My statement on Yale misconstrued, clarifies Smriti Irani

New Delhi: After stoking a fresh controversy over her educational qualifications, Human Resource and Development (HRD) Minister Smriti Irani today said her statement regarding her participation at Yale university’s leadership program has been “misconstrued”. “Unfortunate that the statement re my participation in a leadership programme and certificate thereafter was misconstrued,” she tweeted. [caption id=“attachment_1659759” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Smriti Irani. AFP[/caption] The HRD Minister had triggered a fresh controversy with her assertion that she also has a “degree” from the prestigious Yale University in the US. “In that kitty of mine where people call me ‘anpad’(illiterate) I do have a degree from Yale University as well which I can bring out and show how Yale celebrated my leadership capacities,” she said at a summit in Delhi. In a clarification last night, an official spokesperson of the Human Resources Development (HRD) Ministry said that Ms Irani got a “certificate” for her participation in a Yale University program. After she became a minister in May, Ms Irani was at the centre of a controversy over her educational qualifications after it emerged that she had made contradictory declarations in her election affidavits in 2004 and 2014. PTI