Pandemonium in AP Assembly over fertiliser issue

The demand for setting up the committee was raised by senior Congress MLA D L Ravindra Reddy, who alleged foul play in supply of fertilisers to a particular company in Kadapa district.

The TDP supported the demand and were soon joined by other opposition parties who later staged a walkout. The TDP alleged that the particular company belonged to Kadapa Mayor Ravindranath Reddy, brother-in-law of former Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy. "As such, undue favours were granted to the company," the party alleged.

As soon as the House met for the day, TDP members raised a protest over the Centre’s decision to enhance prices of fertilisers and urea and sought a debate through an adjournment motion.

As din prevailed, Speaker Kiran Kumar Reddy adjourned the House for ten minutes. When it re-assembled, Chief Minister K Rosaiah said he would write a letter to the Centre requesting it to reconsider its decision in the interests of farmers.

When the Question Hour was taken up, Congress MLA Ravindra Reddy questioned whether fertilisers and seeds supplied to Co-operative Marketing Federation (Markfed) in Kadapa district were misused.

As Agriculture Minister N Raghuveera Reddy denied any such misuse, Ravindra Reddy referred to supply of one lakh tonnes of fertiliser to 'Balaji Fertilisers' at a time when there was severe shortage of the commodity in the market.

"This company belongs to a political leader and hence I request the government to constitute a House Committee to probe into this," he said. Seizing the opportunity, the TDP too demanded a House Committee but the Agriculture Minister said the issue would be probed by an official committee.

The TDP members raised a protest over this, forcing adjournment of the House for the second time. Similar scenes were witnessed when the House met again with opposition parties like PRP, CPI and CPI(M) joining the issue and strongly demanding such a committee.

"The government is trying to shield the guilty as the Agriculture Minister too is hand-in-glove with the wrong-doers," senior TDP legislator Gali Muddukrishnama Naidu alleged.
This led to heated exchanges between ruling and opposition members leading to the third adjournment. Later, the Agriculture Minister asserted that there was no corruption involved in the entire issue. "Not just Balaji, but 14 other companies in the state were also supplied DAP (di-ammonium phosphate) for manufacture of complex fertilisers. But everything is above board," he said. Not content with this, TDP, PRP, CPI and CPM members registered their protest and walked out of the House.