Arjun’s mindset perverse: Joshi

Singh, when contacted, said, ‘‘It’s beneath my dignity to get involved in such an exchange.’’

In the letter, Joshi pointed out that Rajput had been officially invited to receive the Jan Amo Comenius Award 2004 at Geneva. ‘‘Indeed it was an honour, not only for him or the NCERT but also for the entire country,’’ Joshi argued. He mentioned that Rajput was only the second Indian chosen for the award.

Joshi added: ‘‘This incident speaks volumes about the perverse mindset of the minister. I wonder whether this was ever brought to your notice. There may be and are differences between political parties but on the international fora, one does not behave like this.’’

The former minister has requested Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to ‘‘save the prestige of the country on the international fora’’.

The HRD Ministry had recently informed the UNESCO that there was an inquiry on against Rajput and that the Government would rather the award was kept in abeyance.

The PMO immediately forwarded the letter to the ministry. In response, the HRD Ministry has pointed out why they had no other option but to object. The letter sent back to the PMO says there were serious allegations against Rajput for which there was a preliminary inquiry conducted by the Secretary, Elementary Education, Kumud Bansal. Subsequently, a detailed inquiry — to be completed in three months — is being carried out by retired bureaucrat S. Sathyan.