Jagan alleges Rs 250-crore ‘urea scam’ in Andhra Pradesh
YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy claims fertilisers meant for farmers are being diverted to the black market, creating an artificial shortage
YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, YSRCP chief and former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, has alleged that farmers in the state are facing a shortage of urea because fertilisers meant for them are being diverted to the black market, which has turned into a large-scale scam.
He has further claimed that illegal earnings from these sales are distributed across all levels of the leadership.
On Wednesday (September 10), Jagan lashed out at Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu for the "shortage" in urea supply to farmers and alleged that the artificial scarcity of the fertiliser has resulted in a scam of Rs 200-250 crore.
Addressing a press conference, Jagan claimed that the police threatened to register cases against YSRCP leaders who took part in the protests organised by his party on Tuesday.
Also Read: PM Modi’s visit to Manipur comes amid a minefield of challenges
Naidu leadership not farmer-friendly: Jagan
Alleging that farmers are not receiving adequate support prices for their produce in the state, Jagan said it has driven them to "suicide".
“It is evident that the fertiliser is being diverted to the black market, creating scarcity. With the encouragement and involvement of Chandrababu Naidu, its sale in the black market has turned into a scam worth Rs 200–Rs 250 crore. The ill-gotten money is being distributed from the top to the bottom (of the leadership),” the former CM alleged.
Listing out the prices of various commodities, he claimed that the previous YSRCP government had always intervened and supported farmers when prices dropped.
Referring to the state government’s decision to develop 10 medical colleges under the PPP model, Jagan alleged that government assets were being sold for peanuts by Naidu’s administration.