Pandemonium in Assembly over Vedant University

Bhubaneswar, Mar 20 (UNI) Pandemonium prevailed in Orissa Assembly as the Opposition alleging favouritism to Vedant University, stalled proceedings of the House demanding a full-fledged debate suspending all other business.

The trouble started during Question Hour forcing Deputy Speaker Prahallad Dora to adjourn the House at 1105 hours for 45 minutes.

The House was later adjourned twice and finally for the lunch till 1504 hours without transacting any business.

The agitated Opposition members trooped into the well, shouted anti-Naveen Patnaik and anti-Vedant slogans demanding the scrapping of the MoU with the Anil Agarwal Foundation for setting up of a world class university of over 6000 acres at an estimated cost of Rs 15,000 crore on Puri-Konark marine area.

Congress Deputy leader Narashingh Mishra alleged that Vedant has been described as an international fraud and even the Apex Court had observed that the company could not be trusted.

Criticising the government for taking all initiative in acquiring the land for the university, he demanded that the matter being very sensitive be discussed first suspending all other business.

NCP member Arun Dey said reply of the Higher Education Minister on Vedant University was shameless as the Minister was behaving like a ''spokesman of the company'' instead of a responsible minister.

He demanded that the MoU for Vedant University be scrapped forthwith and a debate be taken up on the issue.

The House then witnessed pandemonium as the Deputy Speaker asked the government Chief whip Kishore Mohanty to raise his points.

Taking exception to the Chair's direction, the Opposition members trooped into the well and started raising slogans against the government.

Mr Mohanty was heard saying that the Opposition were not interested in any discussion in the House and asked the Chair to take up the scheduled adjournment motion.

As the din continued inside the well, the Deputy Speaker adjourned the House at 1215 hours till 1300 hours which reassembled at 1300 hours but again adjourned following ruckus inside the well at 1304 hours till 1504 hours.

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