Chetan Chauhan's appointment as NIFT head sparks laugh riot on Twitter

Former Indian cricketer and two-time BJP MP, Chetan Chauhan, thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah for his appointment as the new chairman of the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT).

According to the NIFT Act 2006, the chairperson of the Board of Governors (BoG) 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.

Also read: Ex-cricketer Chetan Chauhan appointed as NIFT chairman

On the other hand, Chauhan is the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) vice-president and a senior BCCI official. He also runs a cricket academy and owns a newsprint business. And, more importantly, he doesn't fit the bill to be NIFT chairperson.

While talking to The Indian Express, Chauhan said: "This is a Government of India appointment. The names (for the post of chairman) are sent by the Ministry of Textiles. Preference is given to people in the party (BJP)."

"They examined many names and ultimately chose me because I am an international sportsman and have experience in banking. I worked with the Bank of Baroda as a Scale-4 officer based in Delhi. For 23 years, I spent quality time in banking," he added.

When asked how does he plan to balance multiple roles, Chauhan revealed, "I will spend 60% of the time in DDCA, 20% at NIFT and 20% in my business."

Though Chauhan desperately tried to justify his appointment, but the news took social media by storm. Twitterati did not hold back.