- 6 months ago
This video provides an overview of significant political and international developments. It details Rahul Gandhi's allegations of large-scale electoral fraud in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, specifically targeting Bengaluru's Central constituency. Gandhi presented data claiming the theft of over 100,000 votes through duplicate voters, fake addresses, and misuse of Form 6. The Election Commission (EC) challenged him to submit these charges under a signed oath, to which Gandhi responded by stating his public word should be taken as an oath. This comes as the INDIA alliance, in a show of unity, met at a dinner hosted by Gandhi and plans a march to the EC office on August 11th to protest the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and demand a point-by-point rebuttal from the Election Commission regarding voter list manipulation. The program also shifts focus to international relations, reporting on US President Donald Trump doubling tariffs on Indian goods to 50 percent, linking it to India's purchase of Russian oil. Prime Minister Narendra Modi responded, asserting India's commitment to protecting its national interests and farmers, stating he is prepared to pay a price. Additionally, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin is featured, exploring the complexities of the US-India relationship amid escalating trade tensions.
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00:00Good evening, hello and welcome. You're with the news today. This is your primetime destination news,
00:05newsmakers, talking points. Thursday night, the big talking point. Rahul Gandhi has dropped
00:09what he is calling as atom bomb on the election commission. Has Rahul Gandhi finally provided
00:16hard evidence of alleged poll fraud in this country or is it a full journey more than an
00:23atom bomb? That's what we'll ask. Also, the tariff war. What is really Donald Trump's game plan?
00:30One of America's top foreign policy watchers, Ravi Agarwal, will be joining me for a special
00:36tonight. But first, as always, it's time for the nine headlines at nine. Prime Minister Modi draws
00:44a red line amidst the Trump tariff war. Vows no compromise on farmers' issues amidst US trade
00:52pressure says ready to pay the price. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's most detailed press conference
01:02yet. Claims shows data alleging voter rolls have been manipulated. Election commission asked
01:10Rahul to make his charges on a signed declaration. India alliance gathers together for the first
01:20time in large numbers after the Lok Sabha poll. Armed army party not among the invitees. Opposition
01:27to march to the EC office on August 11th. Poll roll revision also discussed.
01:38NDA leaders leave Vice President candidate decision unanimously with Prime Minister Modi and BJP
01:44chief JP Nada. A final decision to be taken by the 12th of August.
01:53Over 300 people rescued in Uttarkashi as operations gather pace. Over 60 people still reported missing
01:59after the cloudburst. The chief minister meets forces and local administration.
02:03Russian President Vladimir Putin said to visit India later this year. Confirmation a day after NSA
02:14Dova's visit to Moscow.
02:19Another attack on Kapil Sharma's cafe in Surrey, Canada. Video firing emerges.
02:24Alleged Vishnoy gang member claims the owners second such attack in two months.
02:34Singers Hani Singh and Karan Alja. Summoned by the Punjab Women's Commission over objectionable
02:40language used in their songs. Artists asked to appear before the panel on 11th August.
02:45And a racist attack on a six-year-old Indian-origin girl in Ireland. Child punched, kicked and attacked
02:53on private parts for being Indian. Indian Embassy in Ireland issues an advisory.
02:57But the story that we are breaking this evening. India alliance has been revived with a show of
03:13unity at a dinner being hosted by Rahul Gandhi in the national capital. Rahul Gandhi is hosting the
03:19India block leaders for the first time since the Lok Sabha elections of 2024. Rahul Gandhi in that
03:27meeting has shown a presentation democracy destroyed where he claims that there has been massive poll
03:34fraud involving the election commission. Rahul Gandhi has briefed the opposition leaders on his
03:40allegations of a vote fraud. The opposition now will march to the election commission office on
03:46August 11 to step up their campaign against the election commission and issues like the special
03:53intensive revision. Let's now go straight across to Amit Bhardwaj, my colleague joining us live.
03:59Amit Bhardwaj, all eyes on Rahul Gandhi, who's the leader of the opposition. But since the Lok Sabha
04:05really, for the first time, we are seeing the India alliance coming together, including parties,
04:09left Khrin Amul, who are opposing each other in Bengal. Amar B party missing. But otherwise, by and large,
04:16for the first time, we are seeing many of these parties coming together on one platform since
04:21what May 2024.
04:27Absolutely right, Razdeep. You know, there have been a lot of questions and complaints from different
04:32India block allies against Congress party that look why we are not coordinating and why physical
04:38meetings are not happening. And we are bringing you these visuals right outside from Rahul Gandhi's
04:43residence in the national capital, where right behind me, you could see the leaders who are part of this
04:47particular meeting. They are stepping out and now heading back to their homes. What we can certainly
04:53tell our viewers today is that the key issue in this particular meeting was the democracy destroyed
05:00PPT that was made by Rahul Gandhi today, you know, public this noon. And he had made a similar presentation
05:06in front of the India block party leaders, including Sharad Pawar, Faruk Abdullah, Udav Thakre,
05:13you know, and that list is quite long. In fact, Tejasvi Iyadav, Dipankar Bhattacharya,
05:18and Mukesh Sarni of the VIP, all of these senior leaders from Bihar's India Ghat Bandhan,
05:23or Maha Ghat Bandhan, are still inside Rahul Gandhi's residence. So, that...
05:28And what about Amar B party, what about Amar B party, Amit?
05:32But certainly, yes. Amar B party kept out, or not invited?
05:36Well, Rasdip Amar B party has officially, officially exited the India block. They are
05:43no more part of the India alliance at this point in time, but they are with India block and larger
05:49opposition on the issue of SIR. So, they were not part of this particular meeting, but on August 11th,
05:55that is on Monday, they would be participating in that India block mass to the election commission of
05:59India, where the issue of Bihar SIR, as well as the fresh allegations that have been made by Rahul
06:06Gandhi, will be raised in front of the election commission of India. Back to you, Rasdip.
06:10Okay. Amit Nafardwaj, providing us details of that dinner, we'll see whether the Congress
06:16is able to grab this opportunity, or is it a lost opportunity to bring the opposition together.
06:21Remember, today, Rahul Gandhi is holding center stage because he dropped what he calls
06:26a vote scam atom bomb, where he has accused the election commission of possible large-scale
06:32electoral fraud in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Rahul Gandhi picked a constituency within Bengaluru's
06:39central Lok Sabha seat, providing hard data and evidence from fake addresses to duplicate voters,
06:45which he said is proof of how voter lists are being manipulated. The election commission has
06:50challenged Rahul Gandhi to make the charges under oath and file a formal complaint.
06:56Tonight, Rahul Gandhi versus the election commission.
07:07Rahul Gandhi drops the atom bomb he has been promising for days.
07:13The leader of opposition, who earlier alleged irregularities in Haryana and Maharashtra
07:18assembly elections on Thursday, claimed large-scale fraud in Bengaluru's central constituency
07:24in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The seat was won by BJP candidate P.C. Mohan by 32,707 votes.
07:35Rahul Gandhi highlighted the voting in the Mahadevapura assembly segment of the constituency,
07:41where he said the BJP led by 1,14,046 votes.
07:47They were stolen in five different ways. In his presentation at the Congress headquarters in
07:51Delhi, Rahul Gandhi went on to allege a theft of 1,250,000 votes in the Mahadevapura assembly segment.
07:59He claimed this was executed in five ways.
08:04Charge 1. There were 11,965 duplicate voters in Mahadevapura.
08:09Gurkirat Singh Dang appears once, twice, three times, four times. In four different polling booths in the
08:20constituency. He is the same name, the same address, the same person, four different polling booths.
08:29Charge 2. Addresses of 40,965 voters were either fake or invalid.
08:35House number zero, house number zero, zero, house number zero. Father's name?
08:44I-L-S-D-H-F-H-U-G. D-F-O-I-G-O-I-D-F, father's name.
08:54No, you're not afraid, brother. The whole system is stolen. It's stolen.
08:59No, you're not afraid.
09:01Rahul Gandhi claimed that there were many instances of bulk voters at single addresses
09:07and put the number of such voters at 10,452.
09:11House number 35. 80 voters live in this house.
09:18We sent people to check. They got beaten up. Here is 68 voters in a brewery. Commercial establishment.
09:26Nobody lives there.
09:27The leader of opposition claimed that there were 4,132 cases
09:33where the voters' photographs were either micro-sized or indistinguishable.
09:39Rahul Gandhi also flagged the alleged misuse of Form 6 meant for new voters.
09:44So you go, you get into Form 6 and then your name goes into the brutalist.
09:49But what's really interesting here, now she uses this form twice.
09:52She uses it first on the 13th, 13-9-23 and then she does it again 31-10-23.
10:02So she becomes a voter twice.
10:04And then the beautiful thing is, show us the next slide, she actually votes twice.
10:09The election commission reacted to the charges.
10:13In a statement, the chief electoral officer of Karnataka asked the leader of opposition to make the charges under oath.
10:20I'm a politician. What I say to the people is my word.
10:27I'm saying it publicly to everybody. Take it as an oath.
10:34This is their data and we are displaying their data. This is not our data. This is election commission data.
10:41But he doesn't listen to us.
10:42The BJP outrightly rejected Rahul Gandhi's charges.
10:47The claims made by Sri Rahul Gandhi and his team are completely bogus.
10:54They are targeting the election commission of India only to tarnish the image of the election commission of India.
11:03The Congress is set to take out a protest march in Karnataka on Friday against the election commission.
11:11The party claims the election commission is trying to cover up possible voter fraud at a larger scale
11:16by denying it voter lists in machine-readable format and by deleting CCTV footage of voting.
11:23The fresh charges of voter list manipulation come amidst a special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar
11:30which will later be extended to the rest of the country.
11:33With Amit Bharatwaj, Bureau Report, India Today.
11:39Let's raise the big questions on our talking point.
11:42Is this an atom bomb as Rahul Gandhi claims or a smoke bomb?
11:46Has Rahul Gandhi provided hard evidence of voter fraud?
11:50Should the election commission be giving a point-by-point rebuttal?
11:53Why doesn't Rahul Gandhi approach the courts or give a sworn affidavit?
11:58These are some of the questions I will raise.
12:00Joining me now are Dr. Ajay Kumar of the Congress.
12:04Syed Zafar Islam is of the Bharatiya Jatta Party.
12:07O.P. Rawat is former Chief Election Commissioner.
12:11But before that, I spoke earlier to the man at the center of it.
12:14P.C. Mohan is the BJP MP elected from central Bengaluru, where Rahul Gandhi has alleged massive voter fraud.
12:21Mr. Mohan, Rahul Gandhi is alleging vote theft of more than one lakh votes in one of your assembly segments, Madhepura.
12:28What is your immediate reaction to the data that he has provided of alleged duplication of voters and voter fraud?
12:36See, special intensive revision, what is happening in Bihar, he is opposing in parliament.
12:44Parliament is stalled for the last four or five days.
12:46The whole country is watching it.
12:48And, you know, he is telling that, you know, in Bangalore, in Bangalore,
12:54central parliamentary constituency, voter theft has happened.
12:58One lakh vote has been added.
12:59How does he know that all of them have voted for Bharatiya Janata Party?
13:04And I have been winning this parliamentary constituency for the last four times continuously.
13:09People have blessed me and people have got faith on me.
13:12They have voted for me.
13:13I am grateful to them.
13:14And he is insulting my constituency.
13:17Voters also, I would like to tell Rahul Gandhi.
13:20And, you know, today what voter revision is,
13:23special intensive revision is happening in Bihar.
13:25It should happen throughout the country.
13:27So that, you know, these kind of, all these voters will be, voter list will be clean.
13:36No, no, but he is giving very specific examples, Mr. Mohan.
13:39He has given granular data of exact duplicate voters, has given photos that are allegedly invalid,
13:47how Form 6 is being misused, fake and invalid addresses of voters.
13:52Surely you will agree the Election Commission of India needs to investigate and give a point-by-point
13:56rebuttal.
13:57Don't you agree with the need for an investigation?
14:02See, one thing, Election Commission has already given a notice to Rahul Gandhi.
14:06Let him reply for that.
14:07Whatever questions he has, let him ask.
14:09They will answer for it.
14:10And one more thing for voters, for, you know,
14:12BLA-2s are appointed by all political parties.
14:16That is, for every booth, BLA-2 is appointed.
14:18He has the BLA-2 has got all the right to verify the voter list.
14:23And if there is any disturbance in it, he can always complain to the Election Commission.
14:28Sir, you are saying he has to complain to the Election Commission.
14:30But you have gone on Twitter and said, and I quote you,
14:33Mr. Rahul Gandhi has insulted the people of Bangduru Central, especially thousands of Hindus who voted for the BJP.
14:39To him, any minority-heavy seat must belong to the Congress.
14:42The problem is not fraud.
14:43The problem is the verdict.
14:45Why are you making this a Hindu-Muslim issue?
14:47Why are you bringing a Hindu-Muslim angle?
14:49Let the law decide.
14:51Let there be a proper investigation.
14:53No, Mr. Mohan?
14:53Why bring in Hindu-Muslim here?
14:55No, see, one thing.
15:00Out of 28 parliamentary countries, why he is coming only and asking here?
15:07Why?
15:07Sir, he is saying the Congress has done a six-month investigation which is showing voter fraud.
15:17I am asking, should there not be a proper investigation done by the EC, sir?
15:20No, if there is any fraud, you know, on that time, it said they should have complained.
15:28They should have complained to EC within 40-45 days of the election.
15:33They should have complained.
15:34After 15 months, what is the point coming and complaining now?
15:38Okay.
15:39Okay, I get your point.
15:41There you are.
15:41And whatever additional are there, how does he know that they all voted for Bharti or Janata Party?
15:46Okay, PC Mohan, you are the BJP MP from Bengaluru Central.
15:50I spoke to you earlier.
15:51I want to now get reactions.
15:54Ajay Kumar, you are hearing what the MP from Bengaluru Central is saying.
15:59He is saying, A, how does Rahul Gandhi know that this alleged fraudulence has been done to benefit the BJP?
16:06He is a four-time MP.
16:07He has the support of people.
16:08Rahul Gandhi needs to, should have made these charges 45 days after the election.
16:13Now he is making it in 2025, August.
16:16The election took place in May 2024.
16:19Sir, you need to listen to me patiently.
16:21And the important point is, the election, how do you complain when you don't have, it took us six months.
16:30Have you seen the way the data was produced?
16:32First question is this fraudulent election commission, and I am using these words and please mark it.
16:37It has lost the faith.
16:39It is not Chunav Ayo, it is Chori Ayo for the simple reason, and I will give you data.
16:43Optical, the paper they give us is not, we are not able to read it, it is not machine reading friendly.
16:53It's on a paper format which you can't pick up any data and put it on an Excel.
16:57How do you analyze data across seven lakh voters, unless you use, so we have to first type every one sheet, put it into the data, and answer me a question.
17:11Hundreds of people with father's name, X, W, X, Z, X, Y, Y, T. Hundreds of people with, thousands of people with address zero.
17:20Address zero.
17:22Address zero.
17:23How do you justify it, and you, I saw your tweet, Rajdeep, and I just want, I thought you're normally sober, but I just want to correct you on that.
17:30Rahul Gandhi should give an affidavit.
17:32The election commission should give an affidavit.
17:34Because this is data.
17:35No, no, no, but you can't, no, no, but you can't, no, no, but the point I was making in that tweet with Dr. Ajay Kumar, that if Rahul Gandhi is going to make such serious allegations of voter fraud, why not put this in a complaint in an affidavit to the EC and take it to the Supreme Court?
17:48Doot ka doot, paani ka paani, they will say this is a press conference, why can't he give the allegations to the court in a fair point?
17:54No, no, these strange guys in election commission, we have fought so many elections, I have gone and complained, we have given a complaint in writing, we have given it in writing, we have given it online, we gave it in writing for Maharashtra, have they replied?
18:09My question to you is, what is this affidavit nonsense, the CEO of Karnataka is another thick-skinned individual talking like a Gestapo, who gives an effort, and it's not the issue of effort of it, it's a question of insulting the leader of opposition.
18:22When we give a complaint to election commission, it has to be replied, member of parliament gives it, political party gives it, and suddenly starts off, and have you noticed, they have not replied to a single thing.
18:35If you want to tell me, why are you purposely brought a law to delete videos after 45 days, the moment when the high court passed an order, fraud, election commission fraud, why do you give us in papers where we can't put it onto…
18:50So you are claiming you want digital records, you want the CCTV, you are saying don't delete the CCTV, why can't you keep all this data digitally?
19:01That's the one…
19:02And no, and make this, no, and election commission has lost, make DANG, make the Srivastav, make Sakun Rani, their brand ambassador, five voter righties across five states.
19:13Okay, these are…
19:14Take them the brand ambassador, put India, you know, the whole election process under this…
19:18One minute, sir.
19:19One minute, sir.
19:20Let me explain it to our viewers.
19:21These are names which Ajay Kumar has given of people which Rahul Gandhi claims, which he showed in his presentation, have alleged duplicate epic cards or have addresses in more than one state and therefore are voting in different states.
19:35I want you to respond to this Syed Zafar Islam because Rahul Gandhi has said five types of voter chori.
19:41Duplicate voters in this constituency, 11,965.
19:45Fake and invalid addresses, 40,009.
19:48Bulk voters in single address, 10,452.
19:52Hundreds of voters in one address, invalid voters more than 4,000.
19:56Misuse of form 6, under which 18-year-olds are supposed to order, first-time voters are supposed to fill in, 71-year-old voters are filling in, he says more than 30,000.
20:06Total is coming to 1,250,000 and he has provided data this time.
20:12This is not just an allegation, this is data.
20:15Another… Rahul Gandhi has made this kind of claim and it turned out to be best list.
20:25Mr. Rahul Gandhi said that there will be an atom bomb.
20:28But the people of India are smiling and laughing at him because they still feel that he's a child.
20:34He has not grown up.
20:35No, no.
20:36What is the…
20:37You know, it's very easy to use words about Rahul Gandhi, Pappu, child, my limited point.
20:41Are you challenging the numbers?
20:43Give me a straight answer.
20:44Are you challenging Rahul Gandhi's numbers and data this time?
20:48You heard Kiran Rajaj, he said it is a bogus data.
20:55How is…
20:56Let the election commission respond to validity of those data, whatever he's claiming.
21:01I mean, it is not for you or me to respond on the validity of the data.
21:06It is the election commission which is the constitutional body and…
21:10Do you agree the election commission, Mr. Islam has to give a point-by-point rebuttal?
21:15Should the election commission of India be giving a point-by-point rebuttal or not?
21:19The election commission has already issued notice to him.
21:22He must respond.
21:23But all I'm trying to tell you that always…
21:25He has always said something and eventually what he has demonstrated is nothing but…
21:30It's a bogus thing.
21:31Bestness allegation he has made.
21:32Today, people are feeling that he is still a child because he was talking about Adam Bop.
21:37But eventually, it was nothing but a full jadi, a sparkler, nothing beyond that.
21:41Having said that, let me tell you a few things which is very important.
21:44See, this institution is run by the constitution, not by his prestation.
21:49I understand his prestation because he is losing his election after election.
21:53He is losing and he is frustrated.
21:56I understand that because all his life he has stayed with the power.
22:00For last 10 years, he is staying away from the power.
22:02So, his prestation is not in public.
22:05So, this kind of statement he is making, this kind of allegation is making.
22:09But you must remember, these are institutional bodies,
22:13these are the bodies which is run by the constitution and constitutionally run body cannot be…
22:18They are not above the law, sir.
22:19No constitutional body is above the law.
22:23Let me bring in Ropi Rawat.
22:24Sir, one minute.
22:25No, no, one minute, sir.
22:26Just a second, just a second.
22:27Are you saying they cannot be questioned?
22:28Are you saying election commission cannot be questioned in this country?
22:31Sir, Rajdeep, then if that was the case, then he should have,
22:35he should have, instead of making this presentation,
22:37he should have approached the court with all these evidences,
22:40what he is showing as evidence.
22:42Because it is best list, it's purely for allegation.
22:45Okay.
22:46Making allegation, it is bogus data.
22:48Otherwise, we were insisting him, not today.
22:51Since the time he said that we will drop a bottom atom bomb.
22:54Since then, we are saying that please approach the court.
22:56Please approach the court.
22:57Okay.
22:58Okay, you are saying approach the court.
23:01Let me bring in O.P. Rawat, former Chief Election Commissioner,
23:04joins me at this moment.
23:05O.P. Rawat, how are you seeing the charges that Rahul Gandhi has made today?
23:08He has provided data specific names where he is alleging several discrepancies,
23:13manipulation in the electoral rolls in a constituency in Karnataka.
23:16He is saying, do you agree it needs a wider investigation?
23:19Yes or no?
23:20I think Election Commission always takes such allegations seriously.
23:27They see the evidence, they use that evidence to investigate thoroughly
23:33and ensure that a befitting factual reply is given to the complaining stakeholder.
23:41So, I think election continues.
23:43But do you agree this is casting a shadow over the Election Commission?
23:47Its credibility is under question.
23:48Do you agree that when the leader of the opposition alleges voter manipulation,
23:52the Election Commission needs to do more to save itself from a credibility crisis?
23:56Yes or no?
23:57That is why the Election Commission always takes these things very seriously,
24:04investigates and gives a factual reply so that all those issues are settled.
24:12No, but do you believe that the Election Commission is facing a credibility crisis, sir?
24:16They haven't given any factual responses yet point by point.
24:19Prime Fessa, if whatever facts are emerging, the public will believe so.
24:29But I am confident that Election Commission will take it seriously and then the clouds will clear.
24:34Okay, so you know, Dr. Ajay Kumar, the point is, when you go and make these allegations,
24:41and you are also making all kinds of statements about the Election Commission of India,
24:45it is a constitutional body at the end of the day.
24:47I repeat, isn't it better to take all this data that Rahul Gandhi and your party has gathered,
24:53take it to the Supreme Court of India and ask for a full investigation?
24:56So, this is the biggest nonsense I have ever heard in my life.
25:01Why?
25:02Sorry, Rajdeep, no, the nonsense, because a body is lying in a police station,
25:06and the Kaneda will say, no, I will not see, it is not a body, you go and file a case in the court.
25:12Whose job is it to investigate? The Election Commission?
25:15And you are saying, no, Election Commission will not investigate this. Get the court to order you.
25:20That is why this is a fraudulent Election Commission, we are telling you.
25:24The job of the Election Commission was to call Mr. Garth. No, one sec, let me complete, sir.
25:28This whole BJP story, go to court. We were supposed to go in this democracy to the Election Commission
25:36when there is an electoral malpractice. That is the job of the Election Commission, not the Supreme Court.
25:42First, you delayed for three years, four years. That is why they want us to go to court.
25:47They don't want the Election Commission to reply. Second question to you, my friend.
25:51Please, Zafar Islam, I will start telling about Mr. Modi.
25:54Don't dare to speak on Mr. Gandhi again, repeatedly lose comments.
25:57Because I can speak enough on Mr. Modi and Amit Shah.
26:01No, let's keep a certain level. Let's keep a certain level. I am asking you specific questions.
26:07No, my question. No, Rajiv. Tell the BJP guys. You want me to open your mouth on Mr. Modi?
26:12That is enough we can say. So tell them to have decency when they speak on our leader.
26:16And I would expect the same to do and vice versa.
26:18Second issue on Mr. Mohan talking.
26:20Mr. Mohan says, you tell me out of seven constituencies, even politically, six we lead.
26:25One, suddenly one lakh vote. We all have the MLA's from that area.
26:30The question to you is.
26:33Sir, I can give you an example of a constituency in Maharashtra and Dhude.
26:37No, no, one second.
26:38Where the BJP led in four of the constituencies, the Congress won by one lakh in another.
26:42You see, you will have to stick to the data, sir.
26:45Sir, one second, one second. So you are not listening to the data.
26:48The data, what was the data saying?
26:50That the form six, form six for new voters, majority are 80 year old, 90 year old.
26:57Is there some geriatric campaign going on in India?
27:00Form six for new voters has got 70, 80, 90.
27:04One house has got 30 people, 40 people, one room house.
27:08One brewery has got 100 people.
27:10And then you say this fraudulent election commission is still the best election commission.
27:15You tell me, Rajdeep, how can you have one room tenement with 100 people in that house?
27:21How can you have a father's name as XY?
27:25Zafar Islam, answer that.
27:26My father's name in that voter ID is written XYZPX.
27:29Is that a fraud?
27:31It's a fraud, no?
27:33I've heard you.
27:34Zafar Islam, I want a final word.
27:36Because you see, this has now gone beyond just the usual allegations.
27:39This time, to be fair to Rahul Gandhi, he has given a detailed press conference.
27:43And he has given names, areas, buildings where there are alleged manipulation of voters,
27:49extra voters, fake addresses.
27:51Don't you think, as a responsible politician or the government of the day, whether opposition
27:56or government, for democracy's sake, election commission must have a full investigation
28:01and come clean with it, not press statements, but give point by point rebuttal to every charge
28:07made by Rahul Gandhi.
28:08Do you agree with that or not?
28:10Rahul Gandhi, let me respond to that.
28:13As I said earlier, and Mr. Ropi Rawat also, the former election commissioner, has also
28:17said that, that once you approach the election commission, election commission, it is the
28:23responsibility of the election commission to respond.
28:26That's what I said regarding the validity of these data, it is for the election commission
28:33to decide and respond to Mr. Rahul Gandhi.
28:35Having said that, I didn't say anything wrong about Rahul Gandhi.
28:39I said the people of India feel that he's still a child.
28:42He has not grown up because he's always make a claim.
28:45All these sentence of atom bomb and all, who claims this kind of statement?
28:50Sir, whether atom bomb or not, the data he has provided for digitized data by the election commission.
28:57These are hard facts.
28:58The election commission, for the sake of the credibility of itself and the democracy must respond.
29:03Let me respond to that, Radeep.
29:05Let me just complete.
29:06All I'm saying, trying to tell you that he has approached, he has made a presentation.
29:11If he doesn't get a response, he might approach the court.
29:13Having said that, you said that nobody is above the law.
29:17So that's why I suggested my friend from Congress that if you think that election commission is not responding to you,
29:25approach the court with the evidence what you have.
29:27We know that it's a bogus data he has.
29:29Okay.
29:30And he's only trying to mislead the people of India.
29:32And also…
29:33Your data.
29:34No, no.
29:35That's 10 seconds.
29:36Your data.
29:3710 seconds.
29:38Mr.
29:39Okay.
29:40I've run out of time.
29:41I've run out of time.
29:42It'll now get…
29:43Sir, I've hurt both sides.
29:44I think we've hurt both sides.
29:45I think all that we need is a point-by-point rebuttal.
29:48Your data.
29:49No, no.
29:50It is now, sir.
29:51I appreciate my guests joining us.
29:54Let's leave it there.
29:55Let's leave it there.
29:56This is the Election Commission of India.
29:58And we hope that the Election Commission of India does a point-by-point rebuttal.
30:02Else, their silence will be seen by some as complicity.
30:07Let me then turn to the other breaking news we are getting at the moment.
30:10The National Security Advisor Ajit Doval has a short while ago met the Russian President Vladimir Putin.
30:15Mr. Doval meets Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin.
30:18Remember, amidst Trump's tariff war where India has been heaped on with tariffs because the Americans are claiming or Trump's administration is claiming why is India buying cheap oil from Russia.
30:31We are also told that Vladimir Putin will now visit India later this year.
30:36So that big meeting taking place in Moscow between Putin and Ajit Doval.
30:41Now, all of this, of course, is coming back against the backdrop of Donald Trump doubling tariffs on India, threatening India with even more punitive tariffs in the weeks ahead.
30:51Prime Minister Modi today spoke out on it.
30:54He did not refer to Donald Trump but said he is prepared to pay a heavy price to protect the country's farmers, claiming that for him national interest is paramount.
31:04Take a look at this report.
31:06Hours after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order announcing additional 25% tariff on Indian goods, taking total tariffs to 50%.
31:34Prime Minister Narendra Modi has finally broken his silence, vowing no compromise on farmers' interests amid Trump's tariff salvo.
31:43Prime Minister Lokからの政府, ülをお見たくさんの要求している戦いは、プレースの干渉、戴から赤、栄申となったアップに合わないようなものを決めた況に安定しています。
31:56Prime Minister Modi will not make a clear position.
32:01I know that the value of the country will be made by Vyakti Ghadrupには高いだけの對比例貸拡がある状況を決定します。
32:06But I am ready to go for level.
32:10Trump's tariff blitz has sparked opposition's fury. Rahul Gandhi accused the Prime Minister
32:15of being silent for too long while Indian exporters suffered.
32:19The government must take parliament into confidence. If they are not in a position to take parliament
32:22into confidence, they must call for an all party meeting where they brief the leadership
32:26of all political parties, what they propose to do, how they see these things are panning
32:29out. Obviously the relationship they claim to have with President Trump doesn't exist.
32:33They don't seem to have a special relationship with President Trump and also the back channels
32:36are obviously not working because if the back channels are working, 25 would not have become
32:4050, 25 would have been reduced.
32:42Congress MP Shashi Tharoor called for counter tariffs to be imposed on the US.
32:47In the next three weeks, our negotiators should make it very clear how unfair this is and this
32:52is not acceptable. We are not a nation that goes around issuing threats. But in my view,
32:57apart from diversifying to various other markets, which is very important for us to do, we should
33:02also make it very clear to our American friends that if they are going to apply 50 percent to
33:08us, the day they do that, our current tariffs on America, which is only an average of 17 percent,
33:13will also go up to 50.
33:15Trump's former trade advisor Peter Navarro defended the move.
33:19The fact that India is the maharaja of tariffs, it's the highest tariffs in the world charging
33:25on American products and it's got high non-tariff barriers, so we can't get our products in.
33:31American dollars buy Indian products and that sets in motion where those dollars finance a war,
33:39which then requires American taxpayers to pay for defending against the Russian armaments.
33:48So that kind of trade doesn't work. The President understands the connection between economic security
33:56and national security, so that was the bottom line there.
33:59India currently trades over $120 billion annually with the US, but with tariffs now doubling,
34:06the road ahead may be rocky for both the sides. Bureau Report, India Today.
34:11And joining me now is a very special guest. Ravi Agarwal is editor-in-chief of Foreign Policy,
34:19one of the world's leading global affairs magazines. He joins me from New York. Ravi,
34:22I appreciate your joining us. What is your sense of what the US President Donald Trump has done
34:27with India over the last 48 hours in particular, hiking tariffs to 50 percent, linking it to India,
34:33buying Russian oil? What is Donald Trump really up to here?
34:37Rajdeep, I'll be honest, it makes no strategic sense to me. For the last 25 years, as is well known to
34:45you and your viewers, the US-India relationship has become stronger and stronger. And this bipartisan
34:52agreement, whether it's the BJP in Congress, whether it's Democrats and Republicans, that this is a
34:58relationship that just made sense for both sides to improve and to make stronger over time. What Trump has
35:06done on many levels, whether it is cozying up to Pakistan, whether it is rupturing the India-US trade
35:15relationship, and now the secondary sanctions on India because of its purchases of Russian oil, it makes no
35:23sense to me for several reasons. But just on the oil question, most of all, Rajdeep, what India has been saying,
35:30which is that why are you targeting us specifically, given that China buys more crude than India does
35:36from Russia? Number one, and so does Turkey, so does Japan also buy crude from Russia. But number two,
35:43if India didn't buy Russian crude, it would need to buy it from elsewhere, which would lead to a rise in
35:49global crude prices, which would then hurt Donald Trump at home more than anyone else, because he cares
35:56so much about cheap petrol for people to drive in the summer. So, Rajdeep, it genuinely doesn't add up.
36:04I would imagine that this is a negotiating tactic. But even that doesn't make sense, because in taking
36:10this hard line, he is worsening Indian public opinion against America and constraining the Prime Minister's
36:18options to even strike any sort of deal at this point.
36:21You know, let me ask you this, Ravi. Is this some kind of a personality disorder that we are
36:26dealing with here? Because Donald Trump could have done this out of a fit of pique, some believe,
36:31out of frustration with India. Has something suddenly changed for Donald Trump, who seemed,
36:36or so we thought, to have a good personal equation with Prime Minister Modi, for him to turn on India to
36:42the point where he calls India a dead economy?
36:44So, these are great questions to ask. I would be lying if I said I had clear answers. One can only
36:53guess. I will say this, Rajdeep, there's a big difference between Trump one and Trump two. Trump
36:59two is less likely to have people around him who understand the intricacies of foreign relations,
37:09of geopolitics, the niceties of diplomacy. So that's one thing. There are few people restraining Trump
37:16from his worst instincts. Two, Trump is not ideological about many things. And we've seen
37:24this in the way that he's flip-flopped on Russia in recent weeks, for example. But Trump is, I think,
37:31ideological on the issue of tariffs. There is now so much evidence, going back to the 1980s,
37:39that Trump genuinely believes that free trade is bad, that America was being ripped off by the rest
37:45of the world, and that Trump wanted to impose tariffs because he thinks this will rebalance
37:51the American economy. He believes this, despite the disagreement of most mainstream economists
38:00in the United States and around the world, which is why I say this is ideological. It's not rational,
38:06it's ideological.
38:08You know, how then do you think should India respond to someone like this, someone who you suggest is
38:12waging now an ideological crusade on tariffs? How does India secure its national interests?
38:20Very difficult question. I don't think India has done much wrong so far. Look, and India has also been
38:27very open over the last three years about why it is purchasing Russian crude. It's been open to its
38:34own people about needing to purchase the cheapest crude out there. It's been open to the Americans
38:39as well. The Biden administration knew that this was happening and they were okay with it because they
38:46too needed to control the global price of oil. So none of this should be a surprise. And this is why
38:51New Delhi is as confused as it is. In terms of what India should do, look, if India continues to buy
38:57Russian crude, the hit to the Indian economy is not as severe as some analysts have been suggesting.
39:06I think the difference between what India is paying for Russian crude and what it would pay for,
39:10say, Saudi crude is, you know, a 10 to 15 percent difference. Yes, that will hurt. Yes,
39:18it will cause pressure at the pump. But I think the Indian people would be likely to be willing to
39:23sustain that longer term. But India could also switch and it could buy oil from other sources
39:32over time, signal that it wants to do that to Trump and watch what happens in the markets. That will lead
39:39to a massive surge in the price of crude, which could then lead Trump to pivot. And that brings me to my
39:46last point. Sometimes, Rajdeep, waiting and just doing nothing might be the smartest ploy because
39:52we know that Trump often pivots on issue after issue. So maybe just keeping a cool head, not saying
40:01anything rash, knowing that this could revert to normal, and waiting and watching. You know,
40:07you said Trump can pivot at any time. I want to know what do you think made him pivot on Russia,
40:11for example. Till a few months ago, there was a sense that Trump and Putin were going to try,
40:16trying to strike a deal. The war in Ukraine would get over. Now you've got Trump railing against
40:21Russia and Putin setting deadlines. What went wrong? Because that seems to be one reason why
40:26India is facing the backlash.
40:31So this one is a bit easier to explain than your other questions. I think Trump set himself
40:38expectations that were unrealistic. So on the campaign trail, he said, I can solve this
40:43war in one day. I can forge a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia. I know the Russians
40:51very well. I know Putin very well. So he set up all these expectations. It has been seven months.
40:56He invested a lot of personal diplomacy, the diplomacy of his private envoy, Stephen Witkoff,
41:02who's met with the Russians several times. Trump also dressed down Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
41:11in the Oval Office. So Trump used up a lot of diplomatic capital and energy to make this happen,
41:18to make a peace deal happen. And nothing happened. And over time, over the last two months, we've seen
41:23him lament in public and private that Putin is dragging me along. Putin is making me look bad. And we know that
41:31there are few things Trump hates more than being made to look bad. So I think the switch that we're
41:37seeing on Russia is Trump recognizing that everything that's happened so far, trying to give Russia the
41:45benefit of the doubt, trying to give them the deal they want, it ain't going to work. It's going to make
41:50him look bad. And therefore, the alternative is what he needs to pivot towards. But here too, Rajdeep,
41:56we should be careful. Trump is being tough on Russia. Sure. Rhetorically, we haven't seen any real actual
42:04measures. And we're kind of back to where we were roughly a year ago under Biden. And that too is a
42:12difficult path. So let's say you are going to be tough on Russia. Well, then you also need to arm the Ukrainians.
42:18And that's going to cost money. And that's going to cost diplomatic capital in Trump's own base,
42:23which doesn't want to arm the Ukrainians. So it could be that Trump may pivot again. We just don't know.
42:30What we also don't know, Ravi, is why is Donald Trump, and I want to realize, why has he 29 or 30
42:36times insisted that he is the one who got a ceasefire between India and Pakistan? For some reason,
42:41there is a belief in India that he wants New Delhi to desperately acknowledge his role in somehow
42:46ending Operation Sindhu. Do you think that that's a factor here? Pakistan has already said Trump
42:53should get the Nobel Peace Prize. Should India also be playing to his ego in some way and trying
42:58to give him credit for the ceasefire after Operation Sindhu? I think he wants that. Yes,
43:04Trump likes flattery. He loves to be known as a peacemaker, as a dealmaker. He's written a book
43:10called The Art of the Deal. This is something that is, you know, fundamentally something he cares about.
43:17I think the Pakistanis, like many others, the Ukrainians have done this too, were very clever,
43:21I think, to say, Mr. President, you should win the Nobel Peace Prize. That form of flattery is
43:27something a lot of leaders, a lot of CEOs have started doing. It's completely not genuine. It's
43:34duplicitous, almost. But it seems to work with Trump. So that's why we are where we are. It is petty,
43:43as well. Look, India, as you know better than anyone, Rajdeep, has invested so much diplomacy
43:48over the last 20, 25 years, telling successive American administrations, don't interfere in our
43:55internal affairs. We won't interfere in yours. Don't talk about Kashmir. Don't hyphenate India with
44:00Pakistan. This is so well known among, you know, Democrats and Republicans on the Hill. It is so
44:08well known among any staffers who deal with South Asian issues in the White House at the State
44:14Department. The problem is, Rajdeep, Trump isn't listening to them. So this, what we're seeing
44:19is Trump on his own. I'm absolutely certain that there are people in the State Department who've
44:24sent him memos saying, don't do this. He's not following their advice, which is why this is so
44:30complicated for Indian diplomats and for anyone who believes in the diplomatic architecture anywhere
44:38in the world.
44:40Trump's equation with China, Ravi, and his mysterious relationship with Pakistan.
44:45Should India be worried about what Trump seems to be doing at the moment,
44:49with China carrying on negotiations with them, hosting Asim Munir in Pakistan? Is all of this
44:55somewhere affecting India's interests in your view?
45:00Look, Pakistan is a strange one. US-Pakistan ties are not in America's strategic interests. So I'm
45:08befuddled that he met with Munir, General Munir. I'm befuddled that this has come up as much as it has.
45:19I've heard all the rumors about, you know, why these meetings are taking place. I have no evidence or
45:25proof to suggest that there's anything wrong afoot here. I'll just say we have to wait and watch this
45:31space. I believe in strategy. Strategically, America should favor relations with India, not Pakistan. Pakistan
45:38is a tiny economy in terms of counterterrorism, in terms of strategic interests in the region. There's not
45:46much there. Maybe Iran is the one thing Pakistan could help America with, but there's not enough there.
45:51China is a different case. I think there are growing signs that Trump may want to travel to Beijing to
46:00meet Xi Jinping for a big military parade there. I believe that that could be setting the groundwork for
46:07a broader normalization of ties between the two sides. That's entirely possible. And I don't necessarily
46:14think that's bad for the world. I don't necessarily think that's bad for India. A lot of good things can
46:20come out of it because remember, US-China tensions, were they to get really bad, that is not good for
46:26any country on earth. Most countries in the world count India, count the United States and China as
46:32among its top two trading partners. We all need them to get along. So personally, if Trump is opening some
46:40avenues to talk to the avenues to talk to the Chinese, let's encourage that and see where they land.
46:47You know, in conclusion, did India then misread Donald Trump? Or has the world actually misread Donald
46:53Trump 2.0?
46:54I don't think India has misread Trump fundamentally. I think India may have had a very good equation
47:04with Trump 1.0. And maybe India is now coming to terms, as the rest of the world is, with the fact
47:12that Trump 2.0 is a very different challenge. Trump 2.0 isn't listening to his advisors. Trump 2.0 has fewer
47:20advisors to begin with. Trump 2.0 is looking at a legacy now. Trump 2.0 is just more autonomous.
47:27He's gotten rid of many of the checks and balances that existed before. Trump 2.0 is also much more
47:32prepared than Trump 1. He knows what didn't work the first time around for him and has come in with
47:37a plan. He's come in with all the things he's wanted to do for the last four years. So am I going to
47:43say that India and other countries have underestimated or wrongly assessed Trump 2? I think that's harsh
47:50to say that, Rajli, because none of us expected this to turn out the way it did. But it is now,
47:57and we have to recalibrate.
47:59Final question. What do you then expect in the near term? There was much talk about trade
48:04negotiations now taking place later this month, a 21-day window that Trump has given before
48:09possibly additional tariffs could set in. Do you believe an Indo-US trade deal is still possible by
48:15October end? I do. A mini deal of some sort is always possible. I will always favor calmer heads,
48:27negotiation, appealing to Trump's interests, appealing to mutual strategic interests. And we
48:34shouldn't forget in all of this, and I say this to you, but I say this to everyone watching, we
48:39shouldn't forget these are the two biggest democracies in the world. There are immense
48:44people-to-people ties. There are more than 3 million Indian Americans in the United States.
48:49These are two countries with growing defense ties, trade ties, technology ties. This is not the moment to
48:55throw that out of the window. This is the moment for both sides to appeal to the mutual interest
49:01they have, and to the shared future they could have, and for the partnerships they could forge
49:06in the Indo-Pacific and more globally. Calmer heads need to prevail, and I think Trump will eventually
49:12come round. He is ultimately not completely irrational. Okay. Ultimately not completely irrational.
49:19Famous last word. Ravi Agarwal, always a pleasure talking to you for giving us that very fine
49:24world view. Thank you so much for joining me from New York. To an India Today impact, a rare admission.
49:31Goa's Chief Minister Pramodh Savant has acknowledged as India Today or News Today reported a couple of
49:37weeks ago that the state has been operating without a Lok Ayuk or an anti-corruption ombudsman now for over
49:44eight months, leaving 16 corruption cases in Goa in limbo. Today speaking on the assembly floor in response to a
49:51question from the Congress legislator Carlos Alvarez Ferreira, Savant admitted that no successor had
49:57been appointed since Justice BK Dev Barman stepped down in December 24. Despite claiming that the
50:03government is trying its level best, Savant has still not provided any timeline for filling this
50:08critical anti-corruption post. This means that several investigations of misconduct by public officials at a
50:14time when several questions are being raised in the coastal state have not been addressed. The
50:18opposition continues to argue there that the absence of a Lok Ayuk has undermined the very
50:24independent, the very system that was designed to provide an independent oversight. Is the opposition
50:30claiming that this vacancy is intentional? This was an issue we had raised on news today. The Chief
50:36Minister has now admitted to what we said was an institutional lapse.
50:41Now let's turn to our Get Real India story. There is a malnutrition challenge building up in the
50:47tribal districts of Madhya Pradesh. A recent reply in the assembly revealed that there are over 1.3
50:53lakh malnourished children in the state. As the government is defending its fund allocation for
50:58malnutrition, the opposition is questioning priorities. Take a look at tonight's Get Real India story.
51:11One year old Karthik was brought to a nutrition center in Shiopur district of Madhya Pradesh by his
51:23grandmother. At the same center, six-month-old twins Gaurav and Saurav are also admitted in a severely
51:32malnourished state. In the tribal-dominated districts of the state, malnutrition is a serious challenge.
51:41According to government data, 1.36 lakh children across the state are currently
51:46malnourished. Of them, 29,830 children are severely malnourished. The state malnutrition rate stands at
51:557.79%, significantly above the national average of 5.40%. In a reply to a question in the assembly,
52:05the government revealed it spends 8 rupees per day on a malnourished child and 12 rupees per day on kids
52:13who are severely malnourished. Now the opposition is raising questions over the Mohan Yadav government's
52:19commitment to fight malnutrition.
52:29The national average of 8 rupees is raised against the country. And as the national average of
52:3218 rupees they have spend 10 to 10,000 more 영상, the national average of 9 rupees per day and
52:4022 rupees. In this country, the national average of 1000 rupees has increased $1,000 per day.
52:42These are only 10 rupees per day after the country's income. The state is also $1,000.
52:47वी अधर यह प्रचेषट करें वे पूरह रिकाड रखे कर इसको किस तरह से हम कर सकें।
53:14critics point out that the government has allocated 40 rupees per day for feeding cows
53:21in gaushalas while the state says it has requested additional funds from the center
53:27can fight against malnutrition be delayed for want of money with ravish kumar bureau report
53:33india today our get real india stories are designed to wake up administrations across
53:42this country let's though end tonight with a good news story in an era where nuclear families are
53:47seen to be the norm where children often choose voluntarily to live away from their parents
53:52two friends in gujarat have set a remarkable example for the past 80 years four generations
53:58of their families have lived together under one roof bound not by blood by an enduring friendship
54:05that continues through their grandchildren today we leave you with a classic indian story good news
54:11today good night shubratri jay hind namaskar
54:15theirs is a dosti that will make jay and veru jealous
54:27parimal gunwant desai and gautam vipin desai have been friends from childhood
54:32a bond of friendship inherited from their fathers
54:36the house in surat is aptly named metri which has been their home for decades now
54:41kudakets now
54:45my brother has no export a
54:47hatha kun ka humara kun dh utak drum Contmier
54:48komori kamari yakveau
54:49Kenja
54:49winpow
54:50Kutwaj
54:51why have we got a a bit in what I've happened there's also what that was a dad
54:55that I'm was kind a bit if then we tell him once it will have an example of that
54:58he's gone
54:59that he and the bad
55:00that's the посмотр your story
55:03national that's the game
55:06in that
55:08After studies, their parents started farming. Parimal and Gautam, however, chose different careers.
55:38Parimal claims the friendship that began with their parents is now into the
56:08fourth generation, with their sons, daughters and grandchildren living under one roof.
56:15For the Desaes, Meitri or friendship is a family legacy.
56:22For the Desaes, Meitri or friendship is a family legacy.
56:34With Sanjay Singh Rathol, Bureau Report, India Today.
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