Krishnagar (WB), Aug 29: After dubbing a farmer a Maoist for questioning the high price of fertilisers at a rally last month, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today replied to a similar query saying that she has taken it up with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
When a youth shouted ‘fertiliser, fertiliser' referring to its high price at the fag end of a public meeting here in Nadia district, Banerjee said,”this is a central subject and not a state subject. As such we cannot do much about the prices.
“But I have taken up the issue with the Prime Minister. I told him about the plight of farmers during my last visit to Delhi,” the chief minister said. She told the people to bring black marketing and hoarding of fertiliser to the notice of the authorities for prompt action.
Shiladitya Chowdhury, a 35-year old farmer from Binpur in West Midnapore district, had asked about rising fertiliser prices during the chief minister's public meeting at Belpahari on July 8.
The chief minister had dubbed him a Maoist and asked the police to arrest him. He was detained and let off, but was arrested on July 11 and remanded to judicial custody for 14 days before being released on bail.
