FTII students ready for talks without preconditions

PUNE: After nearly 100 days of agitation against Gajendra Chauhan's appointment as FTII chairman, possibility of resolution of the impasse today brightened with the protesting students saying they were ready for talks with the government without any preconditions.

In response to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry's letter to the FTII Students' Association expressing its willingness to have a fresh round of dialogue "without any preconditions", the students' body replied saying, "We are positive about the prospective meeting and respect their expectation of not having any preconditions but also expect the ministry to not have preconditions from their side as well."

Circulating its reply to the letter addressed to FSA president Harishankar Nachimuthu by I&B Joint Secretary K S Murthy, the association's representative Ranjit Nair said here, "Hopefully the date and location (of talks) will be decided soon by the JS."

The response of the striking students who have questioned TV actor and BJP member Chauhan's credentials to head the institute follows informal talks with FSA representatives by senior BJP leader Madhav Bhandari who met them on the campus yesterday.

Meanwhile, the hunger strike by the students in a make- shift pandal continued with the protesters getting admitted to hospital and discharged periodically on medical advice.