CPM leaders said milk was an essential food item and that the hike would hit poor and middle-class families, particularly children, the elderly and patients who regularly consume it. (File Photo)

Vijayawada:The CPM on Sunday staged a dharna at the Krishna District Milk Union (Vijaya Dairy) for the second consecutive day, demanding the immediate rollback of the hike in milk prices. Party leaders and activists entered the dairy’s administrative block, raised slogans against the coalition government and the management, and staged a protest through songs.

CPM leaders said milk was an essential food item and that the hike would hit poor and middle-class families, particularly children, the elderly and patients who regularly consume it. They questioned the management’s decision to raise prices despite claiming that Vijaya Dairy was profitable and spending crores on development and expansion.

The CPM alleged that the government was weakening the cooperative dairy to benefit private players, including Heritage, and demanded that Vijaya Dairy be run in the interests of dairy farmers and consumers. The party warned that the agitation would continue until the hike was withdrawn. It said women’s, workers’, youth and student organisations would join the movement, with signature campaigns, protests and hunger strikes planned.

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