Nandini vs Amul row spills onto Bengaluru Metro stations

Bengaluru: The Amul vs Nandini row is on the boil again with the Gujarat dairy brand opening two outlets in Bengaluru’s Metro stations, prompting Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar to step in.

Shivakumar directed the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) to open eight Nandini outlets in Metro stations and instructed Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) not to provide any more space for Amul’s outlets.

The deputy chief minister’s instructions came following criticism from BJP and JD(S) leaders, who accused the Congress-led government of hypocrisy, recalling its #SaveNandini campaign during the run-up to the Assembly elections.

While the JD(S) accused Shivakumar of “selling the state’s self-respect for the sake of commission”, the BJP claimed the Congress was deliberately undermining the Nandini brand.

Responding to the backlash, Shivakumar said on Wednesday that BMRCL had floated a global tender, and Amul was the only applicant. “Amul has already opened its outlets at two Metro stations. It is not appropriate to shut down the existing outlets. We have informed BMRCL to allow KMF to open Nandini outlets at the remaining eight Metro stations,” he added.

So far, Amul has opened its outlets at stations like Benniganahalli (Tin Factory) and Baiyappanahalli, offering a range of dairy products, chocolates, snacks, organic items and oils.

Recently, BMRCL had signed an agreement with the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd to set up Amul kiosks at 10 stations.

These included Pattandur Agrahara, Indiranagar, Sir M Visvesvaraya, Nadaprabhu Kempegowda station in Majestic, National College, Jayanagar and Banashankari. After the backlash, KMF is now expected to establish Nandini outlets at these locations.

Ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections, the Congress had criticised the then-BJP government’s decision to allow Amul to sell dairy products online, arguing it was against the interests of Karnataka’s farmers. As state Congress president, Shivakumar had called Nandini a “better” brand. “We don’t need Amul. More than 70 lakh farmers produce milk and supply it to Nandini. It is not right to push Amul forward and Nandini back,” he had said during his political campaign.

Recalling these statements, the JD(S) wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that the Congress, after coming to power, has “forgotten Nandini and spread a golden blanket over milk products from other states”. Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka echoed the criticism, stating that the Congress is “destroying the Nandini brand.”