The Aam Aadmi Party has claimed that Delhi University refused to share information about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s graduation degree. Members of the party said DU asked them to approach the PMO instead.
AAP leaders Ashutosh, Raghav Chadha and Ashish Khetan met the Chief Public Information Officer (CPIO) of Delhi University, Meenakshi Sahay, on Wednesday seeking proof regarding Mr. Modi’s graduation degree from the university.
The AAP leaders’ visit to the university comes after the Central Information Commission (CIC) directed DU and Gujarat University to provide information to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who had recently criticised the functioning of the transparency panel.
“Ashish Khetan, Raghav Chadha and I met the CPIO at DU with our legal advisor on Wednesday around 2 p.m. Since Arvind (Kejriwal) had authorised us, after the CIC ordered the universities to make information regarding the PM’s education public, we asked the CPIO for relevant documents. At first, she told us that no letter from the CIC, asking them to disclose the information, had come to her. But when we insisted, she checked again and found the letter. This itself was strange,” AAP spokesperson Ashutosh told The Hindu .
“Further, she asked us for Mr. Modi’s roll number and insisted that she could provide the documents only after we give it. When we said that we did not have it, she asked us to get the relevant information from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO),” Ashutosh added.
Delhi University Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Tyagi did not comment, but maintained that the university’s RTI department was looking into the directions issued by the CIC.
“The department dealing with RTIs is looking into the matter,” said Mr. Tyagi.
Later, Mr. Kejriwal took to Twitter and alleged that the PM’s degree was “forged”, which is why DU was not sharing it.
“DU refuses to show records of PM’s degree. Why? My info - he did not do B.A. from DU. No records in DU. Degree published by some papers forged,” the Chief Minister said in a series of tweets.
“No records in DU related to his enrolment, his degree, his marksheets and convocation. Why is DU refusing info abt PM’s degree? Becoz he does not have it,” Mr. Kejriwal tweeted.
Last Friday, the CIC, acting on a letter from Mr. Kejriwal, had asked Delhi University and Gujarat University to “make best possible search for the information regarding degrees in the name of Mr. Narendra Damodardas Modi in the year 1978 (Graduation in DU) and 1983 (Post Graduation in GU) and provide it to the appellant Mr Kejriwal as soon as possible”.
