‘Typo’ to blame for ‘false’ information on Smriti Irani's qualification, says BJP
New Delhi: Metropolitan magistrate Akash Jain fixed August 28 as the date for presummoning evidence, based on a complaint by freelance writer Ahmer Khan. Mr Khan had alleged that Ms Irani, in her three affidavits before the Election Commission while filing nominations for the Lok Sabha as well as Rajya Sabha polls, had purportedly given different details on her educational qualifications.
Under Section 125A of the Representation of the People Act, the penalty for filing false affidavit entails a jail term of up to six months or a fine, or both. Seeking Ms Irani’s immediate resignation, the Congress and AAP said she had no “moral, constitutional or legal” right to continue in her post after the court order. “It is apparent that the HRD minister is lying about her own education. What will happen to the future of millions of children in the country?” said Congress’ chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala.
He added that in 2004 Smriti Irani gave an affidavit when she was a candidate in Chandni Chowk that she held a bachelor’s degree of arts in 1996 from Delhi University, but in 2011, when she filed her nomination for the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat, she said she had a B.Com. degree of 1994 from DU.
Read: Degree row: Plea against Smriti Irani maintainable, says Delhi court
In 2014, during her Lok Sabha nomination from Amethi, she said she had a B.Com. from the School of Open Learning in DU, he claimed. Drawing a parallel with the case of former Delhi law minister Jitender Tomar’s degree, the AAP too demanded the HRD minister’s removal and said that there cannot be two “yardsticks”. “There cannot be two yardsticks. The rule of law is the same for everybody, the Constitution and democracy is the same for everybody. If they believe Tomar should be arrested, why not Smriti Irani?” AAP leader Ashutosh asked.
“Will Narendra Modi as Prime Minister ask her to resign. Will Irani be arrested by delhi police?” said Ashutosh However, coming to the minister’s defence, the BJP blamed a “typographical error” for the alleged false educational qualification information given by her. It rejected any comparison between her and AAP leader. “One should know the difference between a fake document and a typographical error. This case is not for fake documents,” BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said after opposition parties pressed for her dismissal.
Read: Degree row: Smriti Irani in the dock; Congress, APP demand her sacking
Mr Surjewala noted that it was “unfortunate” that the degrees of both the education ministers (even the minister of state for HRD) under the Modi government is under question of being forged. “How does Modi government propose to run education when educational degrees of education ministers are under question. Naturally under any investigation, Delhi University comes under the purview of the HRD ministry. She definitely as the education minister will influence the conduct and course of the investigation,” he said.
