Higher and technical education minister Uday Samant of the Shiv Sena has been dragged under fire by the opposition for having a diploma degree from an unaccredited college in automobile engineering. As per the election affidavit provided by Samant, he posses a diploma from Dyaneshwar University in Pune.
Earlier, a similar kind of dispute erupted during the tenure of BJP leader Vinod Tawde when he was the education minister. Tawde also has an engineering degree from the same university.
Tawde was pointed out by the opposition (Congress and NCP) and called his degree ‘fake.’
Tawde said on Monday that whatever fees his parents could afford for making the college payment, they ensured that their children got the best education and that they were aware that Dyaneshwar University did not have government accreditation.
“But I want to ask one question to the Congress-NCP who were raising questions about me and my degree: what do they have to say about Samant’s degree now?” Tawde asked.
Samant told reporters on Monday that he challenges the opposition leader in the legislative council Pravin Darekar to prove his all degree fake.
“Darekar should appoint a committee to scrutinize my own, Tawde’s and even Smriti Irani’s degrees,” Samant said.
According to the Samant statement, he has never hidden that he finished his Class 12 from Mumbai University, he had joined Dyaneshwar University to study further.
“At that time I did not know that I will be an MLA. Had I known, I wouldn’t have gone to that university. I have never lied about it,” Samant said.
