Showering praise on Union HRD minister, Smriti Irani, senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha member Subramanian Swamy said that she could be in the race of Chief Minister’s post in Uttar Pradesh after the 2017 elections.

"Smriti is an efficient leader and Congress and other political parties are jealous of her and hence targeting her. I do not rule out her candidature for the CM’s post," he said while talking to mediapersons in lucknow on Sunday.

He said the national executive meeting of the BJP to be held at New Delhi on February 19-20 could discuss this issue. The central leadership will take a final call on this decision, he said.

Reacting to the spat between Irani and Mayawati, Swami said that when the Speaker of the lok Sabha and the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha had no objection on the statement of the minister, why are political parties trying to rake up the matter.

"The Opposition parties are envious of the rise of a woman and hence they are opposing her," he said.

Swamy reiterated his demand that the JNU should be closed for four months for purging anti-national elements. "After a four- month recess, the authorities should allow only those students who are genuine and are not staying in the hostels for more than four years," he said.

Talking about the minority status of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), the BJP leader said that no government institution can be termed as minority under Article 27 of the Constitution. 

"Only a private institution can be identified as minority. If AMU is ready to take no financial assistance from the Centre, it can easily get the status of minority institution from the court," he said adding: “Government cannot identify any institution as only for Muslims or Hindus, as per the Constitution”.

He also asked the Centre to move a contempt of court petition against former Union Home minister, P Chidambaram through Attorney General over the Ishrat Jahan case. 

"If the Centre does not act, then I would go to the Supreme Court on this issue dragging the former Home minister to disclose the facts behind the criminal act," he said.

"The UPA Government has concealed facts from Supreme Court which is condemnable and attracts an imprisonment for seven years," said Swamy.

The former minister said, "If Chidambaran discloses that  he had changed the affidavit filed in the court following pressure from Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, then she should also be made a co-accused in the case."

When asked about the attack on his motorcade in Kanpur by Congress workers, Swamy said that they are frustrated as their leaders - the Gandhi family members, are certain to go to jail in The National Herald case. "The Congress chief's family has lost their cases three times in all the levels, even after engaging eight eminent lawyers against me and no one could save them from going to jail," he said.

"Congress are making a hue and cry over intolerance but the Kanpur incident is a proof of their intolerance," he said.