BJP Raitha Morcha stages protest against urea scarcity in State
The protestors rode bullock carts and tractors from Rani Chennamma Circle to the Deputy Commissioner's office. They raised slogans against the Congress government saying that it is following anti-farmer policies. They sat in protest in front of the office for some time.
BJP Raitha Morcha president A.S. Patil Nadahalli said that the Union government has provided adequate stocks of fertilisers but the State government has failed to distribute them properly.
He said that a large portion of government stocks have been diverted to the black market where unscrupulous traders are selling them at a premium.
He said that the demand for urea has been low in the last few years due to a rainfall deficit of 30%-40%. But, this year, the rainfall has been good and urea demand has naturally risen. Farming activities have picked up pace. But the State government has failed to ensure proper availability of urea. The State government is blind to the fact that urea is being diverted and sold in black. I have information that Ministers are not just oblivious to this but also are actively involved in this malpractice,' he said.
He said that the quality of seeds distributed to farmers through the Agriculture Department has remained poor in the last two years. 'This has caused huge losses to farmers whose demand for compensation has not been fulfilled. Spurious seed and fertiliser companies have mushroomed in the State. Their only aim is to bleed the farmers dry. Agriculture Minister N. Chaluvarayaswamy does not understand a thing about agriculture. He was supposed to visit various districts to check the crop and sowing pattern but has limited himself to Bengaluru and his native district of Mandya,' he said.
'Farmers have been facing injustice ever since the Congress came to power in the State. It has suspended various schemes like the Raitha Vidyanidhi Yojana, subsidy for agricultural equipment and support price for millet cultivation and others. The State government is not giving its share to the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Yojana,' he said.
He said that the Union government has provided the required quantity of urea fertiliser to the State during the monsoon season. 'However, more than 2 lakh tonnes of fertiliser is being sold in black. Due to this, farmers are struggling to maintain their crops,' he said.
'Farmers are facing shortage of urea fertiliser during this monsoon season. The State requires 12.88 lakh tonnes of urea during the monsoon season. Out of this, the Centre has allocated 11.73 lakh tonnes based on available stock. Already, 8.73 lakh tonnes have been supplied. But only 5.27 lakh tonnes have reached farmers. The rest has gone to black marketeers,' he said.
The former MLAs Sanjay Patil, V.I. Patil, Mahantesh Doddagoudar, party's rural district unit president Subhash Patil, city unit president Geeta Sutar, leaders M.B. Zirali, Murughendragouda Patil, Mahantesh Vakkund and others were present.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
21 minutes ago
- The Hindu
From Kannur looms to Prime Minister's wardrobe: handwoven Onakkodi heads to Delhi
Once again, the delicate threads of Kannur's legendary handloom tradition is travelling all the way to the national capital. This Onam, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and seven Union Ministers will receive their Onakkodi, a ceremonial festive attire, woven in the heart of Kannur by the skilled hands of Loknath Weavers at Melechovva. The effort, guided by a team from the Directorate of Handloom and Textiles, involves the creation of nine unique kurta patterns - two contrasting colour designs for the Prime Minister and one each for the Ministers, including Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, and Rajnath Singh. Each piece is about five metre long. The stitch kurtas will be prepared by a Hantex tailoring unit in Thiruvananthapuram, said P. Vinod Kumar, secretary, Loknath Weavers. 'This is the third year we are entrusted with this honour,' he said. 'In the first year, we were given the design to make. The second time, we got to select the fabric and pattern in consultation with a Hantex technical team. Likewise this year also. This time, we are making a unique fabric that requires much effort,' said A. Pavithran, president of Loknath Weavers. . He said they are creating the fabric for the Prime Minister using eight Raka (warp) and four Kalu (weft), which creates a twill weave with a diagonal line effect. 'It is not just about the fabric. It is Kerala's identity going to Delhi,' he added. K.V. Sahaja,49, a master weaver with over 20 years of experience, is leading the work for the Prime Minister's Onakkodi. 'This is the first time I am weaving for the Prime Minister. There is responsibility and excitement in every shuttle throw,' Ms. Sahaja said, without looking up from him loom. She completed making the fabrics on Thursday and will ship them for stitching by Friday. 'I have been working on it for the past two weeks. It is challenging and requires a lot of concentration. A combination of four colours, including black, purple and a mixture of brown and white, is used for the Prime Minister,' Ms. Sahaja said. The fabric is crafted in twill weave, a technique that demands patience. But the end result is worth every hour spent, she added. 'For us, this not just a festive assignment. It is the spirit of Kannur reaching the highest offices of the country,' said Mr. Vinod Kumar, echoing the pride of the weaving community.
India Today
21 minutes ago
- India Today
Aditya Srivastava only in Karnataka, not UP: Poll body rebuts Rahul Gandhi's claim
The Chief Electoral Officer of Uttar Pradesh on Thursday dismissed allegations made by Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, who had claimed large-scale voter fraud involving individuals registered in multiple states, including Uttar UP election office clarified that the names mentioned by Rahul Gandhi - Aditya Srivastava and Vishal Singh - are not listed as voters in the state, contrary to the Congress leader's assertions during a press conference held earlier in the CEO UP (@ceoup) August 7, 2025advertisementIn an official statement, the Uttar Pradesh Election Commission said, "Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, held a press conference today on 07 August, 2025 on the subject 'The foundation of the constitution is the vote, Vote has been destroyed'. In which, along with other topics, Uttar Pradesh state was also mentioned, in which he presented the fact that two voters named Aditya Srivastava son of SP Srivastava (EPIC No. FPP6437040) and Vishal Singh son of Mahipal Singh (EPIC No. INB2722288). Their names are also mentioned in the voter list of the Legislative Assemblies of UP as well as other states. These figures have been shown by Rahul Gandhi as taken from the website of the Election Commission of India on 16 March 2025." The poll panel added that on August 7, 2025, when the names and EPIC numbers of Aditya Srivastava and Vishal Singh were checked on the Election Commission's official portal, Aditya Srivastava was found registered only at booth number 458, C.S. 1265 in Mahadevpura Assembly constituency in Bengaluru Singh was also found registered only at booth number 513, C.S. 926 in the same Mahadevpura Assembly seat. Their names do not appear on the electoral rolls of Lucknow East (Legislative Assembly 173) or Varanasi Cantt (Legislative Assembly 390), the commission Rahul Gandhi's remarks, the UP CEO's office further said that, "an inspection of their respective EPIC numbers revealed that Srivastava is registered only at booth number 458 in Bengaluru's Mahadevapura Assembly constituency and Singh is registered only at booth number 513 in the same constituency".Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi held a press conference where he accused the Election Commission of overseeing what he called "poll theft" during the 2024 Lok Sabha alleged that there were 1,25,000 fake votes in the Bangalore Central seat and specifically named Aditya Srivastava and Vishal Singh as voters listed in multiple locations. He displayed Aditya Srivastava's photograph and EPIC number and claimed that the individual was a registered voter not just in Karnataka, but also in Maharashtra and Uttar verify this, India Today TV accessed the Election Commission's website and found that Aditya Srivastava's name appears in Karnataka's electoral roll, but not in those of Lucknow or Maharashtra. A search for his EPIC number returned "No result found" in both locations, contradicting Rahul Gandhi's Gandhi had claimed that Aditya Srivastava appeared on the voter list four times - twice in Karnataka, once in Maharashtra, and once in Lucknow - citing data from March 2024. However, the current status on the ECI portal indicates he is registered only in is worth noting that the central poll body had, earlier this year, issued a statement acknowledging the existence of duplicate entries across voter rolls and confirmed that it had taken corrective action. If Aditya Srivastava was previously registered in more than one location, his name may have been removed as part of that clean-up Rahul Gandhi's press conference, and the discrepancy between his claims and the current voter database, the UP Election Commission reiterated that the individual named Aditya Srivastava is not registered as a voter in Uttar Pradesh and remains on record only in Bengaluru Urban.- EndsTune InMust Watch
Mint
21 minutes ago
- Mint
INDIA Bloc gathers at Rahul Gandhi's residence to discuss Bihar SIR row, vote rigging allegations
Senior leaders from the opposition INDIA bloc convened at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's residence in New Delhi on Thursday evening for a dinner meeting that took on a serious political tone. The gathering, attended by nearly 50 leaders from over 25 parties, focused on the contentious Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar and explosive allegations of large-scale electoral fraud made by Gandhi. The meeting, although informal in nature, served as a strategic forum for opposition leaders to coordinate responses and consolidate their stance on what many described as a threat to democratic integrity. Rahul Gandhi seen talking to Sonia Gandhi and Mehbooba Mufti Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, presented what he described as evidence of 'huge criminal fraud' in the 2024 general elections. In a PowerPoint presentation delivered to assembled leaders, Gandhi claimed that over 1 lakh votes were 'stolen' in one assembly segment in Karnataka alone, through what he termed five distinct methods of manipulation. He alleged that the Election Commission had 'colluded' with the ruling BJP to facilitate rigging and suppress genuine voter turnout — a charge that has ignited a fresh round of political confrontation. 'This is not just an irregularity; it's an atom bomb on our democracy,' Gandhi said earlier at a press conference, referencing the alleged vote theft. Kamal Haasan and Gaurav Gogoi at the dinner at Rahul Gandhi's house. The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists currently underway in Bihar has become a flashpoint. Opposition leaders argue that the exercise could result in large-scale disenfranchisement, particularly of marginalised communities and minorities. CPI General Secretary D Raja said the meeting was 'very meaningful,' highlighting concerns over voter identity, roll manipulation, and lack of transparency by the Election Commission. 'What's happening in Bihar can happen anywhere in the country,' Raja cautioned, echoing Gandhi's fears that the issue has national implications. Sonia Gandhi, Derek O'Brien, Abhishek Banerjee, and Rahul Gandhi at the soiree. Although the meeting focused heavily on the EC and electoral fraud, other pressing concerns were also raised. Although the meeting focused heavily on the EC and electoral fraud, other pressing concerns were also raised. National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah reiterated demands for the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, criticising the government for delaying the promised move. 'We also raised the issue of banned books in J&K. It's unconstitutional. This should not be happening,' Abdullah said. There was no formal agenda, but the overarching theme was clear: unity among opposition parties in the face of what they view as growing institutional compromise. Rahul Gandhi seen with Farooq Abdullah at his residence for the dinner The evening saw a high-profile turnout from across the political spectrum. Among those present were Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jairam Ramesh, and Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah. Key regional leaders included Sharad Pawar (NCP-SP), Uddhav Thackeray (Shiv Sena-UBT), Akhilesh Yadav and Dimple Yadav (SP), Tejashwi Yadav (RJD), Abhishek Banerjee (TMC), Mehbooba Mufti (PDP), Kamal Haasan (MNM), and CM Revanth Reddy (Telangana), CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (Himachal Pradesh), and CPI(M)'s MA Baby, among others. Leaders from Forward Bloc, IUML, Kerala Congress factions, MDMK, RSP, VCK, PWK, RLP, and KMDK also participated. LoP in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, and Congress Rajya Sabha MP Sonia Gandhi seen with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Lok Sabha MP Dimple Yadav The INDIA bloc is expected to intensify its campaign against the Election Commission, with a protest march to the EC headquarters in Delhi reportedly in the works. The bloc has already displayed rare parliamentary unity in recent sessions, and Thursday's dinner further cemented that momentum. Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi described the meeting as 'positive,' noting that despite being informal, it was 'another sign of the opposition's resolve to fight for democratic accountability.' Whether these concerns will force the EC to respond publicly or prompt parliamentary inquiry remains to be seen — but the opposition appears poised to keep the issue alive.
