Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to intervene in bringing down the prices of essential items, while alleging that recent changes brought in through farm bills only encouraged hoarders at the expense of the masses.

She said that amendments in the Essential Commodities Act removed cereals, pulses, oilseeds, edible oils, onions and potatoes from the list of essential commodities. “The amendments are seriously encouraging hoarders in hoarding and profiteering on essential items like potato, onion etc thereby resulting in price rise and consequent sufferings...,” Mamata’s letter reads.

Her letter holds political significance as it hints a campaign to accuse the BJP-led Centre for the rise in prices.

The state BJP has already blamed the Mamata government for the price rise.

Mamata wrote to Modi that the amendments were hurried and went against the interest of farmers and consumers. “We had raised our serious concerns that these enactments were hurriedly made without adequate thought process or discussion...with the states. The adverse impact of these new Central Acts upon the farmers and consumers in terms of availability and prices of essential agricultural commodities is already visible now,” she wrote.

Citing that masses were suffering amid the pandemic, she urged the Centre to step in immediately or allow the state to do so by restoring federal authority. “...I would urge the Central government to urgently step in to control hoarding, to increase supply and to bring down the rising prices of essential commodities...Otherwise, the power of the state government be restored...,” Mamata wrote.

She cited examples of how the state had controlled prices using Essential Commodities Act in 2014 and 2015.

A Trinamul minister said the letter was timely. Potato sells for Rs 40 and onion at Rs 80 a kg. “People are angry, but should know the Centre is at fault, not the state, whose powers have been seized.”