FTII row: Raj Babbar seeks Jaitley's clarification, backs students

Congress leader and veteran actor Raj Babbar on Sunday sought a clarification from Finance Minister Arun Jaitley over the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as the chairman of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) and said that the demand of the students should not be considered incorrect.

Babbar, who is also the spokesperson of the Congress, pointed out that the main issue here is as to who took the decision to appoint Chauhan.

"This should not be an issue of who is the person being appointed as the member of Film and Television Institute of India but who has appointed him. The deserving students, who passed the examination and reached there if they have raised the question than it should not be considered incorrect," Raj Babbar told ANI

"Arun Jaitley even tweeted that this is not our best choice. If such a senior leader, who is also the Finance Minister and even heads the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, if he is saying that this is not our best choice then I would say that this raises different question," he added.

Meanwhile, the industry opinion appeared to be mounting against Chauhan's appointment with more film personalities, including Rishi Kapoor and Anupam Kher, throwing their weight behind the protesting FTII students.

Students of FTII have been protesting against Chauhan's appointment due to his affiliation to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and his lack of experience and stature. A billboard at the entrance of the institute had last week asked Chauhan to resign and leave.

Other student groups have been protesting against the decision as well, with organisations like the AISA encouraging Chauhan to quit.