Touching upon a touchy issue, the Shiv Sena (UBT) has demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's academic degree should be displayed at the grand entrance of the new Parliament building, here on Monday.
Speaking to the media, Sena (UBT) MP and Chief Spokesperson Sanjay Raut wondered why the PM's degree is being guarded as a 'secret', creating doubts in peoples' minds.
"Some people are calling the PM's degree a fake... I sincerely believe that the degree in Entire Political Science is historical and revolutionary. Hence it should be displayed at the grand entrance of our new Parliament so that people stop raising doubts about it," said Raut.
The Sena (UBT) leader said that when Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal sought details about the PM's degree, he was denied the same and even slapped a fine of Rs 25,000.
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"What is there to hide when asking for the PM's degree"? Now we feel that Modi himself must come forward and clear the air on his educational degree," Raut urged.
Contending that the PM's degree is 'fake', the party's newspapers, "Saamana" and "Dopahar Ka Saamana" have editorially slammed Modi and said the degree matter is once again being raised in political circles.
On Sunday night, Sena (UBT) President and former CM Uddhav Thackeray thundered at Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and touched upon the delicate issue while taking a swipe at the recent doctorate awarded to state Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
"Some get their degrees, others earn it... It seems that even PhDs are up for sale now... There's one who keeps flaunting it and another who hides it... What is there to conceal, the college awarding the degree should be proud of their distinguished alumnus. But instead, those questioning (the PM's degree) and asking to see it, are penalized with a fine," Thackeray said.
Raut went a notch further, alleging how many Bharatiya Janata Party leaders have also acquired such dubious degrees and termed it as a matter of serious concern for the country.
