New Delhi: BJP leader from Maharashtra and state's Education Minister Vinod Tawde found himself at the centre of controversy after reports emerged that he had submitted graduation degree of a non-recognized university in election affidavit.
Reports suggested that the university, Dyaneshwar Vidyapeeth in Pune, from where he obtained BE degree, was not recognised by the government.
Tawde, however, claimed that he has done nothing wrong and was proud of his engineering college. The minister said that he was aware that the recognition status of the college.
"I have not hidden anything. In 1980, when I enrolled in this four-year course, I knew that the university was not recognised by the government. It was an innovative concept with equal dependence on theory and practice and that's why I had joined it," he said.
The Bombay High Court had in 2002 banned the university in question.
The Minister also noted that the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), which controls technical education in the country, was formed a few years after Dnyaneshwar Vidyapeeth started operations.
Meanwhile, the Congress demanded the resignation of Tawde for wrongly declaring himself an engineering graduate.
Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam said, "Tawde's degree is false and the institution he went to was not recognised. What kind of example will he set for students of the state."
Recently, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and the then Delhi Law Minister Jitender Singh Tomar was arrested by Delhi police for producing fake graduation and law degrees in his election affidavit.
Tomar was in police custody for the past 12 days after he was arrested on June 9. He was yesterday sent to 14 days' judicial custody. Police have slapped a case of cheating, forgery and conspiracy against him.
