New Delhi, May 28: Narendra Modi led-government 's Minister for Human Resource Development Smriti Irani was today at the centre of a raging controversy over her educational qualification after it emerged that she had made contradictory declarations when she contested Lok Sabha elections in 2004 and 2014.
Educationalists and opposition leaders across India escalated its attack while the BJP hit back asking answers from them about the educational qualifications of Sonia Gandhi, who did not hold any ministerial berth during UPA rule.
Ever since, Madhu Kishwar, a women's rights activist, raked up a controversy over the fact that Irani, just a 12th Pass, has been made HRD Minister the issue has only snowballed.
The 38-year-old television actor-turned politician preferred to keep mum. She refused to comment when media approached her.
There was more embarrassment for the BJP and the new government after it emerged that Irani had given contradictory declarations in her affidavits in 2004 and 2014 when she contested Lok Sabha election from two different constituencies.
As a candidate in 2004 elections from Chandni Chowk in Delhi, Irani had declared that she had a Bachelor of Arts degree. "B.A. 1996 Delhi University (School of Correspondence)", she had written in the column which seeks details of University education and the year in which the course was completed.
In the same column of the affidavit filed in the 2014 elections from Amethi, Irani has said, "Bachelor of Commerce Part-1, School of Open Learning (Correspondence), University of Delhi-1994".
In 2012, the Supreme Court had ruled that false disclosures in an affidavit can be a ground for rejection of a candidate's nomination.
Latching on the issue, the Congress party said this was a mis-statement, distortion and a criminal offence which has electoral consequences.
"We don't know which is correct--2004 or 2014? Both can't be true," party Spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi told reporters.
Kishwar, who started it all with her tweets critical of Narendra Modi making Irani the HRD Minister, was unsparing saying education and research in India was in a shambles and something urgent was needed to be done to lift standards in the system.
Somebody with a vision was needed for the job, said Kishwar, a self-confessed admirer of Modi.
Kishwar said that as someone in the academia she felt that the HRD ministry was a very "vital" ministry and that India's education sector was in a mess and somebody with a vision was needed.
The HRD ministry requires handling chief ministers, because education is a state subject and also requires handling vice chancellors, she said.
"HRD needs a head who can steer dexterously between Left and Right extremists in academia to define sensible course unfettered by partisan agendas," she had said on Twitter.
Slamming the Congress, Union Minister Uma Bharti, who studied only until Class 6, strongly backed Irani.
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