"Elitist": UP Politician On AAP's 'Show Degree' Campaign After Digs At PM

Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Jayant Chaudhary last evening took a swipe at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and said its campaign targeting leaders of rival parties does not "befit" the party which is in power in two important states.

Jayant Chaudhary, who is also the son of former union minister Ajit Singh, termed AAP's "degree dikhao" campaign as "elitist".

"I have an MSC degree, my father was an #IITian & my grandfather wrote economic treatise on sustainable & equitable development. But I feel this particular political campaign focused on educational qualifications is elitist & does not befit a party in power in 2 important states!," the Rajya Sabha MP tweeted.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar has also criticised those who have been raising the issue of educational qualification of leaders.

Sharad Pawar, while responding to a question to reporters yesterday, said matters like unemployment, law and order and inflation need attention and leaders may do well to desist from going after issues that can wait or are even non-issues.

"Today, the college degree question is being asked often. What is your degree, what is my degree. Are these political issues?" Mr Pawar said in Marathi.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP yesterday launched the campaign and challenged leaders of the BJP and other parties to furnish their degrees in public domain.

"We are starting a campaign today. I have a BA degree from Delhi University and two Master's degree from Oxford. All of them are original," AAP Atishi told reporters.

"I want to ask all leaders to show their degrees, especially BJP leaders," she said, adding AAP leaders will show their degree as part of the campaign.

AAP MLA Atishi announced the campaign a week after the Gujarat High Court imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on Arvind Kejriwal for seeking details of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's degrees.

An order to the Gujarat University to reveal details of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's degrees was set aside by the Gujarat High Court on March 31. 

"The insistence of Arvind Kejriwal to get the educational degree of Prime Minister Narendra Modi through RTI route, when the same is already available in the public domain, creates doubt on Kejriwal's bonafide and motive," the court said.

In April, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared for the Gujarat University, contended before the high court that the two universities should not be compelled to disclose the information.

"We cannot be asked to furnish the information to satisfy someone's childish and irresponsible curiosity," Mr Mehta said.