Cong targets PM over degree row, calls Govt ‘Habitual Offender’

To gherao Parliament on May 6

01/05/2016

NEW DELHI, Apr 30: Congress today took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue of his educational qualification saying his government was a "habitual offender" on the matter.
"If the Prime Minister himself is seeking to hide his educational qualifications, then how could common man have the confidence to use the RTI as a tool to fight corruption," party's chief spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala said when asked about the CIC's direction to universities in Delhi and Gujarat to provide proper responses to RTI applications seeking details of education qualification of the Prime Minister.
Recalling the degree row in which HRD Minister Smriti Irani was involved, he noted that a court case is also on in the matter. He said there is also controversy over the degree of Minister of State of HRD Ram Shankar Katheria.
Insisting that the Congress respected the Prime Minister despite being his opponent, Surjewala, however, said if the Prime Minister "himself hides his degrees, then how could be the Right to Information be defended".
He said that not only should the Prime Minister make public his educational qualifications, but he should also "act against those in the PMO who attempted to malign him by not giving the information".
He alleged that other BJP leaders too have "misled" on their educational qualifications and that they were "habitual offenders".
Surjewala's remarks came close on the heels of the Central Information Commission giving direction to the universities of Delhi and Gujarat to provide proper responses to RTI applications seeking details of education qualification of the Prime Minister.
The CIC's order came a day after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote a letter to CIC saying he does not object to government records about him being made public and wondered why the Commission wants to "hide" information on Modi's educational qualification.
Amid escalating confrontation with the government, Congress today announced a gherao of Parliament on May 6 to highlight issues like Uttarakhand, drought and the campaign of "deceit and deliberate lies" against opposition.
Party chief Sonia Gandhi, Vice President Rahul Gandhi and a host of other leaders and party workers would march from Jantar Mantar early morning on next Friday to gherao Parliament.
Last year, the Congress had organised a rally at Ram Lila grounds on April 19 to protest the controversial Land acquisition bill which it had dubbed as "anti-farmer and pro-corporate".
Before that Sonia Gandhi had led a march of opposition leaders to Rashtrapati Bhawan on the issue.
The announcement was made by party's chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala, who said the gherao would be the culmination of a "save democracy" march.
He said it is being undertaken in the wake of attempts by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government to "topple" duly elected governments as was witnessed in the "conspiracies" in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
In an obvious reference to the AgustaWestland issue, he said the march was also against the "drama" being enacted by the BJP and the government and the campaign of "deceit and deliberate lies" launched by it.
Surjewala said that the march was also to highlight the drought and the agrarian crisis that has forced a spate of suicides by farmers and has affected 40 crore people spread over large number of states.
A party leader said workers from adjoining states of Delhi like Haryana, Rajasthan and western Uttar Pradesh would participate in the protest action.
In Jaipur, PCC President Sachin Pilot said the Rajasthan unit of the party will participate in the march.
"We have seen the undemocratic face of the Modi government in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand," he said.
Sonia Gandhi, who took over as party chief in March 1998, had that year led a march of party workers in Delhi on the issue of price rise. That time the A B Vajpayee government was at the helm.

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