Delhi Education Minister Manish Sisodia on Thursday sought an appointment with Delhi University’s Vice Chancellor Yogesh Tyagi, suggesting the “last way” to end the row over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s degree.
In a copy of a letter which is with The Pioneer, Sisodia said, “Decide a suitable time next week and keep all the documents of PM’s degree ready…I will visit you. let me have a look on them and then we can do a Press conference together and bring out the truth before public. This is the only way to put an end to this row.”
Sisodia also suggested that the V-C should “seek” permission from the PM, if he was worried. “We can put the PM’s degree and related documents on the DU website. If you feel the PM would mind that you may write to him and seek his permission,” he said in the two-page letter.
Sisodia, who is also the Deputy Chief Minister has questioned the university for “hiding” the documents and said by refusing to show them, it has only created “suspicion” across.
“Worldwide colleges and universities take pride in their alumni who pass out to make a big name…but the way you are hiding PM’s degree is only sending out a wrong message.”
The Aam Aadmi Party leader told the V-C that it was a matter of DU’s reputation that has been “put on stake”. “Instead of taking pride in your alumnus, refusing to make his degree public is putting a question mark on the varsity. Its reputation should not get affected,” he added.
Underlining that he (Sisodia) and his party was working for the betterment of the students and teachers of the Capital, as well as Delhi University, he asked the V-C to come forward on a table for discussion of the PM’s degree documents.
On Wednesday, four AAP leader including Ashutosh, Sanjay Singh, Ashish Khetan and Dilip Pandey were refused to view PM’s degree, by the V-C. While they alleged that V-C confessed in the meeting with them that “he was under pressure from the Centre”, however, the V-C denied it.
On Thursday, the university said it has not been influenced by “any political pressure” and asserted that it is acting in accordance with the law. “The V-C told them that RTI cell of the university shall act in accordance with the law but it is incorrect to say that the university is acting under any political pressure,” DU Registrar Tarun Das said.
Earlier Das had spoken out to media over the issues and said the degree stood “authentic”, to which AAP had questioned.
The AAP has been alleging that the PM’s BA and MA degrees were forged and there were many “glaring discrepancies in them”, including in his name and total marks. Das had termed as “minor error” the alleged discrepancies in his marksheets and degree certificate.
Das had also said the university had all relevant records of Modi’s graduation. On Monday, BJP had fielded two of its heavyweights -- party president Amit Shah and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley -- to rebut AAP’s charges. They had also released copies of Modi’s BA and MA degrees.