Pictures of CM Stalin, MK on Aavin milk sachets stir a hornet’s nest

VELLORE: Aavin customers and public were taken aback when milk sachets with pictures of former chief minister M Karunanidhi and present CM MK Stalin were delivered to Chennai homes on Saturday.

The sachets (orange -premium, green – magic and blue – nice) carried the legend “Shall we start to harvest rain water?” and was accompanied by the symbols of the greater Chennai Corporation and the Tamil Nadu government.

Taking exception to this, milk agents, public, former senior Aavin officials and the opposition AIADMK demanded to know the need for the pictures of both leaders on milk sachets.

TN Milk Agents and Employees Welfare Association president SA Ponnusamy, immediately shot off complaint letters to the Chief Minister, Dairy Development Minister T Mano Thangaraj, MNM leader Kamal Haasan, DMDK leader Vijayakant, AMMK leader TTV Dhinakaran, PMK leader Ramadoss, former chief minister O Paneerselvam, BJP state president K Annamalai, Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami and NTK chief coordinator Seeman. Elaborating, Ponnusamy told DT Next, “We wonder at the need for such pictures when it was Karunanidhi who gave Aavin its name and ordered that his picture should not be on the sachets.”

“Even Amma (former CM Jayalalithaa), who was instrumental in creating most of the present infrastructure for Aavin, never wanted such publicity,” said a senior AIADMK functionary seeking anonymity. The AIADMK never stooped to the level of using milk sachets to provide their leaders publicity, he added.

‘In bad taste’

A former Aavin general manager said the move was in bad taste.

“Though there are no specific rules banning such ads, having pictures of CM Stalin and Karunanidhi will only result in alienating them from the public. Also, it will involve sizeable cost as agreements with the sachet film producer at present are only for the quality and quantity of milk and the name given to it by Aavin.” Enquiries revealed that such sachets were distributed only in Chennai and that the other district unions did not follow suit.

‘Sponsored by Water Resources dept’

Asked about this, TN Cooperative Milk Producers Federation (Aavin) MD S Vineet said, “The government Water Resources Department undertook to pay the bill for the extra amount involved.”

Asked if such a move would be extended to all the 17 district unions, he said, “Yes, if they volunteer to pay for the cost involved for including the CMs pictures in their areas.”