NEW DELHI: The Congress on Friday filed a memorandum with the Election Commission of India (EC) alleging that the Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani had “falsified records” of her educational qualifications and sought an “urgent and necessary intervention” against the BJP leader.
The former Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister on Friday launched a scathing attack on the Congress saying that the grand old party has not left a single chance to pass “derogatory” remarks on her in the past five years.
She said, “In the last five years, the Congress leaders did not leave a single chance to insult and pass derogatory remarks about me. I only have one message for them: the more you insult me, the more you attack me, the harder I will work against Congress in Amethi,” Irani told ANI here.
In its memorandum, the Congress told EC that Irani declared in the poll affidavit that she is not a graduate.
Smriti, who is contesting against Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Amethi stated in her affidavit that she passed secondary school examination in 1991 and senior secondary school examination in 1993, adding that she failed to complete her Bachelor of Commerce – Part 1, a three-year degree course from Delhi University’s School of Open Learning in 1994.
Irani received a lot of backlash from the opposition parties after she made the declaration.
This is not the first time that Smriti’s educational degree has been a subject of controversy.
In her 2014 poll affidavit, Smriti had claimed that she graduated from the Delhi University in 1994, triggering a controversy over the authenticity of her claim. At that time, the Opposition had claimed that Smriti was not even a graduate.
The seven-phase Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh started on April 11 and will end on May 19. Counting of votes will be held on May 23.
Polling will be held in Amethi on May 6 during the fifth phase of the General elections.
With agency inputs