Kandhamal: Odisha government Tuesday named the state-run medical college and hospital at Phulbani in Kandhamal district after VHP leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, who was assassinated in 2008, amid protest from Left parties. “After careful consideration, the government has been pleased to name the new Government Medical College and Hospital, Phulbani, as Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati Government Medical College and Hospital, Phulbani,” the notification read. A government medical college and hospital is a public institution dedicated equally to people of all religions, castes and communities, four Left parties — the CPI, CPI(M), CPI(ML) Liberation and the Forward Bloc — said in a joint statement. The Left also opposed the state government’s decision to allocate Rs 13 crore for the development of Saraswati’s ashram. The ruling BJP, on the other hand, thanked the state government and the chief minister for naming the medical college hospital after Saraswati and providing Rs 13 crore to his ashram.