BJP Rajasthan Chief Threatens to Quit If Telangana Fertiliser Shortage Claim Is Validated
Agriculture minister makes U-turn in Telangana after Telangana BJP president N Ramchander Rao challenges him on the allegations of fertilizer shortage, promising to resign if his allegations are true. Supply had been guaranteed by the Centre.
In a raging press meeting held at the BJP office on Wednesday, Telangana BJP president N. Ramchander Rao made a very non-conventional ultimatum to Agriculture minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, in that, should it be the case that the minister is able to come up with concrete evidence to show that there has indeed been any shortage of fertilisers within the state itself, then Rao will stand down in his office; but, in the event that this claim cannot be verified, then the minister should instead renounce himself.
Ramchander Rao gave an allegation that the Congress-led government in Telangana states engineered a shortage of artificial fertiliser leading to panic-buying, hoarding and sale on black market amongst other farmers. He compared the panic to bank runs as the case is during any financial crisis.
Pointing to strong supply data available in the Union government, Rao added that, in spite of international tensions ? including the Israel-Iran war and the blockage of the Red Sea routes ? Telangana had not experienced any interruptions in fertiliser supply: 7,250 rakes of urea delivered at IFFCO, KRIBHCO and RCF at the same time, with 10,000 metric tonnes of imported fertiliser coming through the Karaikal Port.
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Casting doubt on the authenticity of alleged shortage, Rao referred to figures in the own district of the Agriculture Minister who had seen a 3,200-tonne rise in fertiliser sales this August compared to a year earlier when the crop area had not expanded. He strove to question the extent to which the additional supply was going to farmers and not elsewhere.
Rao has even criticized the Congress and its Indian national Democratic alliance (INDIA) block ally parties on not putting up a backward class (BC) candidate in the running of the vice-presidential seat and requested them to support the NDA nominated candidate CP Radhakrishnan to provide belated justice to the backward communities.
