New Delhi: Intensifying their 53-day-old stir for removal of BJP member Gajendra Chauhan as chairman, more than 150 students of FTII joined by students from several other institutes and people from various organisations are holding a protest march from Jantar Mantar to the Parliament House.
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting RS Rathore has said that the government is open for discussions with FTII student. He said that the govt is willing to look into their demands as well.
Alleging Rahul Gandhi's visit to FTII gave the issue a political turn, Rathore said, “Some where a small segment of students was being misled by a political party A section of students wants to continue with strike even after Govt held discussions with students to resolve issue."
FTII students' association on Sunday said that it had written to Rajyavardhan Rathore, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting on Saturday for the sixth time, requesting him to "once again start a positive dialogue where our representatives can in the truest sense possible put forward our concerns, also listen to the concerns of the ministry and arrive at constructive solutions that have been evading us so far".
"We will start our march from Jantar Mantar and head for the Parliament Street and will be joined by activists of other like-minded organisations to express their solidarity on the issue, which involves preservation of the Film and Television Institute of India's artistic and academic excellence and ethos," FTII Students' Association (FSA) representative Ranjit Nair told PTI.
The students have been protesting against Chauhan's appointment since June 12, saying he lacked "vision and artistic credentials" to merit the post at the prestigious institute.
The students' agitation assumed a political hue last Friday with the visit of Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi to the FTII campus where during an interaction with them, he attacked the RSS ideology alleging that it was systematically promoting "mediocrity" in various institutions.
The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has made it clear that it will not hold further talks with the students on their demands until the strike is called off and they returned to academics.
