TMC MP raises onion price rise issue in Lok Sabha

TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay on Thursday said the Centre should ask states to ensure that there was no hoarding of onions.

Raising the issue during the Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha, Bandyopadhyay said the price of onion had reached an extreme height and it was a serious issue.

The Trinamool Congress leader said hoarding was the cause of price rise of onion and added that enforcement department should check on hoarding of onions.

He was also of the view that price monitoring division should be more active.

Bandyopadhyay termed it a failure of the government, saying rising prices had gone out of limit and "we all condemn it".

Prices of onion in many places have crossed Rs 100 per kg because of less production.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had on Wednesday said in the Lok Sabha that the government had taken several steps to check rising prices of onion and also initiated steps to improve technology for better storage of the kitchen staple.

Attributing shortage to low production, the minister had said there were severe "structural problems" related to onions.