Potato crisis in Odisha has triggered political turmoil over allegations of manmade shortage
OdishaPlus Bureau
The recent potato crisis in Odisha has ignited a political debate, with the Minister of Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare, Krushna Chandra Patra, asserting that the situation was ‘manmade’ and intentionally created to incite unrest. In a statement to the media on Thursday, Patra claimed that certain factions deliberately disrupted the supply chain, resulting in consumer panic. “The state government has ensured a sufficient stock of potatoes to satisfy demand.
The contrived shortage of potatoes was intended to tarnish the government’s reputation. I am perplexed by the political motivations behind West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s initial refusal to halt potato exports, followed by her subsequent agreement to resume the supply of this essential item. Nevertheless, vested interests have manipulated the distribution system to engineer an artificial scarcity,” Patra remarked, cautioning that stringent measures would be taken against those responsible. He emphasized that Odisha possesses an adequate supply of potatoes to meet needs and that market prices have stabilized.
The opposition party, BJD, criticized Patra for making irresponsible remarks during the crisis, asserting that the government failed to manage the situation effectively. “It appears that the minister is still under the influence of the potato crisis. No other minister has made such trivial statements regarding the issue. He is attempting to mask his incompetence with such comments,” stated BJD leader Goutam Buddha Das.
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