Tomar Effect: Congress rakes up Babanrao Lonikar’s qualifications, demands resignation

He also declared that he had pursued the course from Nashik-based Yeshwantrao Chavan Open University.

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However, in 2014, Lonikar’s election affidavit declared his educational qualification as “5th standard” from a Zilla Parishad-run school in Partur.

Bringing up this apparent inconsistency in the backdrop of the Tomar controversy, Congress’s Maharashtra spokesperson Sachin Sawant Wednesday alleged that Lonikar’s own website declared that he had a Bachelor of Arts degree. “The BJP demanded Tomar’s resignation in Delhi after the controversy erupted. We expect the same logic to be applied in this case,” Sawant said, accusing the BJP of double standard. Lonikar clarified that his 2004 and 2009 election affidavits clearly mentioned that he was pursuing a BA degree from the Open University, which does not require a person to complete his schooling for pursuing a degree course.

Sunil Barve, a deputy registrar at the Open University, confirmed Lonikar’s contention. “A four-month preparatory course is required to pursue a BA degree in the Open University. There is no compulsion that one has to complete his schooling before enrolling,” he said.

Lonikar said that while he completed the preparatory course from Lal Bahadur Shashtri College in Partur and enrolled for the BA course, he failed to complete his first year because of legislative responsibilities.

“I did not forge any document or fake a degree. I appeared for the exam but could not clear it,” the minister said.

However, he could not explain why his election affidavits of 2004 and 2009 mentioned the BA course when he had failed to clear it in 1991. “There was no malafide intent,” Lonikar said.

Asked about his website mentioning his educational qualification as BA, he said, “I do not maintain my website.”

Sources said this qualification was removed from the website after the controversy surfaced on Wednesday.