Congress sells onion at Rs 40-a-kg in Bhubaneswar

A huge crowd gathered near Congress Bhawan to purchase onion available at a reduced price because of the unique protest.
Congress workers selling onions at Station Square on Monday | Biswanath Swain
Congress workers selling onions at Station Square on Monday | Biswanath Swain

BHUBANESWAR: Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) on Monday sold onion near its state headquarters in the Capital at Rs 40 per kg, protesting soaring price of the vegetable, which has touched Rs 100 per kg-mark in the State.

A huge crowd gathered near Congress Bhawan to purchase onion available at a reduced price because of the unique protest. However, no person was given more than 250 gram from the counter that was opened by the party’s Bhubaneswar district unit.

Congress Bhubaneswar district president Manas Choudhury said both the BJP-led Central government and BJD Government in Odisha have failed to protect the interests of people. “They have failed to regulate the price of onion in the market,” he added.

OPCC president Niranjan Patnaik criticised the Centre and State Governments for making promises -  only not to keep them. Patnaik warned that unless the price of onion is brought under control, Congress will launch a State-wide agitation over the issue. Patnaik said a Government which claims to develop the country’s economy to a five trillion by 2025, is not able to create infrastructure to store onion. He referred to a statement by Union Food Supply Minister that 26,000-tonne onion was damaged due to lack of storing facility.

Refuting the allegations, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain claimed that the State Government has opened above 200 fair price shops where onion is being sold at a lower price compared to other states. He also ridiculed the Congress for selling onion. The minister said the price of onion has gone up due to less production in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh owing to untimely rainfall.

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