If India is proud of Payal Kapadia, withdraw FTII case against her, Shashi Tharoor urges PM Modi
New Delhi: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to withdraw the cases against filmmaker Payal Kapadia, who won at the Cannes Film Festival last week, and other students of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) for staging a protest objecting the appointment of actor Gajendra Chauhan as FTII chairperson in 2015.
Kapadia became the first Indian director to win the Grand Prix, the second most prestigious award after the Palme d’Or at the Cannes, when she was awarded for her debut movie ‘All We Imagine As Light’ on Saturday.
Lauding her achievement, PM Modi posted on his personal ‘X’ account on Sunday, “India is proud of Payal Kapadia for her historic feat of winning the Grand Prix at the 77th Cannes Film Festival for her work ‘All We Imagine as Light’. An alumnus of FTII, her remarkable talent continues to shine on the global stage, giving a glimpse of the rich creativity in India. This prestigious accolade not only honours her exceptional skills but also inspires a new generation of Indian filmmakers. (sic)”
Tharoor, responding to the PM’s tweet, posted on his ‘X’ account on Tuesday, “Modi ji, if India is proud of her, should your government not immediately #WithdrawTheCases against her and fellow FTII students protesting against your government’s arbitrary appointment of an unqualified Chairman? (sic)”
Kapadia and other students of the FTII, which is under the administration of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, had protested in 2015 opposing the appointment of Hindi film actor and BJP member Chauhan, citing the actor’s lack of qualifications to lead the institute as their reason for objection, and had demanded that Chauhan be replaced with a better qualified chairperson. Pune Police had booked the protesting students for unlawful assembly, criminal intimidation and rioting. The FTII administrative board cut off the scholarships of the students and also debarred eight of the students, including Kapadia, from participating in a foreign exchange program that would help them participate in international film festivals.
Oscar-winning sound designer Resul Pookuty has also put forth the demand that the case against the young director be withdrawn, posting on his Instagram account, “FTII must now withdraw the cases against Payal and the other students. It owes them the prestige that has been bestowed upon it.”
He pointed in a second post on social media that Kapadia, who is accused number 25 in the 2015 case, had to appear in court for a hearing after returning from the film festival.
Modi ji, if India is proud of her, should your government not immediately #WithdrawTheCases against her and fellow FTII students protesting against your government’s arbitrary appointment of an unqualified Chairman? https://t.co/BmZNifLLj9 pic.twitter.com/psZMwSADnn
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) May 28, 2024
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EU summit will focus on Iran war, loan to Ukraine blocked by Hungary
Brussels (AP): European Union leaders are holding a summit in Brussels on Thursday for talks on the Iran war, energy prices, migration and an enormous loan for war-ravaged Ukraine being held up by Hungary.
Many of those leaders have deflected entreaties by US President Donald Trump to send military assets to secure the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for the global flow of oil, gas and fertiliser.
Rising energy prices because of the war and fears in Europe of a new refugee crisis have pushed leaders to make the Middle East one of the top priorities at the summit.
The European Commission, the EU's executive branch, has floated the idea of a “toolbox” of measures to lower energy prices for leaders to discuss because no single policy will work across the myriad markets in the 27-nation bloc to blunt economic shocks from the war, according to a senior European diplomat who wasn't authorised to be publicly named so spoke on condition of anonymity.
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The summit will also focus on a long-brewing standoff between Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and most other EU nations.
The last EU summit was held in December at a Belgian castle, where the leaders including Orban agreed to a 90 billion-euro (USD 104 billion) loan for Ukraine for help overcoming a budget shortfall in the country as it grapples with a grinding war with Russia.
But a month later, Orban backtracked after the Druzhba oil pipeline was disabled in January after what Ukrainian officials said was a Russian drone attack.
The pro-Russia leader, who has held office in Hungary since 2010, is running an aggressive media campaign villainising both Brussels and Kyiv as he seeks reelection next month.
“If there is no oil, there is no money,” Orban said in a social media post on Tuesday.
To get Ukraine the much-needed loan, EU leaders and diplomats will lobby Orban and Slovakia's prime minister, Robert Fico, whose government has also taken pro-Russia stances.
On Tuesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen offered for the EU to pay to repair the Druzhba pipeline and the development of alternative fuel lines for Hungary and Slovakia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that any obstruction to the loan is “absolutely unfair” and that there is “no alternative” for the embattled nation than those funds as it faces a severe budget crisis because of the war, which began on February 24, 2022.
“There may be alternatives in terms of financing mechanisms, but there is simply no alternative to strengthening our army,” Zelenksyy said on Wednesday.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told lawmakers in Berlin on Wednesday that the EU must swiftly reach an agreement on the 20th package of sanctions against Russia and the loan.
He said that he would “advocate for that emphatically” in Brussels and that “we must not take into consideration a single country in the European Union that is currently setting up this blockade in Europe now for domestic political reasons and because of an election campaign that is being conducted there.”
Merz said, in urging for more sanctions, that “the needs of the moment call for us to increase the pressure on Moscow together – the US and the European partners together."
