Samajwadi Party worker hires bouncers to ‘protect’ tomatoes in Varanasi
1 min read 10 Jul 2023, 01:23 AM ISTAjay Fauji said has deployed two bouncers to prevent buyers from getting aggressive while haggling the tomato prices
PremiumA Samajwadi Party (SP) worker in Varanasi who is also a vegetable vendor has hired bouncers to "protect" tomatoes in his store amid its record high prices.
Ajay Fauji, who runs a grocery business in the Lanka area of Varanasi, said has deployed two bouncers to prevent buyers from getting aggressive while haggling the tomato prices. Bouncers at his cart are deployed from 9 am to 5 pm.
"I kept hearing about arguments over the tomato price among people. People at my shop too tried to haggle. So to put an end to the constant arguments, I decided to deploy bouncers in uniform at my cart," Fauji told PTI.
His shop also has a placard mentioning the rising prices of commodities over the last "nine years," an apparent reference to the period the Narendra Modi-led government has been in power at the Centre.
Fauji is selling tomatoes at ₹140-160 per kg.
He refused to reveal how much he hired them for. "No one will provide bouncers free of cost," Fauji said.
Asked how keeping bouncers has helped him, Fauji claimed even though people are coming in same numbers, they are less militant about the pricing now.
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav too shared the image of a news clip relating to Fauji and his bouncers, and tweeted, "The BJP should provide 'Z-Plus' security to tomatoes."
Tomato prices are soaring due to adverse weather.
A delayed monsoon, heavy rains in some growing areas and hotter-than normal temperatures last month hit output of the crop, causing a five-fold increase in prices this year.
Tomato prices typically rise during June-July and then again in October-November due to lower production seasons in major growing areas.
Southern and western states, which account for almost 60% of the country’s total tomato production, send their surplus crop to other markets in India depending on the season.
(With inputs from PTI)
