The Congress on Wednesday said home minister Amit Shah, who is also in charge of the ministry of cooperation, was conspiring to create a central command to control all dairy cooperatives — a state subject.

Against the backdrop of the controversy over Amul entering BJP-ruled Karnataka’s dairy market, so far dominated by the local Nandini brand, Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh said: “The Congress has always supported a federal and decentralised vision of India and strongly opposes Amit Shah and the BJP’s efforts towards centralised control. The Congress will not allow a time to come when the BJP may raise the slogan of ‘One Nation, One Milk’.”

The Congress said it would explain to the people this “sinister agenda”.

Explaining the chronology, Ramesh said: “A new ministry of cooperation is created on July 6, 2021, and Shah is given charge the next day. On October 7, 2022, Shah declares in Gangtok that multi-state cooperative societies are being formed to act as ‘export houses’ of dairy products.

“On October 9, 2022, Shah announced in Guwahati that Amul would merge with five other cooperative societies to form multi-state cooperative societies. On December 30, 2022, Shah pushes for cooperation between Amul and the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF), which markets Nandini, to set up rural dairies. On January 11, 2023, the Union cabinet approves three multi-state cooperative societies, including one for exports. On March 18, 2023, Shah proposes in Gandhinagar that two lakh rural dairies be connected to multi-state cooperative export societies to increase exports.”

Ramesh said: “They are establishing their total control, ignoring the Constitution which clearly demarcates cooperative societies as a state subject. Nandini, Amul and other cooperatives like OMFED, Mother Dairy, Vijaya and Aavin empower farmers and help them prosper. For example, the Karnataka Milk Federation, which markets Nandini, is a federation of 14,000 cooperative societies organised into 14 unions. Its 24 lakh members earn over Rs 17 crore a day.”

Ramesh said Shah and the BJP wished to replace farmers’ control with their own control.

“The Congress helped nurture this decentralised vision over decades, empowering and ensuring autonomy to crores of dairy farmers. In sharp contrast, Shah imagines a small collection of centralised organisations under his direct command and control,” Ramesh said.

The Congress believes the attempt to compel the KMF to act against its commercial interests is a step towards converting all dairy unions into a political arm of the BJP.

“Decisions will not be taken in Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Chennai or Pune, but in Delhi by Amit Shah, the minister of cooperation. This will disempower dairy farmers and ultimately threaten their incomes and livelihoods” Ramesh said.

The pattern had been seen before, he said. “Karnataka, for example, saw Vijaya Bank, one of the most successful public sector banks, merge with the loss-making Bank of Baroda.”