FTII row, non issue being stretched too far

Students of Film and TelevisionInstitute of India ( FTII) are on strike since last 93 days. Their demands are legitimate or not may be the matter of debate. However one thing is clear, everybody associated with FTII i.e ministry, administration and students can not claim innocence in this matter and everybody is stretching the issue too far.

Photo courtsey Ravi Karandeekar

Right now this issue is focused on the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as ​the ​President of FTII and ​Chairman of the Governing Council (GC).  Students have ​also objected to the Rahul ​Solapurkar, Anagha Ghaisas and ​Narendra Pathak​ as members of the Council​. However​,​ it seems that agitation is​ now​ focused only on Gajendra ​Chavan.

Photo Courtsey Ravi Karandeekar

There is no doubt that nominations or appointments on several authorities or Institutes like FTII are always politically motivated. It is also agreed that process of such appointments must be transparent. There may be some substance in argument on credentials of Gajendra Chavan. But it is also fact that President of FTII or chairman of its Governing Council doesn’t have any special powers. Decisions are taken in governing council meetings on “majority carries the point” basis. Then how come appointment of members who doesn’t have any special power or authority became such a  “big issue”?.

Photo courtsey Ravi Karandeekar

FTII is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and is registered under the Societies’ Registration Act of 1860. There are ​a ​total 26 members ​in the ​Society and a ​President. Th​e​members are appointed by​ the​ ​Central Government under various categories. The 26 members elect 13 members for the​ GC. The general superintendence, direction, control and administration of the affairs of the ​Institute, its property and income vests ​with the GC. ​The President of FTII is by default ​the Chairman of the GC. ​The ​GC has power​s​ to appoint other committees and​ the ​​Academic ​Council and​ the​ Standing ​Committee on ​Finance are ​formed by ​the ​GC.

The GC, as the apex body of the FTII, is responsible for making all major policy decisions of the Institute in consonance with its aims and objectives. ​I​n any event, the 4 members ​of the GC ​against whom allegations ​h​a​ve be​en made cannot take or manipulate any decision. Then why are the ​​Government and more particularly the students making a prestige​ issue on this​ point? Removal of Gajendra Chauhan may solve this problem​ immediately​.​

Photo Courtsey Firstpost.com

Then why is the Government not doing that? ​And why have the students stalled the functioning of FTII​? ​This is specially significant because politically ​affiliated members are in​ a​ minority in​ the​ GC​ and it is crystal clear that these so called politically ​affiliated members ​on the GC cannot make any difference in​ the​ functioning of ​FTII. ​Then what is bothering the students?

Since last 18 months i.e  from 4 March 2014, GC i​s ​not in ​place in FTII.​ ​And it has made no difference to the functioning of the ​Society​.​​ The tenure of the GC being 3 years, the newly constituted committee will get only 18 months tenure because the members ​will be appointed ​retrospectively i.e from 4 March 2014. And hardly 4 or 5 meeting would take place ​in 18 months​.

Photo Courtsey Mid day

Past history of institution shows that hardly any luminary has participated in such meetings. So big names​ do​ ​​not make any difference ​to the functioning of the ​Society. ​Further, there is always the chance of this issue landing up in a court of law due to ​the political ​overtones in this agitation. ​No one can then predict the outcome; however by th​at time this Committee’s tenure will certainly be over.

Support to student’s agitation grew multifold after the Congress ​Vice ​President Rahul Gandhi entered ​the fray. And as media is covering it 24x7​,​ it has now become fashion​able​ to support blindly​ put one's name behind it! ​Surprisingly, Rahul Gandhi did​ ​n​ot do anything for FTII when he ​was the ruling dispensation and had ​full ​authority​ and over a decade​ to ​take steps for​ the​ betterment of the ​FTII? ​The tenure of the earlier committee ended on 3 March 2014 and ​the Code of ​Conduct came in​ to​ force on 5​ March. Why ​did not UPAII appoint ​the ​FTII ​Committee? Why Rahul Gandhi and his government let the opportunity to appoint the new GC slip to ​the ​NDA II?

Recently actors Vidya Balan, Pallavi Joshi and Anjum Rajabali have ​also supported​ the​ student’s agitation urging the ​President to declare FTII as a ​Cent​r​e of ​Excellence and​ de-link ​it from the ​Ministry of ​Information and Broadcasting ​by making it an autonomous institution. Pllavi Joshi while supporting agitation said​, ​"Creativity and great work is an impossible target to reach in a cloud of negativity”.  ​She should have added that politics and art rarely go together! ​Vidya Balan​ ​and Pallavi Joshi are both ​appointed on FTII​ GC​.Pallavi has tendered her resignation.​

Instead of supporting the​ agitation​,​ ​Vidya and ​Pallavi should join FTII and transform the ​Institution. If one ​one 'wrong' person make ​so much difference then two right persons should make​ much more​ positive difference to the ​Society. However,​ no​ one is coming forward for​ the​ betterment of ​FTII but ​appear to be interested in supporting agitations and allegations.

Vidya balan has also talked of de-linking FTII from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and making it autonomous. FTII is already autonomous, now what de-linking will achieve only Vidya Balan may reveal.​ ​One can attach several connotations to the word ​"​de-linking​"​ and many of th​em ​could be serious.

FTII Students’ ​Association ha​s already alleged that ​the ​Union Information and Broadcasting Minister​,​  Arun Jaitley ​has ​hinted that if students d​o not “cooperate” with the ​Ministry to resolve the stand-off over the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan, it could lead to FTII’s ​privatization. Earlier​,​ such agitation​s​ in FTII have ended in ​the ​termination of ​the ​course or ​temporary ​closure of​ the​ film wing​.​ ​In such circumstances,​students should help run the ​Institute​e and not ​nip the intention of closing ​the Institute or its privatization in the bud​.

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Open Letter to Rahul Gandhi

Dear Shri Rahuljee Gandhi,

You have announced that the Congress party is serious about fighting against corruption in India. The Congress party has brought several legislations and is in favor of bringing more legislation to fight corruption. I humbly bring to your notice that bringing good legislations alone does not help in fighting against corruption. Implementation of legislation is the key to fight corruption.

The Congress party takes credit for enacting the “Right to Information Act” (RTI). However what about its implementation? In Maharashtra, RTI is in a critical condition. Since last many years, more than half the posts of information commissioners are vacant because the Chief Minister has no time. Hence pendency of second appeals has piled up to 26000. People do not want to file RTI applications because they don’t get the information.

Official reports that 95 % RTI applicants get the desired information are cooked up because the scenario at ground level is exactly the opposite i.e. 95 % applicants do not get the information. There is no transparency in appointment of information commissioners. They are chosen arbitrarily.  The decisions of some information commissioners are so bad that the citizens wonder the information commissioners are appointed to implement the RTI properly or to kill it? The scenario all over India is no different.

Take another example of Maharashtra Prevention of Delay in Discharge of official Duties Act 2005. The act came into force in 2006.  However the rules were issued in this December 2013 i.e. seven years later! More to say, clause 8 in these rules says e-mails shall be acknowledged and the e-mails shall be forwarded to the concerned office or Department or Desk if they do not pertain to the addressee. The applicant is to be intimated accordingly by e-mail. However my e-mails to the chief minister and chief secretary of Maharashtra on their official e-mail IDs bounced! Now you imagine what will be the scenario while implementing this legislation.

State Governments all over India keep issuing numerous circulars. They are the same everywhere. Never implemented. It becomes a case of “you tell me the person and I shall tell you the circular”, thus putting into action only those circulars, which benefit the officers or their cronies. Others are thrown in the waste paper basket and none feels bad or sad about it. The circulars are cleverly drafted. If some issue is to be evaded, then the choice of words is so 'creative' as to abash even a litterateur. Perhaps these circulars would pass off as pieces of excellent literary talent.

Here’s how. Consider another the case of Maharashtra. Many circulars were issued from Mantralaya of Maharashtra since 1996 to express commitment to eradicate corruption and illegalities. So far, 11 circulars have been issued for action against those involved in corruption and illegalities. These circulars are well drafted comparable with the masterpieces in literary art! But there has been no action as a result of a single circular. If you query officers about any problem, they immediately draw attention to these thirteen circulars and boast about their commitment to eradicate corruption and illegalities.

Shakuntala Bhagat the first beneficiary in Maharashtra, who received health card for Rajiv Gandhi Jeevandayee Arogya Yojana from Smt. Sonia Gandhi, appeared to be a fake. I found major discrepancies in Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) Urban Poor health scheme and Contributory Health scheme. The Health Minister ordered an inquiry in this case after I reported the matter. However, when the inquiry team went to PMC, it was sent back because the orders for the inquiry came from the Health Minister and not from the Urban Development Department. The Urban development department is with Chief Minister and till today there is no order from the CM in this regard.

In nutshell, while bringing good legislation to fight against corruption succeeds only in fooling the public for some time, proper implementation alone will reveal your real intentions.