SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Oct 19: Dr Manju Kumari, who switched to the BJP from the Congress on October 14, has found herself at the centre of a controversy regarding her educational qualifications.
Her data, uploaded on the ‘My Leader, My Neta’ app, reveals discrepancies in the qualifications she declared during different elections.
She happens to be a probable BJP candidate from the Jamua seat. Incidentally, sensing denial of ticket this time, BJP sitting MLA from Jamua Kedar Hazara yesterday joined the JMM.
As per the data, Dr Manju Kumari has contested three elections from 2014 to 2019, and in each, she reported different educational qualifications.
Daughter of former MLA is front runner for BJP ticket
Dr Manju, who recently joined the BJP, is considered a strong candidate for the party’s ticket from the Jamua constituency. However, BJP leaders have remained silent on the matter, not addressing the controversy surrounding her qualifications.
Dr Manju is the daughter of Sukar Ravidas, a former MLA from Jamua. She contested the Jamua Assembly seat in 2014 and 2019 but was unsuccessful on both occasions.
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She also ran for the Koderma Lok Sabha seat in 2019, but her educational qualifications have repeatedly sparked debate.
Shifting educational qualifications
According to the ‘My Leader, My Neta’ app, Dr Manju claimed to hold a PhD degree during the 2014 Assembly elections. However, during the same year, she contested the Koderma Lok Sabha seat, stating that she was a postgraduate.
By the time of the 2019 Assembly elections, her qualification was downgraded to matriculate, further fuelling the controversy.
Dr Maju’s stand
When contacted on Saturday evening about these discrepancies, Dr Manju responded, “The controversy is wrong,” She, however, refrained from clarifying her actual qualification.
She added, “I do not remember my qualifications. I am at a meeting and will talk with you about the matter later on.”
