'So what if Modi is prime minister of India? He is bound by laws.'
'He cannot be in the Himalayas and study in Gujarat at the same time.'
'Modi cannot have two dates of birth.'
'Everything cannot be coincidental just because he is Narendra Modi.'
The controversy over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's educational qualifications continues to brew with the Aam Aadmi Party adamant on disclosing what the party claims is the PM's 'lies.'
Roshan Shah, a Canadian citizen and an Overseas Citizen of India, filed a Right to Information application in Gujarat in 2013 and demanded that Modi, then the Gujarat chief minister, make his educational qualifications public.
For three years, Shah tried hard to get details of Modi's educational qualifications, but failed.
A couple of days ago, Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley held a press conference in New Delhi where they displayed Modi's degrees.
Shah told Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com why he believes Modi's degrees are fake.
You were the first person to file an RTI for Modi's educational qualifications.
Are you happy now that Delhi University has shown Modi's BA degree and Gujarat University has done likewise with Modi's MA degree?
It is next to impossible. This is fabricated.
Modi has a history. He is a habitual offender. He does wrong, then he creates evidence or destroys it.
This has happened even during the controversy over his marital status.
The same holds true regarding his salary information, which was wrong. His IT return was wrong. Nothing of this person is true.
More than 70 RTIs have been filed regarding his educational degrees. No educated person will tolerate such insults and would rather just show the degree.
Which year did you file the RTI for Modi's educational qualifications?
I filed an RTI for Modi's educational qualifications in 2013. Gujarat University did not give me any reply (when Modi was chief minister).
In 2014, I filed the same RTI with the Prime Minister's Office. They told me they do not have this document, which is right.
Today, no MP or MLA provides their documents like degrees or resumes or birth certificates to any government department.
Even though they don't provide their documents to the Election Commission or to any government department, they get elected and draw salaries or pensions.
It is a shame on our democracy. It is a shame on our system.
Amit Shah and Arun Jaitley showed Modi's first year, second year and third year BA results and you still doubt their authenticity.
He (Modi) is trying to prove what he has written in the affidavit. So he will have to change and create it.
If you look at Rajeev Shukla's video (Truth about Modi: External link). In that he says he left his home after finishing school.
Now, I have a record (to prove) that Modi did his pre-science in 1967-1969 from M N College, Visnagar, Gujarat. So if he was out of Gujarat, how did he do his pre-science?
I have his marksheet and that too is fabricated.
But we are talking about his BA degree. He did that in 1975.
Without pre-science, you cannot do BA. Earlier Class 11 was the equivalent of the SSC board and Class 12 was the equivalent to pre-science.
Only after pre-science could he do BA. After pre-science, he took a one year break and he took admission in the Swaminarayan Arts College in Ahmedabad. This was in 1970-1971. He attended the college which was registered.
Now he says he had gone to the Himalayas. How can Modi be in two places at the same time?
Aren't you making allegations about the prime minister?
(Interrupts). These are records. Just because the Aam Aadmi Party did not disclose these documents nor did DU does not mean that these documents don't exist.
These documents were not highlighted by the media, but I have shared these documents on my Facebook page.
Why do you doubt Modi's degrees?
At first I saw the Jashodaben video and found that Modi was married to her, but didn't disclose this information (in his election affidavit).
Then I checked his 2012 affidavit and found that he showed only Rs 1.5 lakh (Rs 150,000) income (annually) which was impossible. And in that too he got Rs 54,000 IT refund!
In both these instances, he lied.
In 2016, the Gujarat government's finance department reply was totally contrary to what he declared about his salary. They declared he received Rs 7 lakh (Rs 700,000) salary, while he declared he received a Rs 1.5 lakh salary.
I am showing Gujarat government records. I got a reply from RTI saying he got Rs 7 lakh (Rs 700,000) as salary (annually).
You tell me how is it possible to get a refund of Rs 54,000 on an income of Rs 1.5 lakh?
This is what his affidavit (external link) says.
Will you be satisfied if Modi shows his original degree?
Of course, I will be satisfied if it is verified. There is an assessment of paper whether it is fabricated or not. Why should I doubt it?
Nobody should doubt it and he should have come forward and done it.
If someone asks me for my degree certificate, I will give it the very next day. Why create controversy and use government resources?
You have written in your affidavit and you are a public authority. He should have given it in 2013.
Forget Modi, he is just one example. There is Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani, Shankar Chaudhary (Gujarat minister).
If you take every affidavit of every elected representative, you will find that around 30 to 40 per cent of them are lying. They are doing so because the Election Commission is not supposed to scrutinise it.
Do you think the Election Commission must scrutinise these documents?
I am a Canadian citizen and I contested the Lok Sabha election. I am an OCI (Overseas Citizen of India).
The day I filled the form at that time I said I am a Canadian citizen and told the Election Commission that if they want to stop me they can stop me. The Election Commission has no power to do any scrutiny.
How can a Canadian citizen contest Indian elections?
How did Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi win? How did they contest? They were OCIs earlier and only later on became Indian citizens.
If you check the candidate nomination form there is no column mentioning 'Indian citizens.'
In the election form nowhere does it ask you to declare that you are an Indian citizen.
When you take the oath at that time too nowhere do you have to say, 'I declare I am an Indian citizen.' It only says, 'I owe allegiance to the Indian Constitution.'
It does not say I declare I am a citizen of India. I have been told by a high court lawyer that four Gujarat MLAs are foreign nationals.
Why are you doing all this if you are a Canadian citizen?
The system is very corrupt. In 2001-2002, Modi bailed out an RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) leader's son who defrauded me in business. At that time, I had a serious kidney problem.
If I had died my family would have been living a hand-to-mouth existence. They changed SBI (State Bank of India) records to trap me. I was told by the police that there was an order from above.
So it is personal.
No, it is not personal. They indulged in forgery with me. If anyone proves that I am wrong, then I am ready to be in jail for life.
Do you belong to any political party?
No. So what if Modi is prime minister of India? He is bound by laws.
Modi's critics say if he was roaming around in disguise as a Sikh during the Emergency, how did he get time to study and appear for exams?
I have no idea about that. All I am saying is that he cannot be in two places at the same time.
He cannot be in the Himalayas and study in Gujarat.
Modi cannot have two dates of birth.
Everything cannot be coincidental just because he is Modi.
What is the problem with the proof of Modi's degree?
The date of birth is different. In M N College, his date of birth is different from that mentioned in the Gujarat University register.
One place he mentions his date of birth as September 17, 1950. In another place he shows August 29, 1949.
Then you see his BA degree and MA degree certificate, the name Narendra Damodardas Modi has been written in the same handwriting.
You mean to say he did his BA from Delhi and MA from Gujarat, but both certificates show the same handwriting?
Yes. The handwriting is the same for the name.
When you make these allegations against Modi, you are also making allegations against Arun Jaitley and Amit Shah.
Tell me one thing: Why did Amit Shah produce a duplicate marksheet? He should have asked Modi to give the original one.
He should have shown original degrees at the press conference and put the matter to rest.
Why should he give a duplicate copy at a press conference? When Gujarat University says they have the original, why are they showing duplicates to the media?
The Delhi University registrar has confirmed that Modi's degree is real, then the matter should be put to rest, should it not?
The RTI has not come to a logical conclusion. The registrar of Delhi University making a statement does not mean anything.
Let him give a certified copy which will then be produced as evidence in court. Media reports are not evidence in court.
Are you going to file a case against Modi's degree?
If not me, someone else will.
These are totally bogus records. If Modi shows some other degree which is contrary from what is out in the media and that makes logical sense, then there may not be any case.
Or if the university makes a new degree, then it is a different matter. Currently the degree which is out does not make logical sense at all.
Modi's Delhi 1978 University degree was computerised and not handwritten. Can you comment on that?
Mark sheets are handwritten. Everyone's degree is handwritten, but only Modi's marks (of 1978) are typewritten. How come?
In 1974, he enrolled and he passed out in 1979. Computers were not there in 1978 and till date no other person has come and shown his computerised degree of 1978.
By the way, the duplicate copy says that it is verified with the original.
If any person wants a duplicate copy, then you have to pay a prescribed fee with an application form. Only Modi can request a duplicate.
I cannot request your duplicate marksheet. There is an RTI filed on this matter as to who requested Modi's duplicate certificates with Gujarat University.
