HYDERABAD: BJP state president N Ramchander Rao on Sunday challenged state Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageswara Rao to a debate on the shortage of urea supply to farmers in the state.
Speaking to the media during his visit to Gadwal, Wanaparthy and Nagarkurnool districts to interact with party cadre and leaders, Ramchander Rao said that Telangana is facing a “unique” problem of urea shortage that no other state is facing.
He said that though Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s government demanded only 9.5 lakh metric tonnes of urea, the Centre supplied 12.2 lakh metric tonnes to the state.
“The farmers should question the Congress government to explain what happened to around 2.5 lakh metric tonnes of urea and the reasons behind the shortage. If the agriculture minister agrees to a debate, we will come with details of urea supplied by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to Telangana,” he said.
He alleged that the Congress government was trying to cover up its failures and inefficiency by blaming the Centre for the shortage of urea as local body elections are around the corner.
The state government is colluding with middlemen, facilitating the black marketing of urea, he alleged and accused it of misleading farmers and making false accusations against the Centre.
Slamming the Congress government for “playing with lives of farmers”, Ramchander Rao urged the farmers to support the BJP in the upcoming local body elections.
During the day, the BJP leader visited a Gurukul hostel, demanded a comprehensive inquiry into food poisoning incidents in Gurukuls and BC welfare hostels in several districts.