Congress sells onion in Odisha at Rs 40 per kg to protest

The Congress on Monday sold onion near its state headquarters here at Rs 40 per kg, protesting against soaring price of the vegetable, which has touched the Rs 100 per kg-mark in Odisha.

However, no person was given more than 250 gram from the counter that was opened by the party's Bhubaneswar district unit.

Congress's district president Manas Choudhury said both the BJP-led central government and the 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.

Congress's state unit chief Niranjan Patnaik said the country is being run by a government which only knows to make promises but fails to keep them.

Refuting the allegations, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister RP Swain claimed that the state government has opened above 200 fair price shops where onion is being sold at a lower price.

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 unseasonal rainfall.