administrative responsibilities.
Welcoming the government's decision to create employment opportunities for Kannadigas in the IT-BT sector, he, however, asked Shivakumar to clarify how many vacancies in various state government departments had been filled.
On reports of differences within the BJP, Vijayendra said the issues would be resolved soon and expressed confidence in the party organisation and its cadre.
He also said he was unaware of the discussions held between former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and Yediyurappa during their recent meeting in connection with the Hiriyur by-election. The possibility of the BJP contesting the election with JD(S) support would depend on subsequent developments, he added.
Accusing the Congress of attempting to create political instability in the country, Vijayendra said the BJP would launch a nationwide campaign titled 'Save Democracy, Eradicate Anarchy'.
In Karnataka, the campaign would feature public meetings, interactions and marches to create awareness about the achievements of the NDA government at the Centre and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's initiatives.
A march in the Chitradurga division was expected to draw around 10,000 participants, he said.
UNI BDN
Tags: #BJP to launch statewide agitation against milk# curd price hike: Vijayendra
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