I/II. http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/act-against-smriti-irani-aaps-72-hour-ultimatum-to-modi-government-775159
Act Against Smriti Irani: AAP's 72-Hour Ultimatum to Modi Government All India | Edited by Shyam Balasubramanian | Updated: June 25, 2015 15:59 IST NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party, whose Delhi minister Jitender Singh Tomar was arrested on charges of faking degrees earlier this month, has said it will launch a nationwide protests if similar action is not taken against Union Education Minister Smriti Irani in the next three days. It has also demanded the resignation of Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, who are caught in the Lalit Modi controversy, and has questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence on it. "We give an ultimatum of 72 hours to the government for action against them. We had hoped Smriti Irani would be arrested by this morning. But that did not happen... If action is not taken against Ms Irani in the next three days, then AAP will hold demonstrations across the country," said AAP leader Ashutosh. RELATED Raje Meets SoftBank CEO to Discuss Partnerships in Emerging Technologies Yes, It's My Signature, Vasundhara Raje Reportedly Admits to Top BJP Leaders Nitin Gadkari, Who Gave Vasundhara Raje Clean Chit, is Now More Cautious He attacked the Prime Minister saying, "There are people holding important government posts who are under the scanner, and yet he is silent," and added, "His silence is making him Manmohan Singh part 2," a reference to PM Modi's predecessor Dr Manmohan Singh of the Congress. Ashutosh said his party saw PM Modi as a "helpless leader controlled by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh", the BJP's ideological mentor. On Wednesday, a Delhi court accepted a complaint that Ms Irani misrepresented her educational qualifications. The court has set its next hearing for August 28. The case against the minister has been filed by a freelance writer Ahmer Khan who alleges that Ms Irani has made contradictory claims about her college education in documents filed in different years with the Election Commission. Earlier this month, Mr Tomar, accused of forging college documents and a law degree, was arrested in what AAP alleges amounts to political vendetta. The party said that Mr Tomar was being investigated by a court for lying about his educational degrees and the action of the Delhi Police, which reports to the BJP-led Centre, amounts to gross over-reach. Story First Published: June 25, 2015 14:03 IST II. http://www.firstpost.com/politics/smriti-irani-degree-row-congress-cheers-as-modis-weapon-to-take-on-rahul-gandhi-goes-kaput-2311890.html Smriti Irani degree row: Congress cheers as Modi's 'weapon' to take on Rahul Gandhi goes kaput by FP Staff Jun 25, 2015 11:37 IST After a Delhi court on Wednesday took cognizance of a complaint filed against HRD Minister Smriti Irani for allegedly giving false information about her educational qualification, the Congress, apart from demanding her resignation, is also reportedly happy that Modi's "weapon" to take on Rahul Gandhi has now fallen. Congress is happy that Smriti Irani, who had recently slammed Rahul Gandhi, is on the back foot.Congress is happy that Smriti Irani, who had recently slammed Rahul Gandhi, is on the back foot. "For the party aggressively pursuing 'Modigate', the court observation on Irani has brought special relish that goes beyond the satisfaction of punching holes in BJP's claim of 'scam-free governance," said a report in The Times of India. After Rahul Gandhi's attack on the Centre following his sabbatical on farmers' issues and the land bill, BJP had sent Irani to Amethi on the first anniversary of the Modi government, where she slammed the Congress and said that the party had failed the people of Amethi. "The grandparents said it and now he (Rahul) is making promises. They all had been making promises, but the people here are yet to have facility of railway lines. This time the work will start soon," Irani had said in Amethi, according to PTI. Congress President Sonia Gandhi is the current MP from Rae Bareilly constituency while Rahul Gandhi is the MP from Amethi. Irani had contested against Rahul in Amethi in the last Lok Sabha elections but had lost. Now, Congress has launched a fresh attack on Irani after the court's cognizance of the complaint against her. The complaint filed by freelance writer Ahmer Khan has alleged that Irani, in her three affidavits before the Election Commission while filing nominations for her candidature for Lok Sabha as well as Rajya Sabha polls, had purportedly given different details about her educational qualifications. ALSO SEE Trouble for HRD Minister Smriti Irani: Delhi court to hear complaint over her degrees on 28 August Trouble for HRD Minister Smriti Irani: Delhi court to hear complaint over her degrees on 28 August Rahul Gandhi to visit Chhattisgarh next week to talk on farmers' issues Rahul Gandhi to visit Chhattisgarh next week to talk on farmers' issues Now, Vinod Tawde in fake degree row: Congress protests against Maha education minister Now, Vinod Tawde in fake degree row: Congress protests against Maha education minister Senior advocate KK Manan, appearing for Khan, had told the court that in her affidavit for April 2004 Lok Sabha polls Irani had said that she completed her BA in 1996 from Delhi University (school of correspondence) whereas in another affidavit of July 11, 2011 for contesting Rajya Sabha election from Gujarat she said her highest educational qualification was B.Com part I from the School of Correspondence, DU. The complaint had alleged that in the affidavit filed for nomination of 16 April, 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Amethi constituency in Uttar Pradesh, Irani said she had completed Bachelor of Commerce Part-I from School of Open Learning, DU. However, despite Congress' excitement over the issue, Smriti Irani might just have the last laugh in this case. As another article in The Times of India said, a senior lawyer pointed out that if Irani had indeed stated an incorrect qualification in the affidavit filed in 2004, the complaint against her should have been filed by 2005 to be maintainable because of the one-year limitation period under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for filing a complaint. Moreover, Form 26, the format for a poll affidavit which requires a candidate to declare his or her qualifications, was introduced only in August 2012 under Section 33A of the Representation of the People Act(RPA). A false declaration in the affidavit (Form 26) is an offence under Section 125A of the RPA, punishable with 6 years of imprisonment. But Irani's case would not come under RPA because she allegedly filed the wrong qualifications in 2004. (With inputs from PTI) -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
