'Met PM Modi when he was doing MA,' recalls journalist amid degree jibes from Arvind Kejriwal

A veteran journalist has said she met Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the first time when he was pursuing his master's degree in 1981. The senior journalist, Sheela Bhatt, also spoke about how Delhi Chief Minister and Congress are targeting the Prime Minister over his master's degree.    

"I met Modi for the first time in 1981 when he was doing his MA Part II. His mentor was Prof Pravin Sheth, who was also my mentor. He was very studious," Bhatt said in an interview with the news agency ANI.

She also said she remembered one of his classmates, who was a lawyer now. "I called her some time ago when Arvind Kejriwal and Congress were posting a lot on Twitter, calling PM Modi illiterate. I asked her to speak up but she chose to stay quiet."

AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal has repeatedly raised the issue of PM Modi's degree and has sought details on his educational qualifications. He had even filed a plea seeking the details of Prime Minister Modi's degree. In March this year, however, the Gujarat High Court the Chief Information Commissioner's (CIC) 2016 order directing Gujarat University to provide information on the Prime Minister's MA degree to Kejriwal.

The High Court also imposed a cost of Rs. 25,000 upon Kejriwal and asked him to deposit the amount with the Gujarat State Legal Services Authority.

Following the order, Kejriwal said the Gujarat HC's order had raised a lot of questions in peoples' minds. "They have now started speculations about the PM’s degrees being fake altogether," Kejriwal.

Congress, too, joined Kejriwal in attacking the Prime Minister. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh in a tweet said, "There is a limit to even transparency in New India. This is what the ‘Entire Political Science’ teaches."

Last month, the Delhi Chief Minister approached the Gujarat HC seeking a review of its order. Kejriwal contended that contrary to Gujarat University's claim about PM Modi's degree being available online, no such degree was available on the university's website.