Oppn Uproar In Odisha Assembly Over Universities (Amendment) Bill

Bhubaneswar: The monsoon session of the State Assembly began on a stormy note on Tuesday after the Opposition members of Congress and BJP vehemently opposed the Odisha Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2020.

Protesting the amendment of the Odisha Universities Act, Congress member Tara Prasad Bahinipati tore a copy of the Bill and urged the Speaker to refer it to the Select Committee for reconsideration.

Condemning the state government, leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Narasingha Mishra said that the government is trying to hurriedly pass this contentious Bill in the House.

Maintaining that the Bill will undermine the autonomy of the universities, he said the government has brought it with an insidious motive to bring the management of the universities under its control.

Supporting the concern of the Congress leader, BJP MLA and leader of the Opposition Pradipta Naik questioned the transparency in the appointment of the teachers and non-teaching staffers.

In his reply, Higher Education minister Arun Kumar Sahu assured that the autonomy of the universities will remain intact. “Under the new amendment, all universities in Odisha will come under the new Universities Act,” he added.