April 30, 2026 07:45 am (IST)
Follow us:
facebook-white sharing button
twitter-white sharing button
instagram-white sharing button
youtube-white sharing button
Exit Polls Give Bengal to BJP—But One Survey Begs to Differ | Big defence push: Rajnath Singh to hold high-stakes talks with Italy’s Defence Minister | “Voting without fear”: PM Modi hails record turnout in West Bengal polls | Mamata Banerjee trying to intimidate Hindu voters, alleges Suvendu Adhikari in Bhabanipur | Operation Sindoor boost: India is now fifth-largest military spender at USD 92.1 billion in 2025, Pakistan's spending is also up | ‘Got the guts?’ Derek O’Brien dares Modi to quit if Mamata Banerjee wins Bengal polls | ECI ‘harassing’ TMC, dancing to BJP’s tune: Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur | ‘Nothing like playing football’: PM Modi unwinds in Sikkim after Bengal poll blitz | Crackdown on D-Company: Dawood aide Salim Dola deported to India | Mumbai horror: Man asks two security guards to recite ‘kalma’, then stabs them

Maken questions Smriti Irani's educational qualification

| | May 28, 2014, at 05:44 pm
New Delhi, May 28 (IBNS) Congress leader Ajay Maken has sparked a political controversy by questioning the education qualification of Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Smriti Irani.
"What a Cabinet of Modi?HRD Minister (Looking after Education) Smriti Irani is not even a graduate!Look at her affidavit at ECI site pg 11!" tweeted Maken.
 
"Media which went on an overdrive in analysing all UPA ministry formations, should conduct a fair assessment even now," he posted on micro-blogging site Twitter.
 
While Irani refused to comment on Maken's statement, other Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders lashed out at the Congress leader.
 
"It is very unfortunate if such things are said about her. Smriti Irani speaks in Hindi and English in Parliament and Mr Modi has kept her qualifications in mind," said Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad at a press briefing.
 
Reacting to Maken's comment, Minister of State of Textiles Santosh Gangwar questioned Congress president Sonia Gandhi's educational qualification.
 
"I would like to ask what is Sonia Gandhi's educational qualification," asked Gangwar.
 
Maken's comment was criticised by even Congress ally National Conference (NC) leader and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
 
"To say that someone needs to be educated to be HRD Min is like saying one needs to be a pilot for Civil Aviation or a miner for Coal Min," Abdullah tweeted.
 
"That's the problem with 140 letters - take 'educated' in last tweet to mean 'highly qualified' but I'm sure you get what I mean regardless," he posted.

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.

Support objective journalism for a small contribution.