Panaji : The AAP on Thursday filed a police complaint against Goa’s PWD Minister Sudin Dhavalikar, accusing him of possessing a fake graduation degree and lying in his election affidavit.
The police complaint follows a series of accusations by the Goa unit of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which claimed that the Public Works Department minister did not pass B.Sc in 1979 as claimed by him and that he lied on the affidavit filed before the Election Commission.
Dhavalikar, a legislator from the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party which is a part of the BJP-led alliance government, has died any wrongdoing and insists that his degree was genuine.
The complaint filed by AAP member Pradeep Amonkar seeks registration of a first information report (FIR) against Dhavalikar under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Representation of the People Act.
Inspector Sudesh Naik, in-charge of the Ponda police station, confirmed that the complaint was filed by the AAP on Thursday.
The complaint says Dhavalikar in his poll affidavit said he passed SSC in 1975 and cleared his graduation in four years in 1979.
However, Dhavalikar released a document earlier this week which says he completed his graduation in 1978.
“Now Dhavalikar claims he completed his graduation in 1978. He simply cannot manage to complete BSc in just three years (after his SSC),” Amonkar said.
Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar in an attempt to ward off the controversy had earlier said that the AAP should petition the Election Commission and that educational qualification was inconsequential as far as a cabinet berth was concerned.