Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, 31 October 2026, accused certain groups of deliberately spreading rumours about shortages of fertilisers and cooking gas to create public panic, amid the ongoing conflict involving Iran and countries in the Gulf region. Addressing a gathering in Bhildi, Banaskantha district, Gujarat, Modi asserted that the government had ensured uninterrupted fertiliser supplies to farmers despite a sharp rise in international prices.

The Rumour Campaign, as Modi Described It

Modi alleged that certain groups had exploited the Gulf conflict to sow anxiety among farmers and households. He claimed that farmers had been made to fear fertiliser shortages and that artificial queues had been created, while women were told that cooking gas supplies would run out, disrupting daily routines and schooling.

'When the country faces a crisis, some people seem to be happy. The latest example is the war involving Iran and the Gulf region. While India is united in dealing with the situation, these people have been spreading rumours,' he said.

Modi was unequivocal about the alleged motive: 'Their plan was to create chaos in the country so that they could defame Modi,' he said, referring to himself in the third person.

How the Government Absorbed the Price Shock

The Prime Minister explained that the Gulf conflict had caused fertiliser prices and the cost of chemicals used in their production to rise sharply in international markets. Rather than passing this burden on to farmers, he said, the government had absorbed the additional cost entirely.

Modi offered specific figures to illustrate the subsidy scale. A bag of urea priced at around ₹3,000 in the international market was being supplied to Indian farmers for under ₹300. Similarly, a bag of diammonium phosphate (DAP), whose international price had crossed ₹5,000, was available to farmers in India for just ₹1,350. 'The government is bearing this entire burden so that our farmers remain strong and their lives improve,' he said.

India's Stability Amid Global Uncertainty

Modi said that India's continued development trajectory, even as global uncertainty deepens, was a source of hope for the world. He called for national unity as the country pursued its development goals, and urged citizens — particularly the youth — to participate in the Run for Unity on 31 October to mark the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

He also noted that the annual Ekta Parv at Ekta Nagar, typically held in the morning, would this year be organised in the evening, with the programme scheduled to begin at 5:30 pm.

Gujarat Visit and Development Projects

The speech in Bhildi was part of a two-day visit to Gujarat during which Modi launched and dedicated development projects worth more than ₹14,000 crore in Banaskantha. The visit combined political messaging with administrative outreach ahead of what analysts note is a period of heightened geopolitical sensitivity for India's import-dependent agricultural sector.

As the Gulf conflict continues to pressure global commodity markets, the government's ability to sustain fertiliser subsidies at current levels will remain a key policy stress test in the coming months.