New Delhi, June 2: Newly-appointed Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' has clarified on a political row over different dates of birth. In his clarification, Ramesh Pokhriyal said that he had mentioned different dates of birth considering the Hindu horoscope and his school certificate. The controversy around his actual birthday came back to haunt Pokhriyal soon after he took charge as the HRD minister.

Two different dates of birth had been mentioned in Pokhriyal's passport and CV. As per his CV, Pokhriyal was born on August 15, 1959, while his passport says July 15, 1959, a discrepancy of 30 days. Speaking to reporters, the HRD minister said that the difference of 30 days between his two birth dates owes to the Hindu horoscope and that he had never taken advantage of it. Pokhriyal's educational qualification, too, has been under scrutiny. Hindi Imposition Controversy: No Language Will Be Imposed on Any State, Says Ramesh Pokhriyal.

In 2009, a probe had concluded that the two degrees Pokhriyal had were "fake" as they were issued from an unregistered university. He had been conferred a DLitt by the Open International University (OIU) of Colombo for his “contributions” to literature in the 90s. He received another DLitt degree from OIU for his “contributions” to the field of science. The university is neither recognized by the government nor by the University Grants Commission (UGC). HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Submits New Education Policy Draft On First Day.

Former HRD minister Smriti Irani, too, was placated by similar allegations. Filing her 2019 nomination, Irani said she passed secondary school examination in 1991 and senior secondary school examination in 1993. She said she did not complete her Bachelor of Commerce (Part-I), a three-year degree course from Delhi University’s School of Open Learning in 1994.

However, in a previous affidavit, she had reportedly said she graduated from the university in 1994, triggering a row over the veracity of her claim, with opposition parties alleging she was not a graduate.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 02, 2019 04:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).