- 2 days ago
In this episode of Newstrack, the focus is on the political showdown over the naming of military operations, including 'Operation Mahadev' and 'Operation Shiv Shakti'.
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00:00Storm over Operation Shiva Shakti and Mahadev.
00:11India bloc alleges bid to communalize.
00:23Opposition questions Hindu names for military operations.
00:26Operation Sindhu, Operation Mahadev, Operation Ganga,
00:50Centre Counters communal charge.
00:51Shiv Shakti and Mahadev Storm. That is our top focus on NewsTrack.
01:21The controversy is that the opposition is questioning why you're giving Hindu names, religious names to these operations.
01:33We're going to be tracking the big political showdown on that.
01:36We'll have panelists joining us on this broadcast.
01:38But first, as always, here are the headlines.
01:40Donald Trump imposes 25% tariffs plus penalty from August 1st on India for arms trade with Russia.
01:52Center holds the emergency huddle to draft immediate response.
02:01Opposition targets Modi government over Trump tariffs as India's attempt to curry favor with White House hasn't worked, asks Modi to stand up to Trump.
02:10Home Minister Amitra rejects Congress' demand for his resignation for Pahalgam security elapsed, accuses Congress of speaking in Pakistan's voice.
02:27Two Kerala nons arrested in Chhattisgarh to remain in jail in charge of trafficking and forced conversion.
02:34Sessions Court recommends hearing transfer to NIA court.
02:40NASA and ISRO's $1.5 billion powerful Earth monitoring satellite takes off from Sri Harikota.
02:50Mission aims to provide data on earthquakes, volcanoes and ice sheet changes.
02:54We've seen two successful operations by our forces in the last 48 hours.
03:05Five terrorists in all killed in two separate military operations.
03:08First, you had the Pahalgam terrorists being eliminated by forces in what was referred to as Operation Mahadev.
03:14And then the army neutralized two suspected Lashkar terrorists during operations in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch.
03:20That operation called Operation Shiv Shakti.
03:24It's over these names that there is a political fight that's erupted.
03:27The opposition has alleged that the BJP-led government is trying to politicize military operations and trying to give it a religious color,
03:37questioning why the anti-terror drives were being linked to Hindu deities.
03:41Home Minister Amit Shah, when he spoke in the Rajasabha a few hours ago, has also responded to this criticism.
03:48Let's begin this broadcast by getting your sense of all of the reactions, responses that's coming.
03:53Operation Mahadev, Operation Shiv Shakti.
04:23Five terrorists killed, Pahalgam avenged.
04:31In a span of just 48 hours, Indian forces have gunned down five terrorists in two separate operations in Jammu and Kashmir.
04:41But the focus has quickly shifted from the war on terror to the political arena.
04:47Amid the sindoor showdown in parliament, the opposition has questioned the center over anti-terror operations being linked to Hindu gods.
05:11Operation Mahadev, Operation Ganga, Operation Yamuna.
05:15Not only that, SPMP Jaya Bachchan also questioned the naming of Operation Sindhu.
05:44The BJP accused the opposition of politicizing army operations in a bid to counter Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
06:11Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar said India is secular because of Hindus.
06:33And then in the Rajasabha, Home Minister Amit Shah slammed the opposition for questioning the names of the anti-terror operations and their links to Hindu data.
06:54The После Mahadev, Operation Gospelpora, Operation Israel and Muslimenko see the peace of the EU and the Gazaаний of India.
06:55I don't know it was indeed a issue of political operations.
06:56I don't think the President of the United States did not stick around the East Coast to the State of Tithirat.
06:57He said, oh my God, I am not a 하고 for this.
06:58I don't think the President of Tithirat Chawan, how important is the same situation for the ATP?
06:59While the security forces maintain focus on neutralizing terror threats, the political
07:29crossfire over the naming of counter-terror operations shows no signs of cooling down.
07:36The question remains, should the war on terror be dragged into the political arena?
07:44With Aishwarya Paliwal and Piyush Mishra, Bureau Report, India Today.
07:49So is the controversy surrounding these names of Operation Sindur, Operation Mahadev, Operation
07:59Shiv Shakti warranted, or is it adding an unnecessary religious hue to what is meant to be only
08:06a military operation and nothing more?
08:08Joining me on this broadcast on NewsTrack is Wing Commander Anubha Acharya, who is a spokesperson
08:12with the Congress.
08:13We also have Arpi Singh of the BJP.
08:16Good evening.
08:17Thank you very much for your time.
08:19Wing Commander Acharya, I'd like to begin with you.
08:21And yes, you're a spokesperson of the Congress, but as someone who served in the forces, I'd
08:25like you to tell us what you think of these names and whether you believe that the fact
08:30that it's called Operation Mahadev, whether it's called Operation Shiv Shakti, whether any
08:34of that matters, whether forces see it as, you know, a religious name.
08:39Good evening to you, Akshita and the other panelists.
08:41I must tell you that in the last 25 years, I have seen lots of operations, but the names
08:47were Operation Gagan Shakti, Operation Tishul, Operation Thunderbolt, Operation Iron Fist,
08:54Operation Vijay, Operation Prakram.
08:57This name, Sindur, seems to be somebody who is emotionally exploiting us.
09:03This is not the way of how armed forces ever done it.
09:07Even Indian Air Force, the operation conducted in Balaport was called Operation Bandar.
09:14So it wasn't again, it was not one particular religion.
09:17Now here, I have been told from people that, by the people that Prime Minister Modi chose this
09:25name, Operation Sindur.
09:27So definitely it was for a political purpose.
09:30It was for political gimmicks.
09:32And that is what, but he has actually exploited the people.
09:36And at the end of it, he actually traded Sindur with the trade.
09:40So the problem here is, this was never a culture of the armed forces.
09:45To name operations in one particular religion, wherein now this Mahadev, Shiva Shakti, then it
09:54is the month of Shravan, all sorts of things.
09:57It is kind of, you know, politicizing the army, making them very fragmented on the religious
10:05notes.
10:06We are the people who always had our, all the four places of worship in one ground, whether
10:13it is a church, whether it is a monk.
10:14You know, Wing Commander Acharya, even the examples that you gave me, you referred to
10:17Operation Trishul.
10:19If those names were okay, why not Operation Mahadev or Operation Shiv Shakti?
10:24The Operation Trishul was tri-services and it was for a different purpose.
10:29And you also, I knew that you will pick and choose this one, but I spoke.
10:33But Trishul name was given, but it is like, look at this, Operation Sindur and the Prime
10:41Minister naming the operation.
10:43And unfortunately, you know what happened this time?
10:45The Indian Air Force, for last two times, it has been used on the non-military targets.
10:52Indian Air Force has been insulted because it is a service which actually brings the decision
10:58to the war, any war.
11:00We cannot use it for political purpose or a non-military target.
11:04This is such a shameful thing.
11:06So not only the names which are emotionally exploited, this is demeaning by Indian Air Force.
11:11Okay, let me bring in, let me bring in, let me bring in Mr. R.P. Singh of the BJP.
11:16Mr. R.P. Singh, the allegation right now from the opposition is that there is a certain religious
11:21hue or religious color being given to our forces and the military operations that they're
11:25taking up by giving these clear names pertaining and related only to one religion.
11:30Well, Madam, I also took the name of Gaghan Shakti.
11:35Gaghan Shakti is a Hindu name, but they want, name should be Operation Al-Al-Heel, Operation
11:40Jarek, Azab, Operation Al-Mizan, Operation Rahat-Nizar, Operation Radul-Fasar.
11:47These are the names they're looking for.
11:50And that's the names of the operation which Pakistan keeps and they want such names to be
11:53kept here.
11:54But the fact is that that hill is a Mahadev hill, and that's why it was named as Operation
12:00Mahadev.
12:01But they have to actually, for them, it is just religion.
12:05For them, it is just wordplay.
12:07And then tomorrow you say, why Bharat?
12:10Bharat is a magic name.
12:11Why, why, why, why, why keep Bharat as a name?
12:14So they'll, they'll question that also.
12:16So for them, everything is religion and it's really, I mean, it's nauseous.
12:21But when, when, for every Indian to hear all this, what Manum Baraj was saying, that why
12:26Operation Sundoor?
12:28Operation Sundoor would have been kept by the army.
12:30I mean, I don't know how does he know that it was kept by the prime minister, but it would
12:33have been kept by the army.
12:34But again, reminding, reminding the forces that they have to take revenge of the 20th Sundoors
12:41which were done by the Pakistan terrorists.
12:46So this is how things happen.
12:49No, but Mr. R.P. is saying, Mr. R.P. is saying, you started off, you started off by
12:53listing a number of other suggested names for military operations saying this is what
12:58the Congress wants and seemingly Muslim names.
13:00What's wrong with that?
13:01That's perfectly fine too.
13:05You're asking me?
13:06Yes.
13:08No, these are names which are kept by Pakistan.
13:11These are the names of the operation which was kept by Pakistan from the Quran.
13:15So they can do it.
13:18But, and also they can name for, for example, Operation Joshua Muhammad.
13:24But what do our army, the regiment speaks when they go for, what are the war cries?
13:30If I rightly remember, Jaya Mahakali is a Gurkha regiment.
13:34Jawara Mahashakti, Jawara Mata ki jaya by Rajputana rifles.
13:38Jaya Bajrangbali by Bihar Regiment.
13:40Raja Ramchandar ki jaya by Rajputana rifles.
13:43Durga Mata ki jaya by Assam rifles.
13:46Badri Vishal ki jaya by Garwal rifles.
13:48Now, they should say that you should change this also.
13:51And to what level they can go?
13:54Okay, valid point.
13:55Valid point.
13:56Wing Commander Anumacharya, you know better than anyone, I'm sure, about these war cries
14:01of different regiments.
14:02And are you going to suggest that that too has a religious hue now?
14:05Because cutting across religion, everyone part of that particular regiment chants this war cry.
14:11Whatever is happening around us, nobody is oblivion to that.
14:16We all know what BJP is doing.
14:18We have a very rich culture in the armed forces.
14:21As I said earlier, we have all the four places of worship in one place.
14:25And we used to do a lot of rituals together.
14:28When a new aircrafts come, all the rituals were done together.
14:32But what BJP is doing, they are fragmenting everything.
14:36They are dividing the armed forces, rich culture into Hindu-Muslim.
14:39Now, he was so much keen to speak that we should keep the names like Pakistan Air Force.
14:46What level they are ready to stoop down to, I don't know.
14:50What they have done to our armed forces.
14:52The total politicization of armed forces are being done.
14:55The armed forces were the silent custodian of our democracy.
14:59No, how so?
15:00Anumacharya, you know, when we talk of these war cries, it's something that cuts across religion very clearly.
15:07It's something that comes out of sheer emotion and what unites them.
15:10What you're talking about, I agree with you that, you know, even when you have a jet that's inducted,
15:15it's puja and it's also prayers that are conducted in every single religion.
15:20And that still happens to date.
15:21So are we now cooking up an issue out of nothing?
15:25I'm so surprised.
15:27I'm actually not surprised because I know the party in power wants to normalize any such issue
15:34and definitely wants to create two segments who will fight on this.
15:38There was no Hindu-Muslim on English channels.
15:41So now they have started this.
15:42But the basic point remains when an operation, which is an action, it has to come.
15:48It has to be an apolitical, non-religious name.
15:52I think this is incorrect what has been started recently.
15:57And then it all is so scripted.
15:59I know when the journalism will come back to India, when the democracy will come back to India,
16:05we all will understand that this phase was actually parting everybody into two.
16:10This is what I have to say.
16:11Anuma Acharya, Anuma Acharya, you know, at this point, we can all give sermons right now about journalism.
16:17But the reality is that at the end of the day, we're showing two sides.
16:20We're giving you an opportunity to speak as I am to Mr. R.P. Singh as well of the BJP for both of you to put your viewpoints.
16:27And ultimately, it's the viewer, the people who will decide what they have to say on it.
16:31But Mr. R.P. Singh, go ahead.
16:32Well, how narrow she can go, how narrow Congress can go, I mean, she just now proved it.
16:39I mean, even they're casting you or casting the media for taking up issues and issues being raised by Congress Party.
16:46It's not you who are who are raised with the issue or us who are raised with the issue.
16:49It's the Congress Party who is taking up the issue.
16:51I mean, again, Bandar is a monkey which connotes Hanumanji.
17:02So you can say, oh, why Bandar then?
17:04So they have actually problem with the Indian Hindu civilization.
17:08They have the problem with the Indian civilization.
17:10And that's how they keep again and again going back to anything which can harm the interests of the nation.
17:18And in that way, they go to the level of...
17:21No, but what's your response, Mr. R.P. Singh, to allegations that, you know, this is the government going ahead
17:28and imposing these names on our forces to cater to their own vote bank.
17:33The opposition says the BJP is doing this to cater to your vote bank.
17:41Is that to me?
17:43Yes, Mr. R.P. Singh.
17:44Yeah, so, no, no, no.
17:46Do you think when Operation Bandar name is kept, we're keeping Hanumanji in mind?
17:51I mean, what level they are thinking about?
17:55I mean, when Operation Mahathir was at Mountaine, that hill is named after Mahathir,
17:59they should change the name of Operation Hill also.
18:03They have problem with that also.
18:05So they should change the name.
18:07So issue is, it's not that we are catering to a vote bank.
18:10It's the natural way of Indian civilization.
18:14It's the Hindu civilization, which has kept the country together for all of these years.
18:18But they want to fragment the country.
18:20They want to fragment the army.
18:21They want to fragment the operations of the army.
18:23That was their vote bank politics.
18:26And they see everything through the prism of vote bank.
18:29And that's why for everything.
18:31They have discussion on oppression also.
18:33They said, Operation Sandhuur Bakwas hai.
18:35Operation Sandhuur kaya hai.
18:36Tamasha hai.
18:37I mean, all these words have been used by no less in Congress leader.
18:41And also, to go into extent to safeguarding the interests of Pakistan or propagating Pakistan's
18:48line.
18:48When Mr. Damranji says that, oh, we need to check on whether the boys were Indians or whether
18:53their terrorists were Indians or their terrorists were Pakistanis.
18:57I mean, to this level.
18:58So, their hatred for Modi, their hatred for Hindarma, their hatred for Indian civilization
19:04will go to any extent.
19:06Okay, okay.
19:07That's all we have time for right now.
19:08Mr. R.P. Singh and Wing Commander Anuma Acharya, thank you very much for joining us here on
19:13this broadcast on your track.
19:14We leave it to our viewers to decide what they really have to say about this entire controversy.
19:18Is it warranted to ask these questions about the kind of names that are being given to
19:22military operations of Operation Sindhuur, Operation Mahadev, Operation Shrift Shakti?
19:27Well, Home Minister Amit Shai in Parliament also speaking on this has said very, very clearly
19:30that there's no religious color given to these names.
19:34It goes much beyond that when it's associated with the military.
19:37And our military, of course, is a longstanding tradition of embracing every religion, seeing
19:42beyond religion in every circumstance.
19:45So, we leave it to you, the viewer, to decide whether these questions are warranted or not.
19:49But let's move on here on news track.
19:51We've been tracking a story from Karnataka very, very closely.
19:54And there are big updates that are coming in on what's been happening in Dharmasthala.
19:59A story that shocked the country of allegations of a mass burial in Dharmasthala.
20:05The temple town in South Karnataka visited by lakhs of devotees every year.
20:09In case you haven't been keeping track of the story, remember that there was a former sanitation
20:13worker who spoke out and alleged that between 1995 to 2014, while he was working in the temple,
20:20he buried hundreds of bodies, more than hundreds of bodies.
20:24This is the allegation he put forth.
20:26Now, after an FIR was registered with the court and SIT also being formed to look into these
20:31allegations, the exhumation process is underway.
20:35And that's because this person, this alleged whistleblower, identified 15 sites in Dharmasthala
20:40where he said, I had buried these bodies.
20:42So, he was taken from site to site today and asked to point out exactly where.
20:49He was completely covered head to toe, as you see in those images there.
20:52You can't make out his face at all because he says his life is in danger right now.
20:56But he was taken from one location to another.
20:58They dug up the entire location.
21:00So far, of the 15 locations, there have been exhumations of five sites.
21:05Nothing found just yet.
21:0625 days after the registration of an FIR, alleging mass burials of unclaimed or unidentified bodies,
21:26the exhumation process has begun in Dharmasthala.
21:30The complainant, a former sanitation worker, led the special investigation team during a spot
21:38inspection on Monday.
21:41He identified 15 different locations where he claims to have buried bodies during his tenure.
21:49Locals and media gathered outside the forest patch near the Netravati River,
21:55watching in anticipation as the SIT began digging.
22:00On day one, no human remains were recovered from the first identified location.
22:09Today, the exhumation process resumed for the second consecutive day,
22:14with digging carried out at the second and the third spots.
22:20No remains have been found at either site.
22:23The SIT and forensic experts continue to monitor the process closely.
22:31The local Gram Panchayat earlier said they have documents showing unclaimed bodies were buried,
22:49but only in designated places.
22:51However, the complainant has pointed to locations inside the forest,
22:56beside the river, and near roads.
22:59None of them officially sanctioned burial grounds.
23:03As digging continues, haunting questions remain.
23:12Who are the powerful people possibly behind this?
23:13Why are there no missing complaints despite the claim of dozens or even hundreds of burials?
23:19Are locals too afraid to speak up?
23:20And if bodies are found, how will DNA identification even be possible?
23:26With Saghair Raj in Dharamsthala, Bureau Report, India Today.
23:33That mystery continues to unravel and how you can trust us here on India Today to get you every single update
23:40that comes in on the Dharamsthala mystery as the exhumation of the name of dozens or even hundreds of burials.
23:45Are locals too afraid to speak up?
23:46And if bodies are found, how will DNA identification even be possible?
23:48With Saghair Raj in Dharamsthala, Bureau Report, India Today.
23:50That mystery continues to unravel and how you can trust us here on India Today to get you every single update
24:00that comes in on the Dharamsthala mystery as the exhumation will continue well into tomorrow as well.
24:05But that's all we have time for in this edition of Newstrek.
24:07I am, however, leaving you with that amazing image of ISRO with another feather in its cap,
24:14launching a first-of-its-kind radar imaging satellite built in collaboration with NASA.
24:19That's what makes this a huge, huge feat for ISRO.
24:23The Nisar satellite will demonstrate India's space engineering capabilities.
24:26I am leaving you with these images. Good night.
24:44You are coming to load more than 1 1,000,000,000...
24:49That should be thrown out all the names of
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