MUMBAI: A controversy erupted on Wednesday following the decision by the Maharashtra government’s Mahanand Dairy to hand over its operations to the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), headquartered in Anand, Gujarat. Opposition parties accuse the BJP-led Maharashtra government of favoring Gujarat by potentially enabling Amul, a Gujarat-based company, to expand in Maharashtra.
Mahanand Dairy’s board has decided to transfer its operations to NDDB due to significant losses. The dairy processes only 100,000 liters of milk daily, far below its 1 million liter capacity. This underutilization has led to substantial losses, unused machinery, and mounting employee dues. Of Mahanand’s 937 employees, 560 have opted for the Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS).
Maharashtra BJP Minister Radhakrishna Patil clarified that NDDB, a central government entity, is not affiliated with the Gujarat government. He emphasized that this transfer doesn’t imply Gujarat will manage the operations.
Shiv Sena (UBT) member Sanjay Raut criticized the Maharashtra government for prioritizing Gujarat’s interests over local farmers and milk producers. He expressed concern that Maharashtra is losing major projects to Gujarat, fearing a trend of transferring businesses and cooperative sectors to Gujarat.
Maharashtra Congress President Atul Londe accused Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar of capitulating to BJP’s top leadership. Londe cited previous project relocations to Gujarat and alleged that the current government’s decisions are undermining Maharashtra’s cooperative sector, warning of a potential economic collapse in rural Maharashtra. He alleged that the BJP and its Gujarat leadership should get a free hand to relocate the infrastructure projects from Maharashtra to Gujarat, therefore, the Uddhav Thackeray government was toppled with that sole intention.
“Now, the incumbent Maharashtra chief minister and their ministers are nothing but puppets in the hands of the Gujarat lobby. Broad day dacoity and loot have continued since day one from the toppling of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra. The current government in Maharashtra are only signing masters. They do not have any right or voice to oppose these decisions. The cooperative sector is key to and the backbone of Maharashtra’s development. BJP wants to destroy it by shifting projects like Mahanand Dairy to Gujarat. If this happens, the entire rural economy of Maharashtra will collapse,” Londe claimed.
Bhartiya Kisan Mahasabha argued that instead of transferring Mahanand Dairy to Gujarat, the Maharashtra government should support and strengthen it. Ajit Nawale, Secretary of Bharat Kisan Sabha, expressed concerns about the reliance on private players in the milk market. He pointed out that other states are developing their brands while Maharashtra seems to be undermining its cooperative sector.