Potato Politics: Export Controversy in West Bengal

West Bengal's Agricultural Marketing Minister Becharam Manna accused certain businesses, supported by the BJP-led central government, of exporting large quantities of potatoes to Bangladesh despite export restrictions. The state government has begun an investigation to uncover the exporters as potato prices increase locally due to alleged hoarding.

A political row has erupted in West Bengal as Agricultural Marketing Minister Becharam Manna charges that businessmen, allegedly backed by the BJP-led central government, have exported significant amounts of potatoes to Bangladesh.

Speaking in the state Assembly on Tuesday, Manna asserted that these exports occurred in early November, defying state-imposed export restrictions intended to curb rising local prices.

The minister announced a state-led probe to identify those responsible, amid accusations of dishonest traders hoarding potatoes, thereby creating an engineered scarcity and exacerbating local market conditions.

(With inputs from agencies.)