Poll campaigner for Modi on FB is brain behind ‘FTII Wisdom Tree’ protest page

An MBA from Saurashtra University, Khuman was working with a private company in Surat when he got involved with the social media machinery — mostly comprising of volunteers — set up by the BJP just before the Lok Sabha polls. Every day after work, Khuman used to devote a few hours at the social media cell in Surat.

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“The BJP unit in Surat had hired a private company comprising a team of paid workers who used to go door-to-door asking people if they had social media accounts. If they came across any who did not have one, the workers offered to open their accounts. The strategy was to increase the number of followers and likes for the BJP and Modi on Facebook and Twitter. Expectedly, the volunteers added to the likes and followers while creating these profiles. Also, more often than not, they got hold of usernames and passwords. The BJP used to pay the firm based on the accounts they opened and the fresh likes and followers they brought for the BJP,” said Khuman.

Khuman said he joined them in February and his job was to sort the data of the new profiles created in different categories. “The firm was also paid on the basis of the new profiles they created. We used to collect data such as email IDs and phone numbers of the new account holders so that we could contact them during the election campaign,” he added.

While these efforts bore fruits, a few months later Khuman succeeded in getting into the prestigious FTII.

There were some highs and lows until June when the news of the reconstitution of the FTII society hit the campus.
“The initial reaction was of indifference as we did not know who Gajendra Chauhan was. Students discussed about the appointment and concluded that it was inappropriate. We decided to convey this to the ministry and resolved that if it did not respond, we will contemplate on the possibility of a strike. However, when we tried to gather information about Chauhan and others who had held the post, we realised the quantum of wrong that the government has done to the institute. Further study showed a pattern — how the government was trying to control the institutions of national importance,” said Khuman.

Khuman said although he has been reading about the “”unnecessary meddling” of the right wing groups in the field of cinema and art, his unhappiness with the government reached a flashpoint when the trend hit home.

“I was in disbelief. How can a government appoint a C-lister to head its best film institute? Was this person as capable as others who headed the institute? Not at all. Also, I remember a speech Modi had given during his campaign in Mumbai where he had promised to create a film school of international standards as the industry provides jobs to tens of thousand of people. But here, he’s doing completely opposite,” said Khuman.

He added, “That’s when like other students I stopped all work and abandoned classes to oppose the move.”