New Delhi: Controversies continue to mar the Centre as news reports in a section of media claimed that newly inducted minister of state in the human resource development ministry Ram Shankar Katheria has provided fake graduation marksheet.
The controversy was confounded as an advertisement released by the government on the Bal Swachhta Mission featured Prime Minister Narendra Modi and cabinet minister Smriti Irani while not displaying the photographs of two MoS, Mr Katheria and Upendra Kushwaha.
Sources stated that the website of ministry also has not been updated with the names of two new junior ministers joining the department despite them being inducted to the Narendra Modi cabinet five days ago.
It is learnt that supporters of the two newly-inducted junior ministers were angry at the development which is being viewed as an attempt at sidelining them in the important ministry.
Meanwhile, speaking on the controversy over his graduation mark sheet, Mr Katheria said he had been framed in the “politically motivated” case and that he will resign and quit politics if the charges are proved.
“If charges of forgery in my mark sheets are proven, then I will not just resign as minister but will also step down as a parliamentarian.” he said.
A case was filed in 2010 by his rival BSP candidate in Allahabad high court charging him with forging his mark sheet. The court has, however, referred the matter to the sessions court in Agra, which will hear it on November 26.
“I was slapped with four cases every day by the BSP deliberately. They did not get any proof. I was cleared of all the charges even when BSP was in power,” he said, rejecting the allegation.
Meanwhile, the Congress attacked the PM and his ministerial colleagues, latching on to the controversy. Digvijay Singh called Modi as “Indian pied piper” who “takes credit of all the things which he hasn’t done”. “First minster HRD and now MoS HRD has given fraud Mark Sheet! On top of it RSS wants to change the text books and Indian History,” the Congress leader tweeted.
