Modi’s degrees: AAP questions authenticity, BJP explains

New Delhi: Following weeks of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s efforts to turn Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s educational qualifications into a national issue via RTI applications and posts on Twitter, the former saw success today when the BJP, led by its president Amit Shah and Union Finance and Information & Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley addressed a press conference equipped with Modi’s BA and MA degree certificates and marks sheets. The AAP wouldn’t let the controversy end, though. Its leaders questioned the authenticity of the documents shown in the course of the BJP’s press conference. The IT cell of the BJP and the party’s supporters then came up with explanations, at the same time slamming Kejriwal and his organisation of being petty.

Here are the documents furnished by the BJP, the counter-questions asked by the AAP and the corresponding replies from different members and supporters of the BJP as well as from some unaffiliated personalities.

Modi’s degree certificates

AAP’s press release

Beyond the introduction, it says,

“BJP president Amit Shah and Finance Arun Jaitely today put before the media photocopies of forged degree and marksheets in a desperate attempt to wriggle out of the ongoing controversy regarding Prime Minister’s educational qualification. Some of the documents put forth were the same which were doing the rounds in a section of the media, who’s veracity was highly doubtful.

 

The Aam Aadmi Party categorically states that there is no record related to Mr. Narendra Damodardas Modi in the Delhi University between 1975 and 1978.

 

Since there is a CIC order to show all records to Mr. Arvind Kejriwal then why has the DU sealed all records? What is the fear in throwing open all records to clear the air. What is the Delhi University trying to hide if there actually is a degree? A BJP press conference followed sealing of all records at DU? Why? Was it done as a part of conspiracy to hide the truth?

 

Mr. Shah presented the same degree, which was published in some newspapers and he had nothing new to say. The Aam Aadmi Party had challenged the Delhi University to check the veracity of this degree, but the DU has been consistently failing to do so.”

Allegations and ridicule

Kejriwal quoted a Navbharat Times report to tweet:

DU VC not confirming the degree https://t.co/X35MQxsrSZ

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) May 9, 2016

Clicking on the news link, however, reveals that the Delhi Chief Minister hid an embarrassing part of the report, which says,

“प्रधानमंत्री नरेन्द्र मोदी की BA की डिग्री विवाद में दिल्ली के मुझ्यमंत्री अरविन्द केजरीवाल के आरोपों पर दिल्ली यूनिवर्सिटी के वीसी ने कहा है कि उन्होंने किसी भी रिकॉर्ड को सील करने का आदेश नहीं दिया है… आम आदमी पार्टी के मुखिया केजरीवाल ने ट्वीट किया था कि दिल्ली यूनिवर्सिटी में दस्तावेज़ों को सील कर दिया गया है…”

Following the AAP’s presser, author Minhaz Merchant tweeted:

Bad news for @ArvindKejriwal & @AamAadmiParty as Delhi Univ confirms PM @narendramodi's BA degree genuine, appears in univ records

— Minhaz Merchant (@MinhazMerchant) May 9, 2016

The ping-pong match of sorts continued.

In the meantime, some BJP supporters have been raising the question as to how Kejriwal got into IIT, as no record of his Joint Entrance Examination result is available with the IIT-Kharagpur branch. It is being alleged that he got into the course through a not-so-legitimate quota.

The issue was reported in mainstream newspapers and quite a few news and views websites as well.

@ssagar561 @Aga_Atul @r3duggal

Do you #AAPtards don't read news?@ArvindKejriwal got entry via backdoor. pic.twitter.com/U0qJpqxxOR

— Bramha Kamal (@BramhaKamal) May 9, 2016

Coming across as cleverer than the BJP, however, the AAP has not responded to the issue officially despite this provocation.