Hyderabad: Telangana Minister Ponnam Prabhakar on Monday accused the Centre of discriminating against the state in fertilizer distribution. He blamed the Union government for the ongoing shortage, which has left farmers in distress.
Minister alleges fertilizer discrimination against Telangana
Speaking at Gandhi Bhavan, Prabhakar alleged that the BJP and BRS had conspired to trigger a fertilizer crisis to turn farmers against the Congress-led state government. “Yes, there is a fertilizer issue in Telangana, but those responsible show no concern,” he said.
He stated that the state lacks control over fertilizer distribution and depends solely on central allocations. This season, Telangana received only 5.2 lakh tonnes against its requirement of 11 lakh tonnes.
Demand to restart Ramagundam fertilizer plant
The minister said the Centre deliberately shut down the Ramagundam fertilizer plant for four months. He demanded its immediate reopening to ease the crisis.
He held the BJP accountable and warned that political rivalries should not harm farmers. Prabhakar also stated that the Congress would mobilize farmers to mount pressure on the Centre.
He further accused BRS leaders of supporting the BJP, citing K.T. Rama Rao’s earlier remark that fertilizers would be distributed “to whoever supplied them.”
Telangana fertilizer crisis sparks political row
Prabhakar said farmers were suffering in the fields, pushed into anxiety during the crop season. He argued that the BJP’s failure to supply adequate urea amounted to a betrayal of Telangana’s farmers.
