Din in Maha Assembly over Speaker's faux pas on milk purchase

Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Haribhau Bagde faced an embarrassment in the House today when he unwittingly revealed that a dairy controlled by him is buying milk from farmers below the rate prescribed by the state government.

The Opposition parties today raised a question under calling attention objecting to the government's circular which made it mandatory to dairies to buy milk from farmers at Rs 27 per litre.

During an uproar on the issue, senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar rose and started listing out the problems being faced by dairies on the cost front due to the circular.

He suddenly turned towards Bagde and said, "Even you control a dairy in your Aurangabad district. You are also one of the directors of Mahanand, the state run dairy. Why don't you tell us, at what rates your Aurangabad-based dairy purchases milk?"
 

Agitated by the continuous din, Speaker Bagde said, "Earlier the dairy used to buy milk at Rs 27 per litre but now it buys at around Rs 21 or Rs 22 per litre".

Latching on to the Speaker's reply, Pawar led the chorus of the Opposition MLAs on the issue of milk purchase rate.

Bagde, however, did not withdraw his statement.

"Bagde's statement is a clear admission of the violation of a circular issued by the Maharashtra government. I demand an answer from the state government on how much time do they need to initiate an action against his dairy," Congress MLA Sunil Kedar said.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis defused the situation by assuring the opposition parties that the government would withdraw the circular if it is found to be impractical.

With this assurance, the opposition calmed down and order was restored.

Minister of State for Dairy Development Arjun Khotkar said, "A committee is set up for finding an amicable solution to this issue as the government is keen to increase farmers' income. Till the committee's report is out, the government will not take any action against dairies that buy milk at lower rate. It will take two months to get the report".

Dairies in Maharashtra have been opposing the circular arguing that they cannot sustain if they are made to purchase milk from farmers at Rs 27 per litre.