Students protest against appointment of BJP's Gajendra Chauhan as FTTI chief

New Delhi: BJP member and actor Gajendra Chauhan's appointment as the President of Film and Television Insitiute of of India (FTII) and chairman of its governing council by the Information & Broadcasting Ministry has created quite a furore among the students.

Gajendra is famous for essaying the role of Yudhisthir in the popular TV series `Mahabharat`

Students at the FTTI, Pune have taken to protest and gone on boycotting their classes, reports suggest.

About 150 students pursuing various courses at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) went on a flash strike yesterday.

Asserting that they would continue their protest till the demand is met, the students body alleged that it was purely out of consideration of his affiliation with BJP that Chauhan was chosen for the key post.

"A person who has an official affiliation with the ruling-BJP and who lacks the vision and stature of the past chairpersons in film-making, has put a question mark on the process of selection for the post earlier held by eminent people like Girish Karnad, Shyam Benegal and Adoor Gopalkrishnan," Harikrishnan Nachimuthu, who heads the FTII students' association, told PTI.

At the gate of FTII, a billboard was put up by the protesting students asking "Gajendra resign and leave".

FTII director D Narayanan told PTI that the institute authorities have opened the channels for dialogue with the students.

"We are having a dialogue with the students to find a way out amicably".

A final year student pursuing course in film direction said Chauhan lacked the "experience and stature and quality" of his predecessors to merit his new posting, which is "politically coloured".

Meanwhile, the students' association has decided to send their representation on the issue objecting to Chauhan's appointment to Information & Broadcasting ministry.
"We will re-look the current protest only after getting a positive response to our demand by the authorities," Nachiputhu said. 

The actor is also a member of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. He has replaced noted director Saeed Mirza, whose term ended in March 2014.

(With PTI inputs)