Bhubaneswar: Opposition BJD and Congress MLAs Tuesday staged a walkout from the Odisha assembly, accusing the ruling BJP of failing to control prices of essential commodities and resolve the potato crisis in the state.
The issues were debated in the House over the admissibility of an adjournment motion moved by the Opposition on price rise of vegetables, pulses, edible oil and fuel.
The opposition members took exception to comments made by Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister K C Patra that adverse climate conditions, rates in international and domestic markets, and less production by producing states led to rise in prices of essential commodities in Odisha.
“This government has completely failed to control the prices of commodities and is unable to meet the basic requirements of the state. The minister misled people by making a careless statement on availability and prices of potatoes in the state,” Opposition Chief Whip Pramila Mallik said.
Congress members Taraprasad Bahinipati, Ashok Das and BJD’s Byomkesha Roy, Dhruba Charan Sahu and Goutam Buddha Das came down heavily on the minister, holding him responsible for the “suffering of people”.
“There have been potato crises several times after the BJP government came to power. The minister has failed to handle the situation and is now shifting blame on others,” they alleged.
Noting that a kg of potato is sold at Rs 50 in the retail market, Bahinipati demanded that the state government provide subsidy.
“The price of pulses is Rs 180 a kg and edible oil Rs 190 a litre. The government should give subsidy on essential food items as the state earns a lot from different sources like mining, GST and others,” Bahinipati said.
Treasury bench members, including Saroj Padhi and Babu Singh, asserted that the Odisha government was making all efforts to control the price of essential commodities.
Patra also blamed the previous BJD government for “failing to provide irrigation to farmlands and increase production”.
“They (BJD) could not build the required cold storages in the state,” he alleged.
The minister, however, assured the House that the state had sufficient stock of potatoes, and appealed to people to not panic.
Patra added that district collectors have been directed to hold talks with traders over the matter.
PTI