BJP Accuses Odisha Govt Of Hatching Conspiracy To Give Farmers Land To Vedanta University Project

BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra accused the Odisha government of hatching a conspiracy to give farmers land to Anil Agarwal Foundation for the proposed Rs 15,000 crore Vedanta University project in Puri. Patra made the allegations at a press conference here on Thursday after the Supreme Court dismissed appeals filed by the Odisha government and Anil Agarwal Foundation (AAF) over proposed Vedanta University. The ruling BJD termed Patra’s allegations as a matter of BJP’s internal feud."The present Odisha BJP president Manmohan Samal was the then Revenue minister when the MoU with Vedanta was signed for the proposed varsity in Puri. This apart, Samal had also defended the government in Assembly while replying to a question in the Assembly," BJD’s national spokesperson Sasmit Patra said in a statement.

This is not all, BJP leader Samir Dey was also then the state’s Higher Education minister when the MoU was signed with Vedanta for the varsity project, the BJD MP said, adding that "Sambit Patra’s press meet is an attempt to embarrass Samal. It is BJP’s internal feud in Odisha."  The BJP national spokesperson said: "The Supreme Court reprimanded Odisha government for showing undue favours to a private company. Handing over of people’s property to private company without following due procedures, is a matter of concern." He alleged that the state government had planned to hand over two rivers within that 10,000 acre of land, to the private company, which was against the spirit of Constitutions. Rivers are public properties and none can get its ownership, he said.

Patra further said that the Odisha’s Lokpal and Orissa High Court in 2010 had also rejected the state government act of handing over land to AAF to set up a world class university in Puri district. Both the Lokpal and HC had denounced the manner in which the state government attempted to snatch land from farmers and give it to AAF for the varsity purpose. However, the state government challenged the Orissa High Court’s judgment in Supreme Court. The Apex Court on Wednesday came down heavily on the Odisha government for the "undue favour" shown to Vedanta group and quashed the acquisition of 8,000 acres of land from around 6,000 farmers for a proposed university in Puri district adjacent to the Balukhand Wildlife Sanctuary.

Senior Congress leader Jayadev Jena said, "the state government has received a jolt in the SC verdict. We welcome the SC judgment. Now the Vedanta University proposal is shelved for all time to come. It is sad that the state government did not hesitate to move the Supreme Court to help Vedanta get that land." Jena also alleged that the state government went beyond the law to help a private company. They not only tried to bend the law to favour a corporate they also wanted to swindle Lord Jagannath’s land, he alleged. Senior BJD leader and Odisha’s Revenue minister Pramila Mallick said the state government has not done anything wrong. The government wanted to better the life of people in the state. The opposition’s job is to oppose every move by the government, she said.

On the SC judgment, Malliack said "she can speak on the subject only after reading the court order." After the Supreme Court's reprimand the Odisha government for showing undue favours to a private company over Vedanta University land acquisition case, the Congress demanded Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik's resignation. OPCC president Sarat Pattanayak said the CM should immediately resign on moral ground after the the Supreme Court verdict. "The Congress workers will stage agitation before all the District Collectors office across Odisha demanding CM’s resignation from April 15 to 20," Pattnayak said.