The ruling BJP and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) — now the main Opposition party in Odisha — are vying with each other to take credit for the resumption of potato supply to the state from Bengal.

While the BJP government claimed that potato supplies resumed after its officials talked to the Bengal government, the BJD said this happened as a result of BJD president Naveen Patnaik's personal request to Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee to intervene in the matter and sort it out within 12 hours.

Amid the political slugfest, Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday met Mamata Banerjee in New Delhi and sought her intervention to streamline the supply of potatoes from Bengal to Odisha.

The potato supply from Bengal to Odisha had almost stopped for the last three days, causing the price of the tuber to rise. On Friday, the Leader of the Opposition and former chief minister Naveen Patnaik sought the help of Mamata Banerjee to overcome the potato crisis in Odisha.

As potato-laden trucks started entering Odisha, the state food supplies and consumer welfare minister Krushna Chandra Patra said: “Things have started improving. Our officials talked to their counterparts in Bengal. The price of potato has started to drop and it is being sold at ₹35 per kg. The price will go further down when more trucks reach the state from Bengal.”

Taking a cue from the minister’s answer on the potato crisis, former minister and senior BJD leader Debi Prasad Mishra said: “The Leader of the Opposition has been chief minister of the state for five terms and also served as a cabinet minister. Naveen is concerned about the state of affairs in the state. As he is an influential leader and enjoys a good rapport with the Bengal chief minister, his letter had a definite impact. Things have improved and trucks have started reaching the state. The minister has also admitted that things have improved.”

The BJP has accused the BJD of being responsible for the crisis. The ruling party claims that because of the BJD's lackadaisical attitude, no cold storage facilities have been built in Odisha in the past 24 years, leading to a shortage of potatoes in the state.