Friday, August 04, 2006
$1-billion pledge was made by the donor rather than his business.
July 25, 2006
Flap Arises Over Donation to Indian University
Opponents of a $1-billion plan to establish a new university in India say the donor, the businessman Anil Agarwal, has pledged the money in an attempt to divert attention from his allegedly corrupt mining deal, reports The Chronicle of Higher Education.
“He wants to deflect criticism of his deal with the government to mine bauxite ore on terms that are much below market value,” said Srikant Jena, a senior member of the Congress Party, the main opposition party in Orissa, where the university will be built. “He is trying to gain recognition as a do-gooder so that the scam can be covered up.”
A spokesman for Vedanta University, named after Mr. Agarwal’s company, Vedanta Resources, declined to comment on the specifics of the accusations, saying that the $1-billion pledge was made by the donor rather than his business.
