Rahul Gandhi says Nandini is best, Tejasvi Surya asks if he could get it an entry into Kerala market!

BJP MP Tejasvi Surya on Monday challenged Congress leader’s Rahul Gandhi to promote Nandini milk in Kerala if his appreciation of Karnataka's dairy brand was genuine.

The BJP yuva morcha national president took to twitter, saying he was glad that Rahul Gandhi thought Nandini was the best. There was no doubt about it, he said while urging Gandhi to intervene in Kerala for the smooth sale of Nandini in the state as well. “If not, this is another election gimmick,” he said. He added that he was waiting for a public announcement from Gandhi declaring free access to Nandini in Kerala.

The Congress raised the political heat for the BJP by taking Gandhi to a Nandini milk parlor in Bengaluru on Sunday night. After tasting an ice cream, the AICC leader termed the brand “Karnataka’s pride and Nandini is the best," in a tweet. His comment assumes significance as the BJP is locked in a battle with the Congress and JDS after Gujarat's dairy brand Amul announced its entry into the Bengaluru market.


The Congress and JDS have been attacking the ruling party saying it had conspired to merge Nandini with Amul and destroy the state's local brand.

Surya's taunt to Gandhi was an attempt to counter the Congress campaign on Amul which had caught the BJP on the defensive. Gandhi until recently represented Kerala's Wayanad constituency in Lok Sabha.

The Kerala Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (KCMMF), which owns the dairy brand Milma, has asked its Karnataka counterpart to not sell Nandini milk in the coastal state. The KCMMF has said that while there is no objection to Nandini’s dairy products being sold in Kerala, selling milk will hurt the state’s dairy industry.

Opposition leaders and pro-Kannada organizations have come out strongly in support of the local brand, with Opposition leader Siddaramaiah calling it a ploy by the BJP, especially after KMF reduced its procurement. The BJP has denied these accusations, with Cooperation Minister ST Somashekar saying Nandini has the capacity to beat Amul on the pricing front.