Samajwadi Party Worker in UP Hires Bouncers To Protect Produce Due To Increased Tomato Prices

A Samajwadi Party worker who is also a vegetable seller allegedly recruited bouncers to “protect” the fruit in his shop and deter customers from acting aggressively when negotiating tomato pricing in the midst of rising tomato prices throughout the nation.

Ajay Fauji, an employee of SP, owns a food store in Varanasi’s Lanka neighborhood. On Akhilesh Yadav’s birthday in Varanasi, he had previously cut a cake in the form of a tomato. “I kept overhearing individuals arguing over the price of tomatoes. People also attempted to bargain in my store. So I decided to station bouncers in uniform at my cart to put a halt to the ongoing fights,” Fauji told PTI.

In addition, a sign outside his store mentions how prices have increased over the last “nine years,” presumably referring to the time the Narendra Modi-led government has been in power at the federal level.

The leader of the SP, Akhilesh Yadav, also tweeted, “The BJP should provide ‘Z-Plus’ security to tomatoes,” along with a screenshot of a news footage about Fauji and his bouncers.

The retail price of a tomato reached Rs 160 per kilogram in certain locations, including Mumbai, while remaining around Rs 120 per kg in the majority of other states, marking a new high for the spike in vegetable prices throughout India.

In several regions of India earlier this week, the fast food brand McDonald’s removed tomatoes from its burgers and wraps due to a lack of supplies.