A.P. Congress leaders slam TDP government for shortage of urea

Congress leaders slammed the TDP-led coalition government for “failure to respond to the woes of farmers facing short supply of urea.” All-India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge for Congress affairs in A.P. Manickam Tagore said farmers were standing in endless queues for urea, while the coalition government was in deep slumber.

“State quota claims 6.34 lakh metric tonnes of urea has arrived. Why is there a shortage then? Who is diverting urea illegally from warehouses? Why is a ₹266 bag being sold at ₹500 in the open market? This is not a shortage, it is a manufactured crisis, created by the ruling party leaders for black market profits,” he posted on ‘X’.

Mr. Tagore demanded immediate raids by the Vigilance wing “to stop this loot”. He said the government must supply an additional 1.5 lakh tonnes of urea through societies for this kharif season. “Farmers deserve protection, not exploitation,” he said.

Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president Y.S. Sharmila also questioned the government for the severe crisis faced by farmers due to shortage of urea. Taking to social media platform X, she said long queues stretched for kilometres at fertilizer centres from early morning, with farmers waiting for days to get a single bag.

“Though the State has been allotted 6.34 lakh metric tonnes of urea, farmers are not receiving it,” she said, adding that questions are being raised about where the fertilizer is going, with allegations of illegal diversion to private warehouses and black marketing.