Judge me by my work, says Smriti Irani

Breaking her silence over her educational qualification controversy, Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Smriti Zubin Irani on Thursday said that she should be judged by her work.

“Extraneous circumstances have been created to ensure that my attention is deviated from the body of work I have been entrusted with,” she said, reacting to the controversy.

Smriti, however, did not give specific response to the controversy over her educational qualification and alleged discrepancies in poll affidavits that she filed during the 2004 and 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

“I will humbly request all of you that judge me by my work and I will not add anything to the statement that I have made,” she said.

Smriti said she has been judged by her organisation with regard to her capacity to deliver on assignments.

Congress leader and head of the party’s media department Ajay Maken had stirred a row by taking a jibe at Irani’s educational qualification on Tuesday.

“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," he had tweeted.

The Congress later gave a fresh twist to the controversy as it alleged that in the poll affidavit filed in 2004, Smriti stated to have had a BA degree from Delhi University’s School of Correspondence in 1996.

However, when Smriti Irani filed an affidavit to contest the 16th Lok Sabha elections this year, she stated that she did first part of the Bachelor of Commerce through a correspondence course from the School of Open Learning of the Delhi University in 1994, the opposition party claimed.