BJD-BJP trade barbs over mango kernel deaths in Kandhamal

BHUBANESWAR: A war of words has ensued between the Opposition BJD and ruling BJP over deputy chief minister Pravati Parida’s remarks that eating mango kernel gruel is a traditional dietary practice of tribals which resulted in the tragic death of two women in Kandhamal district.

Condemning the statement of Parida, who is also the minister for Women and Child Development, senior BJD leader and former minister Sanjay Das Burma and party spokesperson Lenin Mohanty at a joint media conference here on Saturday said it was an attempt to suppress the failure of the BJP government in ensuring food security for the tribal people.