Paresh Rawal has a question for FTII students...what did they see in Rahul Gandhi?

Mumbai: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and actor Paresh Rawal took a jibe at Rahul Gandhi for politicising the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) chairman.

"I have not listened to Rahul Gandhi's questions. He has got a topic. We should at least allow him to be happy and celebrate. We will answer him later," said Rawal. "I just want to ask the students at FTII that if they are seeing a political worker in Gajendra Chauhan, then are they seeing an actor in Rahul Gandhi?", he asked.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi lend his support to students agitating at the Film and Television Institute here against appointment of Gajendra Chauhan. He said the RSS is "undermining" the institution's stature by promoting "mediocrity". Interacting with the students, the Congress Vice President asked why the "little school" was "disturbing" the government's peace of mind and flayed the RSS, saying it wants to promote its idea and would brand the protesting students as "anti-national".

"RSS and its ideologues are systematically promoting mediocre people in the system...they are hell bent on undermining the educational institutions' stature...it is not going on just in the education system but also in bureaucratic and judicial system. Why is that a little school with around 250 students is disturbing the government's peace of mind. If students don't want him (Gajendra Chauhan), then he clearly should not be there. This is an attempt to bully you," he said during an an open session with the protesting students. He assured the students that he would raise their voice in Parliament.

"RSS wants to promote their idea. They will call you anti-national, anti-Hindu. They are scared of you. That is the nature of a bully," he said. As Gandhi visited the prestigious institution, BJP workers raised slogans outside. FTII students have been on strike for the past 50 days objecting to appointment of TV actor Chauhan as institution's chairman. Gandhi also used the platform to draw comparisons between the Congress and the BJP regime saying, "In Congress whenever there is an issue, it is discussed...some agree some don't. But in BJP if the Prime Minister has decided, no one can say anything".

Earlier this month, the students body had written to leaders from various political parties requesting them to intervene and urge the government to revoke the appointments of 'unfit' people and to set up a transparent procedure for future appointments.

(With inputs from PTI; Photos: Twitter)