Pune:
Congress spokesperson and veteran actor Raj Babbar today said he did not buy the argument that one with the most time on hand should take over the head the prestigious Film and Television Institute (FTII).
"By that logic, you can appoint a
chaprasi (office attendant) as the principal of a school because he can devote a lot of time!" Mr Babbar said in an interview to NDTV, adding his voice to a host of actors and directors who had sided with the students to oppose the appointment of television actor Gajendra Chauhan.
Mr Chauhan's appointment has been attributed to the fact that the other runners for the post, actor Amitabh Bachchan and Rajnikanth, were too busy to devote the necessary time to the job. Mr Babbar said, it was not right to appoint any person just because he is "jobless" and drew the analogy of a peon. He, however, clarified that it was not a comment on Mr Chouhan's abilities.
Training guns on the BJP-led Union Government, Mr Babbar said it was, in fact, wrong to target Mr Chauhan and the current situation was the fault of the people who appointed him.
"The information minister is an intelligent man... he is also the finance minister... if this is his decision he should come forward and accept responsibility," he said.
Told that Mr Arun Jaitley has admitted that Mr Chauhan was not the best choice, but since the appointment has been made, the government will stick to the decision, Mr Babbar said, "If he is not the best choice, then the mistake should be rectified and the best should be given."
Given the furore over Mr Chauhan's appointment, the government has postponed the interview to select the new director of FTII, sources have told NDTV. The interview, to be conducted by a panel headed by Mr Chauhan, was to be held tomorrow. The term of the current Director, DJ Narain, is ending on July 18.
For over a month, the students have boycotted classes in protest against Mr Chauhan's appointment by the government, contending that he lacked the necessary stature and vision and the appointment was political. Mr Chauhan has refused to step down and a meeting between Mr Jaitley and the students has failed to resolve the matter.