<p>In an apparent attempt to score political points, an SP worker who is also a vegetable vendor purportedly hired bouncers to "protect" the produce in his store amid record high prices of tomatoes across the country.</p>.<p>Ajay Fauji, who runs a grocery business in the Lanka area of Varanasi, has deployed two bouncers, he says, to prevent buyers from getting aggressive while haggling the tomato prices. Fauji had earlier cut a tomato-shaped cake in Varanasi on the birthday of Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav.<br /><br /><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/north-and-central/one-held-over-sack-containing-meat-waste-found-near-temple-in-ups-shahjahanpur-police-1235328.html" target="_blank">One held over sack containing meat waste found near temple in UP's Shahjahanpur: Police</a></strong></p>.<p>"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 <em>PTI</em>.</p>.<p>Fauji's 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, who is selling tomatoes at Rs 140-160 per kg, has the bouncers deployed at his cart from 9 am to 5 pm.</p>.<p>He refused to reveal how much he hired them for. "No one will provide bouncers free of cost."</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>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."</p>
<p>In an apparent attempt to score political points, an SP worker who is also a vegetable vendor purportedly hired bouncers to "protect" the produce in his store amid record high prices of tomatoes across the country.</p>.<p>Ajay Fauji, who runs a grocery business in the Lanka area of Varanasi, has deployed two bouncers, he says, to prevent buyers from getting aggressive while haggling the tomato prices. Fauji had earlier cut a tomato-shaped cake in Varanasi on the birthday of Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav.<br /><br /><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/north-and-central/one-held-over-sack-containing-meat-waste-found-near-temple-in-ups-shahjahanpur-police-1235328.html" target="_blank">One held over sack containing meat waste found near temple in UP's Shahjahanpur: Police</a></strong></p>.<p>"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 <em>PTI</em>.</p>.<p>Fauji's 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, who is selling tomatoes at Rs 140-160 per kg, has the bouncers deployed at his cart from 9 am to 5 pm.</p>.<p>He refused to reveal how much he hired them for. "No one will provide bouncers free of cost."</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>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."</p>