The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab on Wednesday blamed the ruling Congress for the deepening crisis of DAP (Di-ammonium Phosphate) fertilizer in the state.

In a statement, Leader of Opposition, Harpal Singh Cheema alleged like former Congress Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi had become a puppet of the Narendra Modi-led Central government.

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He said with the Channi government proving to be extremely weak due to its innumerable weaknesses, the Modi government is daring to take action against the farmers of Punjab as the farmers of the state are leading a nationwide agitation against the agricultural laws.

Cheema said the Modi government could not have discriminated against Punjab in the supply of DAP fertilizer to such an extent if there was even a little bit of pressure from the Channi government on the Central government which was directly attacking the rights of Punjab and the farmers.

The AAP leader said sowing of wheat was at its peak but Punjab had so far received only 41 per cent share of fertiliser from the Central government while there was still a shortage of 3.50 lakh tonnes of DAP fertilizer for sowing wheat in a total area of 35 lakh hectares.

Criticising the Channi government for not doing anything on the Centre’s biasness, Cheema said Channi used to attend the ‘Delhi Darbar’ every other day to save his seat, but has not met the PM and the concerned Union ministers to get the shortage of DAP resolved.

He said as the Modi government was taking vindictive decisions against Punjab and the farmers, labourers and traders of Punjab, it would have been better if the Channi government had staged a sit-in protest in front of the ‘Modi Darbar’.

While Punjab has been allotted only 41 per cent of the total requirement of DAP fertilizer, Haryana has been allotted 89 per cent, Uttar Pradesh 170 per cent and Rajasthan 88 per cent DAP fertilizer.

Lashing out at the Channi government, Cheema said black marketing was at its peak due to shortage of DAP fertilizer, due to which DAP fertilizer bag was being sold at a double price (Rs 1200 per bag) and the farmers were being looted but the Channi government was still in
slumber.