Farmers should be patient and must not panic, the chief minister said.
The stringent National Security Act will be invoked against those who are selling fertilizers in the black market, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Friday.
With farmers facing a shortage of urea and other fertilizers, opposition Congress is targeting the BJP government on the issue.
“I have reviewed the situation regarding fertilizers again. MP needs six lakh metric tonnes of fertilizer (urea)," Mr Chouhan told reporters at Chhatarpur.
Farmers should be patient and must not panic, the chief minister said.
"Adequate stocks would be kept available. I will monitor the situation daily," he said.
“NSA would be invoked against people who are indulging in black-marketing of fertilizers,” he added.
In Bhopal, state Congress spokesperson Jitu Patwari said as per the government data, 3,18,000 tonnes of urea had arrived in Madhya Pradesh against the sanctioned 4, 99,000 tonnes.
"Then why just 2,31,000 tonnes of urea has been distributed? Where has one lakh tonnes of urea gone? In the godowns of BJP people....Release it," Mr Patwari said in a statement.
The situation was so grim that trucks and warehouses were being looted and fertilizer distribution was being done from police stations, but state agriculture minister (Kamal Patel) was busy attending fashion shows, the Congress leader claimed, adding that "such ministers should be sacked."
NNNN