Mahanand Dairy takeover sparks criticism from MVA, accusations of favouring Gujarat

Maharashtra Congress general secretary Atul Londhe slammed the Shinde government, stating, 'Following Vedanta-Foxconn, Tata-Airbus, and the diamond trade in Mumbai, the cooperative sector of the state is now under attack. The significant and prestigious dairy project in the cooperative sector, Mahanand Dairy, is being handed over to Gujarat.'

Mumbai: Amidst a development that involves the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) based in Anand taking control of Maharashtra's renowned Mahanand Dairy, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi has criticized the BJP-led governments at both the Centre and the State for allegedly "gifting another project to Gujarat".

The Eknath Shinde-led Maha Yuti government, however, denied that the dairy operations would be shifted to Gujarat, insisting that NDDB will only take over management of the dairy, which is headquartered at Mumbai's Goregaon.

Mahanand, a venture of Maharashtra State Cooperative Milk Federation Ltd, stands as a significant cooperative dairy and is a household name in the state for its milk and dairy products.

Earlier, Maharashtra Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil acknowledged financial challenges.

Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut strongly criticised the government, stating, "Despite Rajesh Namdeorao Parjane, the brother-in-law of Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, serving as the Chairman of Mahanand, the dairy is still facing a crisis."

Maharashtra Congress general secretary and chief spokesperson Atul Londhe expressed concerns, asserting, "Following Vedanta-Foxconn, Tata-Airbus, and the diamond trade in Mumbai, the cooperative sector of the state is now under attack. The significant and prestigious dairy project in the cooperative sector, Mahanand Dairy, is being handed over to Gujarat."

"The BJP, through the politics of destabilizing parties, has come to power unlawfully to exploit Mumbai and Maharashtra. The Maha Vikas Aghadi government resisted the questionable motives of the Gujarat lobby, refusing to dance to their tunes. This non-compliance led to the overthrow of the government, and over the past one-and-a-half years, Maharashtra has witnessed substantial exploitation," he stated.

According to Londhe, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar do not have the courage to reject proposals sent by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. “These three are just watching while Maharashtra is being looted and looted. Shinde, Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar are just 'yes men' to Modi-Shah, their only job is to sign files as ordered by Delhi,” Londhe alleged.

"The state government has decided to transfer the management of Mahanand to the NDDB. In the dairy business, Maharashtra has a large network of numerous institutions like Mahanand, Gokul, Warana, and Chitale. In rural areas, the dairy business is complementary to agriculture and a great revolution has taken place through cooperatives. However, Mahanand is now being overshadowed by Amul from Gujarat, diverting crucial projects from the state," he expressed.

Vikhe-Patil asserted that the crisis Mahanand faces is a result of the actions taken during the tenure of the Maha Vikas Aghadi.