Chief minister DK Shivakumar met members of milk producers’ unions, including his brother DK Suresh, in Bengaluru
Bengaluru: Congress govt’s decision to raise milk prices by Rs 8 a litre and curd by Rs 14 a kg has triggered an uncomfortable debate within the governing party: has it undermined the economic protection its five guarantee schemes were meant to provide? The guarantees were conceived ahead of the 2023 assembly polls as a buffer against inflation and fuel price rise, which Congress blamed on the BJP-led Centre. Unions had sought Rs 12 a litre; Shivakumar deferred a decision in Sept and sought price and production cost details from neighbouring states.
Political analyst Vishwas Shetty said they helped the party assure people of relief from rising living costs. The hit will be felt hardest by Bengaluru’s middle-class, already stretched by high rent, rising food prices and costlier LPG. Households are also grappling with job losses linked to the geopolitical crisis and the AI boom. Milk and curd are daily purchases, and the steep hike adds to an already strained monthly budget. The timing is sensitive. Congress is preparing for taluk and zilla panchayat elections with chief minister DK Shivakumar asking party functionaries last week to begin preparations. The hike could complicate efforts to carry the welfare plank into the next electoral cycle, especially in urban and semi-urban areas. BAMUL president DK Suresh, the CM’s brother, had been pressing for better returns for farmers, citing costlier feed, fodder, veterinary care and transport.
He attended meetings with the CM, KMF officials and milk union functionaries before the decision.