New Delhi: Protests against the appointment of TV actor Gajendra Chauhan as chairman of Film and Television Institute of India’s governing council reached Delhi on Monday as students from the institute demanded his immediate removal. However, rejecting the demand, the government expressed its willingness to discuss the issue with the agitating students. The government also accused Rahul Gandhi of giving “political colour” to the 53-day-old strike.
An official note sent from FTII to the PMO has expressed possible links between the strike and an attack by ABVP members on some persons of FTII two years ago and “off and on” presence of the activists of the Hindu right wing organisation on the campus. Some people in FTII were attacked by ABVP members outside National Film Archives of India at the time of the screening of national award winning documentary Jai Bhim Comrade by Anant Patwardhan.
“Visit of same filmmaker Mr Patwardhan to the campus to support the students and subsequent constant interest shown by ABVP about the student protests and their on and off presence has given a new perspective to whole logjam,” the note said.
Congress MP Raj Babbar and JD(U) leader K.C. Tyagi also participated in the protest. They along with CPM leader Md Salim, Rajiv Shukla (Congress), D. Raja (CPI) and D.P. Tripathi (NCP) released a joint statement expressing their support to the protest.
“Our purpose of coming to Delhi is that we should be heard,” said a student protester.
Union minister for state for information and broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said the government was open to discussions with the agitating students, but was against politicising the issue. “With Rahul Gandhi’s visit the strike has taken a political colour,” he said.
