The striking students of the Film and Television Institute of India
(FTII) deserve a round of applause for standing up to the government for
imposing an undeserving chairman on them.
Unlike most members of
other supposedly autonomous bodies like the Indian Council of
Historical Research (ICHR) or the National Book Trust (NBT), who quietly
accepted the official nominees for the top posts -- evidently chosen
for their Hindutva connections, the FTII students have been much braver.
They
have held their ground despite protests by saffron outfits like the
BJP's student wing, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad.
Only
in the ICHR was there a resignation but, otherwise, the Hindutva lobby
had little difficulty in placing its chosen man at the head of the
organisation although the person was virtually unknown as a "historian"
outside the RSS circles.
In contrast, the prolonged resistance in
the FTII to the government's policy of planting saffronites in key
positions in reputed institutions is the first of its kind.
However,
it will be hoping against hope to expect the government to bow to the
students' demand of removing Gajendra Chauhan, another nonentity like
the ICHR chairman, from the FTII although a minister is reported to have
admitted that he was not the best of choices.
But, the
minister's subsequent observation that "as a government we cannot
retract" is evidence of the obstinacy which generally characterizes the
official attitude.
There are two possible explanations for this
obduracy. One is temperamental, which is the result of the complete
control which Narendra Modi exercised over Gujarat as chief minister
when he simply brushed aside any opposition from either the Congress or
rebels in his own party like Keshubhai Patel. The habit has persisted.
The
other is the weakness of the opposition at the national level, where
the Congress is trying to hide its irrelevance through unruly conduct in
parliament.
But, there may well be a third explanation. It is
that Modi is still unsure about his grip on the party. After all, he
battled his way up to the top in spite of stiff opposition from L.K.
Advani and others.
For the present, he has succeeded in
marginalising them. But, he probably believes that they are waiting for
an opportunity to strike if he misses a step.
Modi is also aware
that his present line of sakba saath, sabka vikas, or development for
all, goes against the grain of saffron politics and, therefore, may not
secure the full approval of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for a
longish period.
Although the earlier slogan of the BJP was
"justice for all, appeasement of none", it was a part of its tactics to
turn the country away from the Congress's policy of "minority
appeasement" which, ipso facto, denied "justice" to the Hindus.
As
such, its anti-minority slant was obvious. But, Modi's present slogan
is different because of its inclusiveness. He has to be congratulated,
therefore, for moderating saffron politics.
However, since this
is a major exercise in reorientation, he has no option but to keep the
RSS in good humour by appointing men of its choice to key positions.
At
the same time, he cannot afford to give the impression of being driven
by the RSS in making appointments. How long will Modi be able to carry
on with his tightrope walk is difficult to say.
But, as the
uproar in the FTII has shown, he has to be wary of not only the internal
compulsions on his own side, but also of those in the secular camp who
are unwilling to accept the official diktat.
Unlike the ICHR and
other institutions from where the Leftists have been evicted, the
protesters in the FTII have no obvious ideological bias notwithstanding
their appeal to Rahul Gandhi to take up the issue in parliament. All
they want is that someone well known in the film world should be
appointed the chairman.
The government has to tread carefully in
this matter because films and television shows have a wide resonance at a
time when Bollywood is producing movies of a high quality as prizes won
by The Dirty Picture, Paan Singh Tomar and Haider show.
On the
small screen, too, the television serials, documentaries and, above all,
news, interviews and debates have become the staple of everyday life.
To
give credence to the view that the government is stifling this
flourishing industry with its politically-coloured selection of
personnel will seriously dent its image.
The government's
problems would have been far less if the RSS nominees had been of a high
calibre. Unfortunately, the Hindu Right, as it is called, is not known
to harbour individuals who are widely known for their intellectual
accomplishments.
It is a trait which characterizes Rightists
virtually all over the world in the field of social sciences although
their economic outlook is gaining ground at the expense of the Leftists.
But,
even in this field, someone like Jagdish Bhagwati, who is deemed to be
in the same league as the Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, is of the view
that Hindutva is like a "virulent disease".
(Amulya Ganguli is a political analyst. The views expressed are personal. He can be reached at [email protected])
