Annamalai criticises DMK govt over Aavin milk controversy

In a scathing critique, BJP state unit president K Annamalai accused the DMK government of compromising the nutritional quality of Aavin milk, alleging that it has led to financial losses for the public. Annamalai took aim at Dairy Development Minister T Mano Thangaraj, asserting that the reduction in fat content in Aavin milk is unnecessary and jeopardizes the nutrition of children. He argued that such measures would primarily benefit private dairy firms, claiming that Aavin, unlike Amul, is entangled in bureaucratic issues and lacks a farmer-driven approach. The BJP leader contended that a significant portion of the state’s population, reliant on Aavin milk for protein and good fat content for their children, is adversely affected by the government’s actions. Annamalai accused the government of profiting by over Rs 8 per packet of milk by reducing the fat content by 1%. Challenging the functioning of Aavin, Annamalai called on the government to permit BJP representatives inside Aavin plants to validate their claims. He raised concerns about various issues, including allegations of child labor within Aavin. The BJP president asserted that the party stands by its report on the functioning of Aavin and dared the government to address the issues raised. He criticized the Dairy Ministry and the DMK government for sourcing milk at a specific price for a certain fat content from dairy farmers and then retailing it with reduced fat content, equating it to cheating the people. Annamalai also took a dig at the DMK’s Dairy Minister for deleting a tweet against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating that “only cowards are left out in the DMK.” Adding a political dimension to the controversy, Annamalai claimed that the second part of the ‘DMK files’ dossier submitted to Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi contains details of corruption charges against Minister Mano Thangaraj.