The Congress and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Wednesday opposed the Odisha government’s decision to order a revenue divisional commissioner (RDC)-level inquiry into the deaths caused by mango kernels in Kandhamal.

While the Congress demanded a judicial probe into the issue, the BJD demanded that the Odisha food supplies and consumer welfare minister Krushna Chandra Patra be sacked and arrested for misleading people on the issue.

On Tuesday, chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi ordered an RDC probe into the incident in which two tribal women died eating mango kernels in Kandhamal.

Senior Congress leader and former Union minister Srikant Jena said: “RDC is a party to the case and should be held responsible for this neglect, as the district collector did not visit the affected village for a week, where two tribal women died after consuming mango kernel (amba takua). How can the revenue divisional commissioner (RDC) lead an impartial inquiry? We demand a judicial inquiry led by a sitting high court judge to ensure impartiality and transparency in this case.”

Demanding the minister’s resignation, BJD spokesperson Lekhasri Samantsinghar said: “Delay in food distribution violates the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and is a criminal offence. Had the food supplies been released on time in October, this incident— the loss of two precious lives — could have been avoided. Death because of starvation is not acceptable in a state where the BJP claims to be running a double-engine government.”

However, the BJP made a counterattack and said the death of the tribals was because of food poisoning and not starvation. “This is not death because of starvation but food poisoning. The chief minister has ordered an RDC-level probe and asked officials to distribute rice quota for three months under NFSA (National Food Security Act) in advance to the PDS beneficiaries in the area. No politics should be made on this issue,” said BJP spokesperson Sukeshi Oram.

Sanuja Majhi, 22, the younger brother of the 29-year-old differently-abled woman who died after eating the mango kernel at Mandipanka village under Daringbadi block in Kandhamal district, said his sister and his relatives were forced to eat mango kernels as they had been left with little rice in their houses. Along with Runi Majii, another woman also died. Six other women fell ill after consuming mango kernels.

Sanuja told The Telegraph: “We are running short of rice in our house. The women cooked the food for us and distributed whatever we had. On that day, as there was only a little rice left, the women decided to eat mango kernels. Out of hunger, they ate too many mango kernels with the little rice we had. As the mango kernels turned stale, it turned poisonous, and my sister died.”

Another youth from the area, Khirod Majhi, told this newspaper: “We don’t have any source of income. All the people in our area work as daily labourers. Most of the people migrate to different states to work as migrant labourers. Those who remain in the house struggle to survive. There remains a food crisis always. Short of food, the people depend on mango kernels. Sometimes, it turns toxic and takes away the lives of the people.”