JNUSU polls: Cancelling nomination 'contempt of court', says NSUI
New Delhi, Sep 8 : The National Students' Union of India (NSUI) on Saturday condemned the cancellation of its presidential candidate Vikas Yadav's nomination by the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) authorities, terming the decision "ridiculous" and in "contempt of court".
Yadav was intimated of the cancellation of his nomination by the JNU Dean Students' Welfare (DSW) office on Thursday evening, citing a proctorial inquiry previously initiated against him under which he was punished with a Rs 20,000 fine and hostel transfer.
The candidate from the Congress's student wing said he will challenge the decision in court.
"I got a mail from the Election Commission at 12.17 p.m. asking me to be present before the grievance redressal committee at 12.30 p.m. How could they expect me to acknowledge the mail and present myself before them, all in a mere 13 minutes," Yadav told reporters here.
He said the grounds on which his nomination has been cancelled are in contempt of the Delhi High Court's order, which had stayed his punishment then and the matter is now pending before the University Vice Chancellor.
The JNU authorities had initiated the proctorial inquiry against Yadav for protesting in the campus in February 2018, which, the student told reporters, was launched for the rights of students in reservation and seat-cut issues.
"This is the pattern that Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) follows. Whenever it feels threatened, it makes sure that the administration rises to the occasion to help it. Same thing happened with the case of Delhi University Students' Union President Rocky Tuseed," NSUI National in-charge, Ruchi Gupta, said.
She termed the decision "absolutely ridiculous" and "fascist", adding that the move was deliberately taken on the weekend so that the court's help cannot be sought.
According to the letter of cancellation sent to Yadav, the DSW cancelled his nomination on a complaint made by Dinesh Ashok, another JNU student.
The JNUSU elections are scheduled to take place on September 14.
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BAMUL president slams Flipkart over selling milk for Re 1 per litre
Bengaluru (PTI): Bangalore Milk Union Ltd president D K Suresh on Saturday claimed that e-commerce giant Flipkart is selling milk for Re 1 through "investor-funded discount campaigns", accusing it of undermining the dignity of farmers and the cooperative movement built over decades.
He has lodged a complaint against Flipkart before the Competition Commission of India (CCI) and also written an email to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking investigation into "predatory pricing" of milk by the quick commerce platform and its impact on dairy farmers and cooperative institutions.
However, Flipkart said in a statement that it periodically runs limited promotional campaigns on select products available on the platform, often in partnership with banking partners, to enhance customer value.
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"Prices of products on the Flipkart marketplace are determined by individual sellers. All dairy partners and sellers continue to receive their full agreed price for the products they supply, and farmer procurement prices are not impacted in any way," a Flipkart spokesperson said.
Flipkart further said it remains committed to working with farmers, cooperatives and sellers across India to expand market access and support their growth.
Suresh, brother of Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and also a former MP, slammed Flipkart for its latest move.
Taking to social media platform 'X', the Bangalore Milk Union Ltd (BAMUL) president said that milk is not a Re 1 flash deal. It is the livelihood of millions of farmers.
"Behind every litre of milk is the sweat, labour, and livelihood of our farmers. Predatory discounting by companies like Flipkart weakens India's dairy cooperatives and hurts farmer incomes," he said.
He urged both the central and the state governments to act immediately to protect the farmers and the cooperative movement.
In another post, Suresh said that milk is not a marketing gimmick. It is the livelihood of millions of dairy farmers who work every day to feed this nation.
"Flipkart is selling milk for Re 1 through investor-funded discount campaigns and is undermining the dignity of farmers and the cooperative movement built over decades," he added, urging public to choose farmers, cooperatives and Nandini, a dairy brand owned by the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF).
Speaking to reporters here earlier in the day, he said that a complaint would be lodged against Flipkart before the Competition Commission of India (CCI) under Section 19(1)(a) over the company's move to sell one litre of milk for Re 1.
He alleged that such competition aimed at capturing the market would hit farmers hard.
"Around Rs 2,000 crore has reportedly been spent on this initiative. It is not appropriate to misuse public shareholders' money in this manner," he said.
According to him, the move could undermine long-standing milk cooperative institutions that have existed since the pre-Independence period.
"Multinational companies are working against farmers' interests. They should clearly state in their advertisements how long they will sell milk at such low prices. Flipkart must withdraw from this move that harms the farming community," he added.
Suresh claimed that 14.5 lakh litres of milk had already been sold under the scheme and advertisements had been issued widely.
"Public money is being invested to attract customers. The company should disclose how long it plans to sell milk at this price," he said.
Responding to a question on whether the sales of Nandini milk had dropped, he said several brands operate in the market and not just Nandini.
"BAMUL's sales have dropped by about 40,000-50,000 litres. We need to ascertain how long this decline has continued," he said.
Asked if other entities were behind the scheme, he said information was still being gathered. "I have seen a couple of advertisements and will also discuss the matter with officials. Under the guise of business, it is not right to ignite a crisis for the farming community," he said.
Suresh said farmers are currently paid Rs 38-40 per litre for milk. "How can they sell it for Re 1? "We need to find out from whom they are purchasing the milk and where it is coming from," he said.
When asked whether farmers should be advised not to sell milk to such companies, Suresh said it was not clear where the company was procuring milk from, including bulk producers.
"We are also checking whether milk powder is being mixed. I have asked for samples and instructed that they be tested in laboratories. If cooperative institutions collapse, the direct impact will be on farmers," he added.
