Raju Shetti kick starts ‘milk block agitation’ in Pune

The famers’ outfit, Swabhimanu Shetkari Sanghatana, is demanding Rs 5 as subsidy for cow’s milk. The agitation is expected to gather momentum from Tuesday onwards.

Swabhimanu Shetkari Sanghatana, a farmers’ outfit, started the ‘milk agitation’ on Monday by blocking milk tankers from entering Pune and Mumbai. As many as 65 milk tankers were denied entry in various parts of Maharashtra. The famers’ outfit is demanding Rs 5 as subsidy for cow’s milk.

Milk is drained from a container at Islampur in Sangli district. (HT Photo)

As part of the statewide agitation, activists of Swabhimanu Shetkari Sanghatana emptied water tankers and also threw milk packets on the roads in Hadapsar, Pandharpur, Kolhapur, Amravati, Pune and Baramati.

In the morning, around 8. 30, Raju Shetti, MP, offered milk to Dagdusheth Ganpati in Pune and headed towards Gujarat border to ensure that milk coming from the neighbouring states does not reach Mumbai and Pune.

"The agitation is politically oriented and no one can block the milk supply to any city in Maharashtra. Recently, state government appointed a committee of Vinay Kore, Pasha Patel and other leaders from the state milk union. During a recent meeting with the chief minister, they suggested a few ways to deal with the woes of the cow milk producers. If the so called shetkari sanghatana is really worried about the farmers’ issue, then why were they silent about it till now?" SADABHAU KHOT, State minister for agriculture "If our workers find milk tankers, they will stop milk them midway in order to stop the milk supply to major cities." RAJU SHETTI, chairman of Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana and member of Parliament

‘’We know that government has decided to bring milk from other states to disrupt milk block agitation but we have ensured that no milk is brought from other states. The government should not misuse power to puncture the agitation,” said Raju Shetti, Lok Sabha MP and SSS chief.

Shetti said that the milk supply to Pune,Mumbai and most of the other cities and towns will be crippled from Tuesday onwards after the agitation gathers momentum.

The prices of cow’s milk have dropped considerably. Most dairies in Maharashtra are paying Rs 17-Rs 18 per litre to farmers, as against Rs 24 which was paid six months ago. It is ironical that the price paid by most dairies is less than the cost of a packaged drinking water while farmers have to bear production cost of Rs 35 per litre.