Rathore accuses Rahul Gandhi of politicising FTII strike

As FTII students contine to demand the removal of Gajendra Chauhan via protests in the national capital, Union minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore accused Congree vice president Rahul Gandhi on Monday of politicising the whole affair.

As FTII students contine to demand the removal of Gajendra Chauhan via protests in the national capital, Union minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore accused Congree vice president Rahul Gandhi on Monday of politicising the whole affair.

The minister of State for Information and Broadcasting said that the government was open to discussions with the agitating students but was against politicising the issue.

"And with Rahul Gandhi's Pune visit it has become clear that the strike has taken a political colour or it is a political strike from the beginning," he said.

The students, who are holding a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Monday, have been agitating against Chauhan's appointment since June 12, saying he lacked "vision and artistic credentials" to merit the post at the prestigious Film and Television Institute of India (FTII).

Rahul Gandhi had visited the FTII campus in Pune last Friday and attacked the RSS ideology alleging that it was systematically promoting "mediocrity" in various institutions.

The minister said the government believes that FTII is an important institution and there is need to strengthen it. "Students come after the institution, first we will strengthen FTII," Rathore said, adding the government is open to discussion and students could come for meetings.

"It is not wise to give a political institution a political angle. And if the institution holds a strike in Delhi and Congress workers participate in it, this too is not wise," Rathore said.

"If the issue is to be resolved, it has to be done by the students, the administration and the government and not by any political party," he stressed.