Slamming the recent steep increase in prices of all fertilisers used by farmers, the Congress' Maharashtra unit on Wednesday served an ultimatum to the Centre to roll back the hike within 48 hours or face protests. State Congress President Nana F. Patole also warned that if the Centre fails to comply with the demand, the party will launch a state-wide 'bell-ringing protest'. Addressing media persons here, he said that after introducing the 3 new "anti-farmers" laws last year, now the government has intensified its campaign "to uproot the farmers" by raising the prices of chemical fertilisers.

"The 'death of the farmers' seems to be the policy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. The new price hike, coming during a period of nearly 15 months of lockdown, will make it unaffordable and unviable for farmers to cultivate besides enslaving them to moneylenders and multinational corporations," Patole added. The Maha Vikas Aghadi government of the Shiv Sena, the Nationalist Congress Party, and the Congress had on Tuesday attacked the Centre for the price hike of fertilisers when the monsoon and sowing season are at the doorstep, and the issue was first highlighted by IANS on Tuesday.