FTII row: I am not politicising this issue, the BJP is, says Rahul

New Delhi: Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of politicising the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) issue, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday asserted that every institution in India, which has been developed over the past five decades on merit, is now being destroyed.

“The capture of educational institutions by the RSS is a political issue. I am not politicising it, the BJP is politicising it,” Gandhi told media here.

“Every institution in this country that is developed over the last 40-50 years, that is developed on merit, is now being destroyed. That is a political issue. It’s not social issue,” he added.

Nearly 200 students of the FTII have been striking for over two months against the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as the Pune-based institute’s chief.

The stir had earlier taken a political dimension after Gandhi visited the FTII on July 31, when he attacked the RSS for promoting “mediocrity” in national institutions. (ANI)