Harish Rao slams BJP, Congress for urea crisis in Telangana

BRS senior leader T Harish Rao accused both the Centre and Telangana government of mishandling the urea crisis, calling it a political drama. Citing Central data, he claimed there is no national shortage and blamed the Congress government’s negligence for farmers’ hardships

Hyderabad: Coming down heavily on both the State government and the Centre for the way they mishandled the urea crisis, former minister and senior BRS MLA T Harish Rao on Saturday said they were playing out a political drama at the expense of farmers’ livelihoods.

Questioning the conflicting narratives of the two governments, he demanded immediate action to resolve the fertilizer crisis and ensure a timely supply to farmers.

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“The Central government claims there is no urea shortage in the country, while Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy blames the Centre for not supplying enough. Who is telling the truth and who is lying? Is it Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government or Revanth Reddy’s Congress government in Telangana?” he asked, highlighting the confusion created by their contradictory statements.

Citing Central government data, Harish Rao pointed out that against a national requirement of 143 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of urea, 183 LMT was available, with 155 LMT already sold. Similarly, for DAP, 49 LMT was available against a demand of 45 LMT, and for NPK, 97 LMT was available against a requirement of 58 LMT. He argued that if these figures are accurate, the State government’s failure to ensure proper distribution was solely responsible for the crisis in Telangana.

“Despite no nationwide fertilizer shortage, Telangana farmers are facing hardships due to the State government’s negligence,” Harish Rao said, accusing the Congress administration of mismanagement. He criticised both parties for evading responsibility and urged them to stop misleading farmers and focus on delivering the required fertilizers.

The BRS leader demanded that the State government take immediate steps to ensure the availability of fertilizers to farmers. He also warned that continued inaction would deepen the agrarian crisis in Telangana.

Demands high-level review on urea supplies

Harish Rao demanded Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy immediately conduct a high-level review to address urea shortage and ensure prompt fertilizer supply to farmers.

He urged the government to stop blaming the opposition and take responsibility for its failures. “The Congress, which promised a golden era, has brought back the dark days of mismanagement,” Rao remarked. He warned that the government’s neglect would not go unpunished by the farming community.

Rao pointed out that during the BRS rule, Telangana never faced urea shortage, and farmers were not forced onto the streets. He contrasted this with the current regime’s failures in irrigation, paddy procurement, loan waivers, and promised bonuses, labelling the Congress government as a “deceitful administration” that has betrayed farmers.