Opposition slams government over potato crisis, Minister Krushna Chandra’s misleading information

The BJD leader charged the government with doing nothing to bring the potato prices under control except the minister’s misleading statements to the media.

BJD chief whip Pramila Mallick

BHUBANESWAR: Not withstanding the repeated claims of Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra that potato prices have remained stable in open market, the Opposition BJD and Congress on Monday launched a scathing attack on the state government for failing to resolve the crisis.

Raising the issue during zero hour, Opposition chief whip Pramila Mallik accused Patra of misleading people on the issue. When people are buying potato at Rs 60 a kg, the minister said he had purchased the tuber at Rs 30 a kg. The next day he said the government ordered the traders not to charge more than Rs 40 for a kg of potato, Mallik said.

The BJD leader charged the government of doing nothing to bring the potato prices under control except the minister’s misleading statements to the media that steps are being taken to bring the tuber from Uttar Pradesh by train and trucks. Alleging that at least 10 kg in each 50 kg packet of potato which arrived from Uttar Pradesh was found rotten, she sought a statement from the government on measures taken to meet the tuber demand in the state and control it price.

Leader of Congress legislature party (CLP) Ramachandra Kadam also slammed the government saying not only potato but prices of all vegetables and other essential commodities have skyrocketed after the BJP came to power in the state. “The government must tell the Assembly what it is doing for a permanent solution to the scarcity problem,” Kadam said.

BJD MLA Byomkesh Ray told mediapersons that similar crisis had occurred when the BJD was in power but the situation was managed well due to serious efforts of then chief minister Naveen Patnaik. “People will be forced to hit the streets if the state government does not manage the potato crisis,” he said.

In response to Ray, BJP MLA Saroj Padhi said, the BJD member must also reveal what his government did in the last 24 years to become self-sufficient in potato production and why the potato mission did not take off.

Meanwhile, Civil Supplies officials conducted raids in major markets of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack amid allegations of potato being sold at inflated prices.