Lokpal report on Vedanta gathers dust

BHUBANESWAR: As the Lokpal Bill gains momentum in Delhi and  the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has pledged its support for enactment of a strong law by the Centre, the State Government found itself cornered in the Assembly by the Congress. With the special Lokpal report on Vedanta university gathering dust, the Opposition accused it of having double-standards. The report on the land acquisition for the controversial Vedanta university at Puri is yet to be tabled in the House. The issue cropped up during the zero hour with the Congress members demanding immediate tabling of the report as Governor Murlidhar Chandrakant Bhandare had already sent it back to the Government. Raising the issue, Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh alleged that the State Government is deliberately hiding the report. Before the beginning of every Assembly session, the Government announces that it is ready to discuss anything raised by the Opposition, but it is not tabling the special report despite repeated demands, he said. The Government tabled the annual report of the Lokpal after demand by the Opposition, but there is the special report, he asked. “We want to know as to why the Government is not tabling the special report. Under whose instruction the report is not being laid on the floor of the Assembly,” Singh asked. Stating that the House and the people have a right to know about the report, the Leader of Opposition wanted to know whether the Governor had written to the Government in this regard.  Singh alleged that the Government is trying to suppress the report as it will expose its wrong-doings in the land acquisition for the Vedanta university project. He said that the Lokpal had found fault with the manner the land was acquired for the private university in Puri district. His party colleagues Nabakishore Das and Chakradhar Paik also made similar demands and sought immediate tabling of the report for information of the people.