CM Revanth Reddy Accuses Centre of ‘Starving’ Telangana Farmers of Urea
Telangana CM A. Revanth Reddy alleges that the central government has been discriminating against his state since there is a shortage of about 3 lakh MT of urea that, he says, is holding the farmers back in their quest to meet the demands of the kharif season; Reddy seeks immediate supply of the entire quota.
Terming the non-availability of full allocation of urea to Telangana during the kharif season an act of deliberately discriminating against its farmers, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy tore into the central government Tuesday, complaining that the shortage of the fertilizer in Telangana during the vital kharif season was due to the central government’s fault.
There is also a huge shortfall in urea allocation in Telangana with only 5.32 LMT of the allocated 8.30 LMT being supplied to the state during the kharif season in 2014. The shortage has come at a crucial time when the farmers are already under lots of pressure with favorable monsoon rains prompting a strong sowing action of crops.
Revanth has complained about the laxity of the Centre and said that Telangana MPs have addressed the problem formally in the parliament and requested the Union Health Minister JP Nadda on numerous occasions. He also referred to several letters written by the State Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao which he said were not responded promptly- a response which he termed as shameful .
In a move of solidarity, Priyanka Gandhi joined Telangana supers in a protest close to the Parliament which Revanth openly supported. He did not hesitate to criticise TRS government with his barbs directed against Union ministers G. Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay saying that they were less concerned about the fate of farmers and were more committed to be political sycophants than being the servants of the people. His other attacks were against the BRS MPs asking why they were missing in action whenever the advocacy is most required in Delhi.
Political Reactions Intensify
Ramchander Rao, the state BJP chief shifted the blame to the state government citing that it mismanaged the distribution of urea through Markfed and the CM disagreed with the pushback on the centre. Congress MPs are meanwhile, demanding more urea, as they press their demand of another 2 LMT of urea, stage protests in Parliament to demonstrate that the crisis is acute, and prompt action is required to prevent agricultural distress.
What Lies Ahead
Under pressure the Centre has reportedly sanctioned additional 50,000 tonne of urea to Telangana where the first consignment of 10,800 tonne has already been shipped to Telangana by Karnataka bloc, and the rest to be despatched. Although this is a relieving step, the state maintains that the full sanctioned quota should be made available sense this will help farmers plant with assurance and allow farmers to maintain production levels.
