The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) once again cornered Prime Minister Narendra Modi & Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the PM’s alleged fake degree controversy. Senior AAP Leader and Rajya Sabha MP Shri Sanjay Singh asked the BJP to come clean on the matter while laying out facts surrounding the controversy. He raised questions about the authenticity of PM Modi’s degree & presented video evidence that contradicts the BJP’s claims. In the video, PM Narendra Modi can be seen claiming around 2005-06 that he had not studied beyond school education. Shri Sanjay Singh questioned why the Prime Minister claimed in 2005–06 that he had not received any education after school if he had at all obtained a BA in 1979 and an MA in 1983.
In a press conference on Sunday, Shri Sanjay Singh emphasised that if the Prime Minister’s degree is found to be fake, he may lose his membership as an MP and be unable to contest elections. He also questioned the Gujarat High Court’s decision to fine AAP National Convenor Shri Arvind Kejriwal for requesting to see PM Narendra Modi’s degree and said that the system may be entirely rotten.
The MP said, “Ever since the issue of the Prime Minister’s degree came to the fore, the entire BJP is in a tizzy. The entire BJP and all their ministers and spokespersons are trying to present an allegedly fake degree of its Prime Minister.” The degree made public by the Prime Minister, and shown by Home Minister Amit Shah in an earlier press conference, raises many questions, he added.
Shri Sanjay Singh highlighted the rule of the Election Commission of India which states that false information about assets or degrees can lead to the cancellation of one’s membership. He stressed that if the Prime Minister’s degree is found to be fake, even Shri Narendra Modi’s membership as an MP will be summarily cancelled, and he may not even be able to contest elections. “He will neither be able to serve the Parliament nor be able to contest the elections because this is a big fraud on the part of the Prime Minister of India,” he said.
Furthermore, Shri Sanjay Singh presented evidence that the Prime Minister’s statement about his education contradicts his alleged degree shown by the Home Minister to the public during a press conference. He showed a video of PM Narendra Modi, after becoming Chief Minister of Gujarat, addressing a teacher and claiming that he did not study beyond school. In the video, PM Narendra Modi can be seen stating, “I left (home) at the age of 17. I haven’t studied much, friends! You may be surprised by this revelation. I completed my schooling in the village.”
The senior AAP leader questioned, “If the Prime Minister completed his bachelor’s degree from Delhi University in 1979 and completed a Master of Arts degree from Gujarat University in 1983, then why did he, in 2005-06 or some time after becoming the Chief Minister of Gujarat, address a teacher and say that he has no higher education and did not study beyond school education? This is your statement, not mine.”
Shri Sanjay Singh also questioned the Gujarat High Court’s decision to fine AAP National Convenor Shri Arvind Kejriwal for demanding to see the Prime Minister’s degree. He said, “The Gujarat High Court’s decision is both amusing and alarming. Despite the Central Information Commission’s order to Gujarat University to disclose the degree of PM Narendra Modi, the university sought refuge in the Gujarat High Court to avoid revealing PM Narendra Modi’s degree. The court then imposed a fine on Shri Arvind Kejriwal, who did not even file the case and was not even present during the appeal. This suggests that the entire system may be rotten.”
The AAP leader urged the Prime Minister to come clean on this matter and provide evidence to prove the authenticity of his degree. He said, “The degree shown to the public lacks any sign of logical reasoning. The Prime Minister needs to clarify why he stated in 2005-06 that he had not received any education after schooling if he had obtained a BA in 1979 and an MA in 1983. The only possible explanations are that either his degree is fake or his statement is false.” Shri Sanjay Singh demanded that the BJP leadership and the Prime Minister himself answer the questions about the authenticity of his degree.
