The debate surrounding Nandini, the Karnataka Milk Federation's (KMF) milk brand, which was trending on social media platforms like X following Moneycontrol's report on KMF's decision to sponsor the Scotland and Ireland teams for the T20 Cricket World Cup, is now taking a political turn.
Also, read: MC Exclusive: Karnataka's Nandini to sponsor Scotland and Ireland cricket teams for T20 World Cup
While the Congress party has extended its support to Nandini, the BJP says it is an anti-farmer act. "I’m proud to see Namma KMF, which the BJP was bent upon weakening, being strengthened by the (state) government. I’m proud of my family’s role in building such a brand that is transformational to our rural economy and is today the pride of every Kannadiga '' Congress candidate for Bengaluru North Lok Sabha constituency, M V Rajeev Gowda wrote on X.
Gowda’s paternal uncle, the late M V Krishnappa, was involved in the 1942 Quit India movement and founded Bangalore Dairy. Krishnappa served as a minister in Jawaharlal Nehru's cabinet and was elected to the Lok Sabha six times.
Meanwhile, senior BJP leader and former Karnataka C M, D V Sadananda Gowda said: "I condemn this. KMF should not have done it. This is an anti-farmer act. There is nothing to take pride in when farmers in the state are suffering."
Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF), which markets its dairy products under the Nandini brand, issued a work order on April 20 to ITW Consulting Private Limited to sponsor two teams - Scotland and Ireland. KMF sources said the sponsorship amount is around Rs 2.5 crore per team. The Nandini logo will appear on the lead arm jersey (i.e., right arm for left-handed batsmen and left arm for right-handed batters). The two teams will be involved in advertisements, social media campaigns, photo shoots, and endorsing Nandini products, which will be aired during the tournament. KMF is also planning to launch Splash, a whey-based energy drink, during the T20 Cricket World Cup.
Also, read: Karnataka's Nandini to unveil whey-based energy drink Splash during T20 Cricket World Cup
Former Infosys CFO TV Mohandas Pai questioned KMF's move, triggering a war of words on social media. "What a big shame! Why are they using the money belonging to the farmers of Karnataka, paid by consumers who are kannadigas,to sponsor foreign teams? what value will it deliver? Pay poor farmers better. @siddaramaiah @DKShivakumar this is a waste for a largely Karnataka-based co/op!", he wrote on X. Pai is the chairperson of Aarin Capital Partners and a vocal supporter of the Modi government.
Also, read: Nandini's global pitch: Mohandas Pai slams Karnataka govt; internet reacts
Criticising Pai, Congress spokesperson Lavanya Jain wrote on X: "The sweatshop opener gets unnecessarily worked up over every decision of the Congress. This is a good move. Cricket gets good viewership, may not get as much as Indian team . But it’s still good. This is a good move by Nandini".
Experts say sponsoring smaller teams come at a fraction of the cost than that of more favoured sides. "There are A-category brands that can afford the highly inflated prices of advertising that the Indian cricket team charges. And then there are B, C, and D category brands that cannot afford it. Now, brands have found a nifty way of saying that cricket is consumed not only on the ground but also on television. If one sponsors a smaller team, like Afghanistan, Indians who watch Afghanistan matches end up viewing the brand. It’s a smart way to circumvent the high costs of being associated with the Indian team while grabbing eyeballs from the markets that they work with," brand and business strategy specialist Harish Bijoor, had told Moneycontrol.
Also, read: Nandini takes battle with Amul to cricket field, pitches for T20 WC team sponsorship
Many pro-Congress handles also lent their support to Nandini. Shantanu @shaandelhite, a Congress supporter wrote on X: "BJP govt in Karnataka tried to kill ‘Nandini’ in order to promote Gujarati ‘Amul’. Congress made this an election issue and raised awareness, Kannadiga people responded to it and defeated the BJP. Now, in just 1 year, Congress govt has made ‘Nandini’ so strong that it is going to sponsor Cricket teams of Scotland and Ireland for upcoming T20 World Cup...."
Nandini - Amul battle
Many pro-Kannada activists and others argue that if Gujarat-based Amul can sponsor cricket teams, Nandini can also do the same. "If Amul spends on Afghanistan team it's brilliant.If KMF takes brand Nandini to the T20 WC it is bad economics. It'd be nice to see Scotland and Ireland have Nandini marketed on their kits. In any event participated by men's cricket team from India we're sure to gather eyeballs" Abhishek, a pro-Kannada activist wrote on X.
This development precedes the elections for 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka, scheduled in two phases: South Karnataka voting on April 26 and North Karnataka on May 7.
It may be recalled that ahead of the 2023 Karnataka polls, political parties in the state were at loggerheads over dairy products. This was sparked by Amul's decision to enter the Bengaluru market, which the Congress alleged would affect Karnataka's dairy cooperative and hundreds of thousands of dairy farmers in the state.
Also, read: MC Explains | The white war between Nandini and Amul ahead of Karnataka polls
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