He attacked the ruling party for increasing the price of state-run Aavin milk
DMDK founder Vijayakanth leading a demonstration at Valluvar Kottam against milk price hike on Tuesday. (Photo: DC )
Chennai: DMDK founder and leader of Opposition Vijayakanth on Tuesday warned the state government that he would intensify the agitation if it fails to rollback milk price hike.
Leading a demonstration at Valluvarkottam here condemning the state government for hiking Aavin milk price by Rs 10 per litre, he said, “I will launch a next phase of agitation if the milk price rise is not withdrawn. I will not accept Rs 1 or Rs 2 reduction in the prices.”
Attacking the ruling party for increasing the price of state-run Aavin milk from November 1, Vijayakanth said the hike would burden the common man to a great extent. Coming down heavily on the alleged corruption and adulteration scandal in the Aavin administration in which a probe is currently on, he demanded that the properties of the main accused be attached. He suggested that without hiking milk prices, the government should stop the freebies and provide money saved through it as subsidy to Aavin.
Meanwhile, PMK founder Dr Ramadoss announced that his party will hold a human chain in the city on November 5 to demand rollback of milk price hike and scrapping of the proposal to raise power tariff.
Meanwhile, defending the decision to hike the price of milk by '10 a litre, which had stirred a political storm, the AIADMK on Tuesday described the move as “unavoidable” and a bitter pill which will protect 23 lakh dairy farmers.
“It is not possible to drive out fever without giving a bitter pill. Similarly, to protect the lives of 23 lakh dairy farmers, the decision to hike milk price was unavoidable,” the party said in verse form in its Tamil daily Namadhu MGR on Tuesday. Defending the price hike, the AIADMK listed rise in cost under heads including the manifold increase in maintenance and fuel cost.
Arguing that the hike in price was not “additional profit” to the government, the party said it was done for the sake of poor dairy farmers. The cost of milk in BJP-ruled Rajasthan was Rs 44 and that of water was Rs 26 in Gujarat, the party claimed without mentioning the quantity vis-a-vis rate.
Citing the free supply of rice through PDS outlets to the people, AIADMK said people’s conscience knew all these things and the attendant circumstances that led to the hike. Hitting out at political rivals in snide references, the party said they were raking up the hike issue only for political expediency.
( Source : dc correspondent )
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