Fertiliser shortage: Farmers protest, parties play politics

The shortage of fertilisers led to protests and use of force by police in parts of Maharashtra on a day the BJP and the Congress indulged in blame-game over yesterday's agitation by farmers that led to police firing in Karnataka, ruled by the BJP. One farmer was killed in the incident.

The Congress said the incident was nothing unusual for BJP-ruled states. "When the party won in Karnataka, the BJP-led Rajasthan government fired on Gujjars, killing many. Now, the government has not even spent 15 days in office and firing on farmers has started. Is this the way the BJP celebrates electoral victory?" said Congress spokesperson Manish Tiwari.

The BJP was quick to blame the Congress-led central government. "The Centre knew there was a shortage of fertilisers and common sense dictates that since it's the sowing season, the shortage should be addressed.

We have spoken to industry people, who inform us that the Centre has not finalised the pricing policy for fertilisers and not cleared the long-pending dues of various companies," said senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu.

"We have just taken charge, but before this, it was President's rule in Karnataka. Couldn't this problem have been addressed by the governor?" he said. Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa, who will be travelling to New Delhi, has sought time from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

In Maharashtra, officials said the shortage was due to problems in transporting fertilisers. The problem had been sorted out after talks with railway officials, said an official of the state agriculture department.

Incidents of agitations by angry farmers and use of force by police were reported from Nanded, Osmnabad and Latur, home town of Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh.

A senior agriculture ministry official said due to the Gujjar agitation, the railways' schedule had been hit and they were finding it tough to carry fertilisers from ports like Kandla and Mundra in Gujarat and Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh to the interiors.

The problem, he said, was acute in the Marathwada region as it was serviced by a single rail track.