Amidst the war of words between Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over the ‘development models’ in their respective states, a controversy surrounding Vijayan’s educational qualifications arose on social media.
On Thursday (February 10), controversial filmmaker Avinash Das shared a tweet by Pinarayi Vijayan and wrote, “UP’s ignorant Chief Minister received the response of educated Chief Minister of Kerala.” His tweet prompted comparisons between the educational qualifications of the two political leaders.
Official Kerala CM website claims Pinarayi Vijayan is a graduate
According to the official website of the Kerala Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan is a graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in the discipline of Economics. “In 1962, he joined the Government Brennen College, Thalassery for pre-university studies. From 1964, he did his Bachelor of Arts studies in Economics,” the description read.
The Wikipedia page of the Kerala Chief Minister also claims that he had earned a BA Economics degree from Government Brennen College.
Election affidavit lists Pinarayi Vijayan as 12th Pass
Ahead of the Vidhan Sabha polls in Kerala, the Communist Party leader had filed his election affidavit on March 15, 2021. Interestingly, as per the affidavit, Pinarayi Vijayan’s educational qualifications had been listed as 12th Pass.
Under the column that sought details of his highest school/University education, the incumbent Kerala CM wrote, “PUC (Pre Univeristy Course) from Govt. Brennen College, Thalassery in 1963 (Kerala University).”
His 2016 election affidavit also shows that he is an undergraduate. Despite being 12th pass, the official government website of Kerala CM lists him as an Economics graduate. The same ‘misinformation’ is parroted by Vijayan’s party cadet on social media.
Contrary to claims made by controversial filmmaker Avinash Das that the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is illiterate, he holds a Bachelor’s degree and is thus more ‘literate’ than the Kerala Chief Minister.