Need to remove stones from rice: Governor on minister's fake degree row

Panaji, Jun 23: In the wake of a row over Goa minister Sudin Dhavalikar's alleged fake degree, state Governor Mridula Sinha today said there was a need to keep "bad things" away from society. "There are lot of bad things in the world.

But just as a woman separates stones from rice, we have to pick and keep them aside. The human society is huge and whatever pollution exists in the society it will gradually go," Sinha said.

She was responding to a query over AAP's allegations that the minister had given wrong information about his education in his election affidavit.

Aam Admi Party (AAP) has accused Dhavalikar, Goa PWD Minister, of submitting a wrong affidavit before the Election Commission to claim that he is a BSc degree holder, while he had failed to complete graduation from Chowgule College in Margao.

On Monday, AAP produced a document to back its claim that he had given wrong information about his education in his election affidavit.

The minister, however, said he stood by his affidavit. Goa AAP secretary Walmiki Naik had produced lists, obtained from Chowgule College, of those who had passed from the college in 1978-79. According to Dhavalikar, he did his BSc from Chowgule College in 1978-79.

"The information provided by the college shows the lists of persons who passed out having completed the BSc in 1980, as well in 1978 and 1979. Dhavalikar's name doesn't appear in any of the lists," Naik had said.

When contacted, Dhavalikar, an MGP leader, had said the information in the affidavit was true and he stood by it.

"If AAP wants it may complain to Election Commission," he said. Naik also produced copies of marksheets from the University of Bombay showing Dhavalikar's failed attempts to clear the BSc examination in April 1979 and October 1979.

PTI