Retailers in Tamil Nadu on March 1 began boycotting global cola giants Pepsi and Coca-Cola, along with all their other soft-drink products, citing reasons pertaining to health and the environment. Instead, they will now retail local alternatives — a move that is bound to promote home-grown businesses and products, especially with the temperatures starting to soar and summer just around the corner.
Roots in Jallikattu protest
Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangangalin Peramaippu (TNVSP) president AM Vikrama Raja has told IANS: "After the Jallikattu movement, we found many youths are not in favour of the two cola brands." While he failed to provide a rationale that connects the two, keen-eyed observers will see the link to be a kind of nationalism that abhors foreign products.
In case of Jallikattu, a big argument against its ban was that organisations like the Indian wing of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) was supporting it because it was funded by foreign entities. These entities reportedly wanted to introduce other breeds of cattle in India and make a killing, and banning Jallikattu would weaken the native breeds.
Concerns raised
With Pepsi, Coca-Cola and other brands out of the way, local brands of soft drinks and drinkables are expected to make a killing. However, this is not good news for the two big beverage brands, and even the Indian Beverages Association (IBA) has expressed its doubts over the move.
IBA secretary general Arvind Verma has been quoted by IANS as saying: "The proposed call is not just against the interest of the farmers, traders and retailers, it also undermines the role the industry can play in economic growth and development." He added: "We urge individuals and organisations not to be misled by rumours and spread of misinformation. We hope good sense will prevail and normalcy will be restored soon in this matter."
