Ex-cricketer Chetan Chauhan to head top fashion school

New Delhi: Former BJP MP Chetan Chauhan, who had played Test cricket for India, has been appointed as the chairman of the prestigious National Institute of Fashion Technology, prompting sharp reaction from the Aam Aadmi Party.

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal questioned the appointment of Chauhan, who is also the vice-president of DDCA, accusing the Modi government of assembling an army of ‘sycophants’ in prestigious institutions.
“Modiji has selectively assembled an army of sycophants - Gajendra Chauhan, Chetan Chauhan, Pahlaj Nihalani, Smriti Irani,” he tweeted.

When contacted, Chauhan said: “I have been appointed (NIFT Chairman) by the Government of India and I will work to the best of my ability.” Chauhan termed as “baseless” Kejriwal’s remarks and the allegation by AAP that he was being rewarded for “shielding” finance minister Arun Jaitley in the alleged irregularities in DDCA.

Chauhan as NIFT chief: Netizens having a ball
Former Indian cricketer and two-time BJP MP Chetan Chauhan has been appointed the chairperson of National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT). According to a report, the 68-year-old former MP thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah for his appointment as NIFT chairperson.

According to the NIFT Act 2006, the chairperson of the Board of Governors is expected to be “an eminent academician, scientist or technologist or professional, to be nominated by the Visitor” of the institute, which is the President. The term of the appointment is three years.

Chetan Chauhan tho-ugh is also the vice-president of the Delhi and District Cricket Assoc-iation and a senior BCCI functionary. Asked whether he would be able to dedicate time to NIFT, Chauhan replied in the affirmative.

“Whenever an urgent matter is required to be addressed, I will be there. I will be going there once in week. I will have an office there, but I think I will be spending more time at DDCA. I will have to devote some time to my company too,” he was quoted as saying.

On his eligibility for the post, Chauhan gave two explanations – first that it was a Government of India appointment suggested by the textile ministry, and second that he had ‘experience in banking’ which helped him get the top job at NIFT.

Giving a breakdown of his schedule, Chauhan said: “I will spend 60 per cent of the time in DDCA, 20 per cent at NIFT and 20 per cent in my business.”

Chauhan claimed he had met the members of the NIFT Board and ‘advised them to come up with solutions in the interest of the institution’. He did not explain what he wanted solutions for.

On his fashion sense, Chauhan said, “My fashion sense is not being flamboyant but well-dressed. I am not fashion-oriented because I have to go with what suits my age. But I like to dress up smartly and well.” But Chauhan’s fashion sense didn’t cut much ice with social media users, who took to Twitter to troll him.