Bhopal,  With the onset of the farming season for Rabi crops, the demand for fertilisers has gone up significantly in Madhya Pradesh. However, the issue of 'shortage' of the same has heated up the political scenario in the state, with both the ruling BJP and opposition Congress taking dig at each other over the issue.

While the BJP leaders, including Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, have maintained that Madhya Pradesh has enough stock of fertiliser and smooth distribution is going on at the state-run shops, the Congress has alleged that the farmers are being forced to buy fertiliser from private shops.

Amid this, state BJP chief V.D. Sharma on Monday accused the Congress of creating panic among the farmers by spreading false message of fertiliser shortage.

Sharma claimed that there was some delay in distribution of fertilisers to the farmers, but the government-run shops have enough stock.

"Disturbance in distribution of fertilisers was caused by the wrong policies of the previous Kamal Nath government. The Congress had made lakhs of farmers defaulters and because of this, a panic situation emerged among the farmers. But the BJP government has ensured that all farmers get fertilisers now," Sharma said.

Politics on the issue heated up since last Thursday, when Congress MLA Manoj Chawla from Ratlam district opened the shutters of a wearhouse, and asked the farmers to take sacks of fertiliser.

Ruckus followed as the farmers rushed to procure fertiliser in bulk. Later, Chawla was booked for creating hurdles in government service.

The Congress, however, defended the party MLA's act and alleged that the police acted on the direction of the BJP.

"Shivraj Singh Chouhan says there is no shortage of fertiliser. Then why the farmers are not getting it? Farmers in several districts are waiting for their turn to receive fertiliser but they are returning with empty hands. The Congress MLA understood the farmers' pain and that is why BJP's police booked him under false charges," said leader of opposition in the state Assembly, Govind Singh.