As students demanding the ouster of Gajendra Chauhan as Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) chairman took to Jantar Mantar in the capital on Monday to continue their agitation, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday promised to meet the students to discuss the issue tomorrow.
Kejriwal’s government has been at the forefront in promoting the cause of education. The AAP government in Delhi recently doubled its budget to promote health and education in the national capital.
Earlier in the day, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore alleged that the FTII students’ protests were directly influenced by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. Rathore said that the whole source of the protests took its root in politics.
“Somewhere a small segment of students was being misled by a political party or person. Had Rahul Gandhi visited FTII earlier in the last ten years, probably the situation would have been much better in the institution,” Rathore told reporters.
Last week, Gandhi had visited the institute in Pune to discuss problems the students were facing. During the two-hour long meeting, Gandhi said that the present BJP government was continuously promoting mediocrity in not just FTII but across all prominent educational institutes of the country.
Meanwhile, eminent film actor Anupam Kher who had earlier voiced his opinion in support of the students, on Monday urged the students to stop their protests and return to classes.
“Their parents have spent a lot of money on them. Now, the world is aware of their problem. Chairman has nothing to do with their day-to-day problems. There are millions of ways to stage protests. Now, they are stretching it too far,” Kher told a TV channel.
In the past, film personalities such as Kher, Resul Pookutty, Kiran Rao, Amol Palekar, Rajkummar Rao, Sudhir Mishra, Rishi Kapoor have all voiced their opinion against the appointment of Chauhan as chairman.
Students of the institute have now been protesting for 53 days. Some are even boycotting classes.
