FTII row: Rahul Gandhi meets students, says RSS ideology promotes mediocrity

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi is visiting the Pune based Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) on Friday in support of the students' agitation there against the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as its head.

Rahul Gandhi strongly supported the demand of the students seeking ouster of Gajendra Chauhan. He accused the government of promoting mediocrity in the hallowed institute. He said that RSS and their ideology always promotes mediocrity.  Branding the ruling regime as 'bully', Congress VP said that government is afraid of FTII students. 

Calling anti-national or anti-Hindu are techniques to shut you(students) up-Rahul Gandhi in FTII

— ANI (@ANI_news) July 31, 2015

Rahul Gandhi asks of FTII students: Why do they want only one idea from India, why not multiple ideas? pic.twitter.com/VvGTbNw7Qd

— ANI (@ANI_news) July 31, 2015

This fight you are facing here is just a minor one. The real fight is fighting for the idea of the country outside of here: Rahul Gandhi

— ANI (@ANI_news) July 31, 2015

You should do what you are designed to do: Rahul Gandhi to FTII students pic.twitter.com/eFBq249CG7

— ANI (@ANI_news) July 31, 2015

Before Rahul Gandhi came, a virtual Congress- BJP fight broke out outside FTII. 

Congress vs bjp outside ftii as Rahul Gandhi come to support students.. @dna @DNA_IamIn @vinaya_patil pic.twitter.com/RLxzsasKLJ

— Anvi Mehta (@ar_anvi) July 31, 2015

Earlier FTII students had written to him seeking his intervention to check the "assault on institutions of higher learning". Sources said responding to the invitation, Gandhi had decided to go to Pune and support their cause.

FTII students are on strike against Chouhan's appointment and several filmmakers have supported them on the issue. Students have continued their strike for almost 40 days, boycotting academic work after failure of their talks with Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley in New Delhi on July 3.

In a letter to Gandhi, the President of FTII Students Association Harishankar Nachimuthu had said the appointment of Chauhan has raised question over the process of appointments in the institute and sought his intervention to resolve the "crisis" in the FTII, the sources said.

FTII students' association (FSA) has declared that the strike will continue till their main demand for removal of Chauhan - who they allege lacks vision and stature to head FTII - and reconstitution of FTII Society is accepted. 

With agency inputs