After a face saver in New Delhi where its law Minister Jitendra Singh Tomar resigned after his arrest for allegedly faking his degrees, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday dared the BJP-led saffron alliance Government in Maharashtra to arrest its Cabinet-rank Minister Babanrao lonikar facing a similar fake educational qualification charge.
A day after the Opposition Congress demanded the resignation of Minister for Water Supply and Sanitation lonikar for his “false” claim that had studied up to first year Bachelor of Arts (BA), the AAP stepped up the attack against the Devendra Fadnavis-led Government and demanded the BJP Minister’s arrest along the lines of Tomar’s arrest in the national Capital.
Accusing the ruling BJP of practising “double standards”, AAP’s national spokesperson Preeti Sharma Menon said: “In New Delhi, our minister Tomar was arrested merely on the basis of a complaint and that too at a time when the matter was pending before a court. If the BJP believes in arresting people mere on the basis of allegations (of possessing fake degrees), I dare the Maharashtra Government to apply same yardstick to lonikar and arrest him”.
“When it has the gumption to arrest our minister Tomar on a similar charge despite the fact that a court hearing the case, why is the Maharashtra government hedging on arresting lonikar on similar groundsIJ The lack of will on the part of the Devendra Fadnavis-led government to arrest lonikar clearly smacks of the double standards of the BJP and Narendra Modi Government which is indulging in political vendetta against the AAP,” Preeti said.
The Maharashtra Congress had on Wednesday taken the BJP-led saffron alliance Government head on for the “false” claims made by lonikar in his election affidavits and demanded his resignation from the State Cabinet.
Highlighting the discrepancies in his claims about his educational qualifications made by lonikar in his affidavits filed during the 2004, 2009 and 2014 elections, State Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant had said: “lonikar had stated in his affidavits of 2004 and 2009 elections his qualification was FYBA (First Year BA) from Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University (YCMOU) in 1991. But, in 2014 election affidavit, he mentioned he has completed his education till Standard 5 from Zilla Parishad School at loni (Khurd) in Partur Tehsil of Parbhani district in 1973”.
“The BJP demanded Tomar’s resignation in Delhi after allegations about his fake degrees surfaced. We expect the BJP to apply same yardstick in lonikar’s case and ask him to resign forthwith from the State Cabinet,” the Congress spokesperson had said.
On his part, lonikar has said he had neither forged any document nor faked his degree. He claimed that in his 2004 and 2009 election affidavits he was pursuing a BA course from an open university, where there was no restriction for a person to complete his schooling, for pursuing his degree course.
“After completing a four-month preparatory course from lal Bahadur College in Partur, I enrolled myself for the BA from the YCMOU. I appeared for the first year BA exam, but failed to clear it owing to the pre-occupation with my legislative work. I have, therefore, not made any false claims about my educational qualifications,” lonikar said.