- 7 weeks ago
The month-long Monsoon session of Parliament ended on Thursday after it witnessed almost daily disruptions and noisy protests by the Opposition in both Houses over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.
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00:00Good evening viewers, you're watching News Today at 9pm. I'm Preeti Chaudhary.
00:03Our top talking points this evening, the monsoon session, good, bad and all the ugly.
00:09And there was a fair bit of that.
00:10Who won the battle of narratives where the monsoon session was concerned?
00:14Also, will Vijay be a superstar in politics as well?
00:18What explains violence among school children?
00:21All of that coming up over the course of the next 45 minutes.
00:25But before that, allow me to take you through the headlines.
00:30Putin is the national affairs minister on situation in Ukraine.
00:37Both sides reaffirm bilateral ties.
00:39Meanwhile, Beijing backs India against Trump's tariffs.
00:43Says India, China are Asia's double engines.
00:51Mission VP picks Sudarshan Reddy, files nomination.
00:55Big India blog show of strength.
00:56Sonia Khadge Rahul with DMK, TMC and Sena UBT accompany Sudarshan Reddy.
01:07Delhi's top court shunted out day after attack on Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.
01:121992 batch IPS officer Satish Golcha appointed new police commissioner.
01:17Vijay's mega rally in Madurai TVK boss rules out alliance with DMK and BJP says won't enter a slave alliance.
01:35Karnataka government grants rupees 10 crore to Wayanard landslide affected families in Kerala.
01:41But BJP alleges funds diverted due to Wayanard being Priyanka Gandhi's constituency.
01:49Big impact.
01:51Rahul Gandhi, Rahul Mamku Tathil steps down as Kerala Youth Congress Chief amid sexual misconduct.
01:59Allegations by a film writer and Malayalam actor.
02:03Assam to stop issuing new Aadhaar cards to adults except SCST communities.
02:13Chief Minister Himanta calls it efforts to check illegal infiltration.
02:17GST panel agrees on scrapping of 12% and 28% GST slabs, 90% goods may get cheaper.
02:29Big move towards simplified two rate structures of 5% and 18%.
02:35And government unveils new sports policy rules out bilateral matches with Pakistan but permits participation in global tournaments.
02:47Our last headline is the news that we lead with latest viewers.
03:02There's been a press release that's come in from the sports ministry.
03:05Practically, the government of India has cleared the suspense over the India versus Pakistan match scheduled for the 14th of this month.
03:13India versus Pakistan Asia Cup on the 14th of September will go ahead.
03:20Governments greenlit it for international levels ban only on Pakistan bilateral events.
03:28The government in a press release has stated that it hopes to also host the Olympics.
03:34And where multilateral events are concerned, India will continue to play Pakistan.
03:39Bilaterally, there is a ban.
03:42There was a lot of speculation on why after Operation Sindhoor, after the Pehalgaam terror attack,
03:48has India decided to play Pakistan in the upcoming Asia Cup.
03:53The date of the match also been finalized, which is the 14th of September.
03:58Many Indians did not want that.
04:00But lots of speculation on it and now you have a note from the Ministry of Sports, the government stating exactly why this particular match has been given the green light.
04:14I want to cut across right now to our editor, Sports Nikhil Nars, who is joining me from the newsroom.
04:21Nikhil, what does the government say?
04:22Why? Because, you know, one would think there is a new normal that has been defined.
04:28The contours of this new normal should not fall back, what has been the old policy of India.
04:33But, on the contrary, we have decided to play Pakistan come the 14th of September at the Asia Cup.
04:42Well, Priti, just to break it down into the top salient points of what, firstly, the government has said.
04:50Firstly, they have said that no bilateral ties between India and Pakistan, but then that's the status quo.
04:55That's been there for more than a decade.
04:57People are going to ask, what has really changed then after Pehalgaam happened and after Operation Sindhoor happened?
05:03Because bilateral ties were not there for more than a decade, as I mentioned.
05:09The other thing the government says, that they will allow Pakistani teams to come to India and participate in multilateral as well as international tournaments.
05:17That, again, remains India's stance even before Operation Sindhoor.
05:22So, that's the second bit that the government has come out and said.
05:24And the third bit, the government says, that they will also engage with Pakistan on a sporting level when it comes to multilateral as well as international tournaments, even away from India.
05:36So, that's the other thing that the government has mentioned.
05:39And that is new, even in the light of, as I mentioned, Pehalgaam as well as Operation Sindhoor.
05:44Now, the government has kind of given a clarification as to why they've gone ahead with this decision.
05:49Because, as of now, you remember, there's no social engagement with Pakistan.
05:53The water has been stopped there.
05:55There is, of course, no business sort of dealing that is happening.
05:58It's been reduced to almost 90% between India and Pakistan.
06:01They go and say that they want India to be looked at as a viable international sporting destination.
06:08They've not mentioned the word Olympics, but we all know that India is bidding for the 2036 Olympics.
06:13And said, because of that, they will have to continue playing with Pakistan.
06:16But there are a lot of contradictions there, Preeti.
06:19Because even if you put this particular reason forward, as I mentioned, because of the situation that you are in,
06:25and because of some past precedents as well, there is a lot of contradiction.
06:29And this does seem very unusual for the government to be saying at the moment.
06:32You know, what's not unusual, Nikhil, in all of this is because this was what India's old policy was.
06:38But we live in a new normal which has been clearly defined by our government post-Operation Sindhoor.
06:43Many today would question, is continuing with sporting ties over and above the valor of our armed forces?
06:51Is continuing with sporting ties with Pakistan over and above the innocent lives that we lost in Pehelgham?
06:57You know, there has been past precedents where countries have boycotted Olympics.
07:01It happened in the 80s with the United States of America.
07:04It's not new if we really want to take a hard stand.
07:08The other, you know, opinion, Nikhil, and correct me if I'm wrong, is that there is way too much money involved as well.
07:16Absolutely right, Preeti, the questions that you raise.
07:19In fact, you know, I'll add a couple more questions to that.
07:22Firstly, you talk about the money.
07:23But then let me just break down the money chain.
07:26Who is to benefit when you look at the money?
07:28It's only the pieces here.
07:29The government does not benefit with a game that is happening between India and Pakistan.
07:34So, the question there is, then what is the compulsion of allowing that particular game to happen?
07:39And if money is the consideration, I was just looking at, you know, India's export to Pakistan.
07:44They were at somewhere around 55 million until about a year ago.
07:48And now they've been cut down to 5 million.
07:50So, there's a 90% reduction in exports.
07:53So, there are a lot of business houses that are going to lose out.
07:55A lot of jobs will be lost out because you've cut down exports to Pakistan.
07:59And for valid reasons like that, where does the money chain then go there?
08:02So, if you're ready to do that for national interest, why must cricket then continue?
08:07The other question that comes to your mind, fine.
08:09You are talking about being a viable host internationally.
08:12And if this was an ICC tournament, you could still say that, that India would risk isolation.
08:17India could risk sanction if they pull out of an ICC tournament.
08:19This, remember, is an Asia Cup.
08:21Asia Cup, even in the past, has been postponed multiple times.
08:24India has pulled out of an Asia Cup because of security concern with Sri Lanka in 86.
08:29Pakistan pulled out of an Asia Cup.
08:31That was happening in India because of security concern.
08:33Reasons may be different.
08:35But pulling out of an Asia Cup, especially in the current circumstances as we're talking, is also not unusual.
08:41And finally, and I think that's the most valid question.
08:43Even if you're portraying yourself to be a country that needs to host the Olympic Games,
08:48most people will ask that, is hosting the Olympic Games more important than the lives that were lost?
08:53Whether they were lost in the four-day war-like situation that happened between India and Pakistan,
08:58or whether they were lost in that terrorist attack that happened in Pelgam,
09:01I think that's the most important question.
09:03And which is why I say it is quite unusual for the government,
09:07after the kind of steps that they had taken in the last few months,
09:10to allow an India and Pakistan match to go ahead at the Asia Cup.
09:13But Nikhil, so what could really be the reason behind it?
09:17Because, you know, there's a lot of feedback that's coming on it.
09:20Most viewers, you know, are actually flummoxed on why the government would make a decision such as this.
09:26Because, like I said, you know, you've reverted back to what is an old policy,
09:30but these are not old ties.
09:32We have clearly defined a new normal.
09:33Well, that's right.
09:36I mean, it's really tough to put a finger on why they would be going ahead.
09:39I think, as I said, the only plausible reason at the moment seems to be that India wants to portray,
09:45and let me give you a bit of a background.
09:47India wants to be portrayed as a viable sporting destination.
09:51And a few months ago, the genesis of it is from a few months ago,
09:54there was an Indian delegation that travelled to the IRC headquarters in Europe
09:58and wanted to know what is it that they need to do to be hosting the Olympic Games.
10:02Remember, India is also keen on hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2013.
10:06And at that moment, they were told that, listen, firstly, you have to get your house in order
10:11as far as your sports policies are concerned,
10:13which has now led to that sports bill that has been passed in the parliament.
10:16And, of course, they were also told you can't have a situation
10:20where you're actually boycotting a country and not engaging with a country
10:23when it comes to, you know, sporting relations.
10:25So you need to be seen as a country that welcomes everyone
10:29because that is the Olympic spirit.
10:31That is what the Olympic Charter stands for.
10:33So I'm guessing this seems to be the only thing based on which a few decisions have been taken.
10:38But then I take you back to that same question.
10:40Is it necessary to be hosting the Olympic Games?
10:43It's not that India is an Olympic powerhouse.
10:45You're not even, you finished 71st in the medals table last time around.
10:49It's not that Olympic Games are a financially viable enterprise.
10:54Most Olympics that have happened in the past have all been a loss-making exercises.
10:59So what is the urgency and the need, even if this is indeed the reason,
11:02for India to be playing Pakistan after what has just transpired in the last few months
11:07just for the sake of hosting an Olympic Games?
11:11You know, Nikhil, I appreciate you joining me.
11:13You know, we're going to continue to track the story.
11:15It's coming at the back because there was a fair amount of confusion
11:17on why India has decided to play Pakistan in the Asia Cup come the 14th of September.
11:23The Ministry of Sports, which is the government,
11:25has given out a detailed statement on why India has chosen to do so.
11:29Many, many questions remain unanswered.
11:32And ultimately, viewers, if you're going to take an ideological stand,
11:36then it needs to be here.
11:38You've drawn that hard line in the sand, then stick by it.
11:43We're not playing cricket with India's concern.
11:46If water and terror don't flow together, then can cricket and Pakistan go hand in hand?
11:54We're going to come back and revisit the story later.
11:56I'm going to take a cut across to our big debate this evening,
12:00and that comes in from the monsoon session concluding.
12:03It all started on day one with a very unexpected resignation
12:07of a sitting vice president midterm.
12:10It ended today with the nomination of two candidates,
12:15one of the NDA and the other of the opposition alliance.
12:20More or less, the monsoon session of the parliament this time
12:23had been a stormy one, from a fiery debate on India's Operation Sindhu
12:26to the vote-chori raga.
12:29From surprise, VP Dhankar's resignation, as I pointed out,
12:33to the war over criminal Nita's bill.
12:35The nation witnessed it all.
12:49Parliament convened for the monsoon session at a critical time,
12:53a month after India launched Operation Sindhu,
12:56hitting terror headquarters deep inside Pakistan,
12:59avenging the Pailgaam terror attack,
13:00leading to a fierce four-day conflict with its neighbor.
13:04The debate on Operation Sindhu was the high point of the session
13:07that lasted a month.
13:08Donald Trump has said 29 times,
13:1529 times he said,
13:1829 times he said,
13:19I have seized fire.
13:24If he has the courage of a Indra Gandhi,
13:34let him say here,
13:36let him say here,
13:39that Donald Trump, you're a liar.
13:41Trump, you are a liar.
13:42He said,
13:50the and the guy,
13:52he said,
13:53if he never told the rains,
13:55it's such a hard time in the window,
14:04no without you,
14:07sorry,
14:09I am
14:16you
14:18I am
14:21I
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14:38I
14:39I
14:40So
14:41he
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14:53The Opposition also sought a discussion on the special intensive revision of the voter list
14:57By the election commission in Bihar but this was rejected by the government
15:01Amidst this standoff leader of opposition Raul Gandhi alleged that a theft of more than a
15:07lack votes in an assembly segment of Bengaluru Central Constituency in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
15:15The fight between the Election Commission and the opposition cast a heavy shadow on
15:19parliamentary proceedings with the India block hitting the streets trying vote-choring.
15:25The Narendra Modi government on the penultimate day introduced Constitution Amendment bills
15:30that would automatically remove any minister at the center or state level
15:34if jailed for 30 straight days for any alleged offence with a punishment of five or more years in jail.
15:40The opposition tore the bill as Home Minister Amin Shah introduced it in the Lok Sabha.
15:46During the session there was a rare moment when the government and the opposition came together in
15:51the Lok Sabha to move an impeachment motion against Allahabad High Court Judge Justice Yashwant Verma
15:57at whose official residence bundles of burnt cash had been found.
16:01This too was overshadowed by the sudden resignation of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar
16:06who had accepted a similar motion from the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, embarrassing the government.
16:12For the record the Lok Sabha passed 12 bills in the Rajya Sabha 15, most of them without any debate.
16:20High on sound and fury, low on substance, the monsoon session was a direct face-off between the
16:25government and the opposition both trying to upstage the other to win the battle of narratives.
16:30So the big questions that we asked this evening before we cut across to our face-off
16:42parliament session, high on noise, low on discourse, the Modi government under siege by the opposition.
16:48Who won the battle of narratives where the monsoon session was concerned viewers?
16:53And while we debate all of this, just for a moment to reflect on the sheer fact that every minute,
16:59yes, every minute that is wasted in parliament due to adjournments, due to ruckus, chaos,
17:07whatever you might want to call it, two and a half lakh rupees of the taxpayers' money is wasted
17:13for every minute. One can well imagine the minutes that have gone down in the making of the monsoon session
17:20that were washed away, literally. All right, let's cut across right now to our panelists,
17:24Shama Mohammed, national spokesperson, joins us from the Congress, Sanju Verma, national spokesperson,
17:29joins us from the BJP once again. Ladies, I would hope we'd have a civil debate where there are no personal
17:35attacks on each other and we allow the space for each other to speak and we accord the same courtesy
17:43we expect. I would like to begin right now with Shama Mohammed. Dr. Shama Mohammed, it's interesting,
17:49day one had begun on the note of the vice president quitting unceremoniously and it's ended on a day
17:56where it's come full circle, where your party along with opposition leaders went in to submit your
18:03nomination for the vice presidential candidate.
18:05Ma'am, you're on mute. Unmute yourself.
18:12Before I start, I just want to correct your sports correspondent. He said that because we would be
18:16isolated, we are getting Pakistan in. Let me tell you, in 2024, Russia was banned from the Paris Olympics.
18:22So that's a rubbish news.
18:24Ma'am, I don't think you... No, no, no. One second. Dr. Shama Mohammed, please go back, reflect on exactly what
18:29the sports editor said. He was just giving various examples and he actually gave four examples.
18:34Dr. Shama Mohammed, please. So don't rubbish our report, ma'am. Here the full...
18:37Dr. Shama Mohammed, that's a wrong answer because last year Russia was banned. So that's a wrong one.
18:42That's all I told you. Okay, now let me get into this. This monsoon session was a complete failure
18:49for the government. Let's start from the beginning of course. Jaideep Dankar resigned all of a sudden.
18:55Then we had Operation Sindhu discussed in parliament. Did we get the answers of Operation Sindhu? No. Who is
19:02accountable for the intelligence failure at Pahalgam, where 26 people died? Nobody is accountable.
19:08The Home Minister has not resigned. The NSA has not resigned. Nobody has resigned. We don't know why.
19:13It happened. We did not get answers. Air Chief Marshall around a week back says,
19:18we downed five jets of Pakistan. Great news. Why didn't the defence minister speak of it? Why didn't the
19:25Prime Minister speak of it? Why didn't Amit Shah speak of that? That is what we want to ask.
19:32Then why did the ceasefire happen when we are ahead? We should have gone ahead and finished off what we
19:38started with Pakistan, got in according to Amit Shah, got POK, which he keeps saying every other day.
19:45Trump has said he is the one who's asked for the ceasefire more than 29 times. The Prime Minister of
19:50India has not answered why. Our foreign policy is a complete failure. We have been re-hyphenated with
19:57Pakistan. Pakistan was isolated before. China gives arms to Pakistan. Russia invests in Pakistan,
20:04steel plant. They have invested in a steel plant in Pakistan. IMF gives a loan to Pakistan. World Bank
20:10gives a loan to Pakistan. ADB gives a loan to Pakistan. No country has condemned Pakistan for this
20:17terror attack. They just said cross-border terrorism. That is what is there in all the
20:22documents. Tariffs, we did not get an answer. Why 50% tariff on us? What is the reason? So, you know,
20:29the foreign policy failure, then SIR, a very, very important thing which has happened right now. No
20:36discussion on SIR. We've been asking, one last point. The reason SIR was started, what was the reason
20:43the election commission of India said? Because we have to get rid of the Rohingyas and the Bangladeshis.
20:49Nothing about it. And now she will say, we are not the election commission of India. You are,
20:55because you've been defending the election commission of India. In your debates, Preeti,
21:00every time it has been Sanju Varma or some other BJP spokesperson. All right. Okay, ma'am, allow me to
21:05bring in the BJP spokesperson. I think where the washout is concerned, I would reckon both
21:09the Treasury benches and the opposition needs to take equal responsibility. You cannot shirk it.
21:15I want to now cut across to Sanju Varma. Sanju Varma, 12 bills were passed in Lok Sabha,
21:2015 in the Rajya Sabha. You might say that was a productive session, but is this the ethos
21:26of a parliamentary democracy?
21:30You know, Preeti, let me make a few points for the benefit of your audience.
21:33You know, the monsoon session of the parliament has been historic in more ways than one. Prime
21:39Minister Modi on the floor of the parliament and the Union Home Minister Amit Shah have categorically
21:44said Operation Sindur created a new normal. The new normal is terror and talks will not happen
21:51together. The new normal is blood and water will not flow together. And the new normal is that an act
21:57of terror will be deemed as an act of war, which never happened in post-independent India. It needed the
22:03courage of conviction of a Narendra Modi to ensure that a new normal was established finally.
22:08Point number two, I will now tell you why the opposition has been completely vanquished in one
22:14Lok Sabha election after another, and the BJP has been winning the narrative war.
22:20The government is also ours. The ecosystem is ours. And this is a very important cause.
22:27The operation Sindur discussion, Rahul Gandhi MIA. SIR discussion in parliament, Rahul Gandhi MIA.
22:35Discussion in parliament to honour Subhamsu Shukla's achievements, Rahul Gandhi MIA.
22:40The 130th Constitutional Amendment Bill, Rahul Gandhi MIA.
22:44The JNK Reorganisation Amendment Bill, Rahul Gandhi MIA.
22:48The Income Tax Amendment Bill, Rahul Gandhi MIA.
22:52The Union Territories Amendment Bill, Rahul Gandhi MIA.
22:54The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code Amendment Bill, Rahul Gandhi MIA.
23:02The Merchant Shipping Bill, National Sports Governance Bill, Coastal Shipping Bill, Rahul Gandhi MIA.
23:11It sounds very true. But the fact is, Rahul Gandhi is a part-time politician. And as far as the narrative
23:26war goes, I have seen in the last 48 hours, very quickly, from a Jairam Ramesh to a Pawan Khera surreptitiously
23:34deleting their tweets, which they have banked on, based on information by Sanjay Kumar of CSDN.
23:42He himself has publicly apologised for giving spurious information.
23:46All right. Ma'am, I just want to, you know, I just want to, for the benefit of our viewers,
23:49because this is a debate, but for the benefit of our viewers, Rahul Gandhi was not MIA from parliament.
23:54He was on every account that Sanju Verma made. He was very much in parliament. But there were protests
24:07going on, which, of course, led to a near washout. Before I go to Shama Mohammed, I just want to give
24:12a figure there for something to mull on. The Lok Sabha this time around, which is the monsoon session,
24:17saw 31 percent productivity, while the Rajya Sabha saw 33 percent productivity. We gave you the figure of
24:24two and a half lakh that costs the Indian Exchequer, which is your and my money per moment. We calculated
24:30and it's equivalent into 121.5 crores for the losses of hours that have taken place.
24:38Just mull on that number while I go to Dr. Shama Mohammed, who's with me. Dr. Mohammed, the question is,
24:46you know, there is a whole legion of new MPs and 37 of them are from your party, which are
24:53under the age of 50, that really haven't seen how a parliament really should and needs to function,
25:02where you look at the ethos of parliamentary democracy. They have no clue, because all they
25:06have seen is session on session, washout on washout.
25:11Okay, so she said a couple of things, and I want to come to that. Rahul Gandhi MIA. Rahul Gandhi was
25:18there. Rahul Gandhi is always there. Now, let me tell you, in the history of India, there is only one
25:23prime minister who comes when he has to give a speech, and he's never there. He's complete MIA. I
25:29mean, he's never there for anybody else. He has never listened to any other speech in parliament,
25:35other than listening to his own voice. And when he enters, you all scream, Modi, Modi, Modi. What is this?
25:40Is he a dictator that he comes only to speak his? And how dare you say, my leader Rahul Gandhi is always
25:46there in parliament. Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Kera never deleted these tweets, so don't make up stories.
25:52Then she said, blood and water will not flow together. Well, let me tell you, we are playing
25:58cricket with Pakistan in the Asia Cup. And you know why? They just said the government does not make any
26:04money. But you know who makes money? Jair Shah, the son of Amit Shah. And we are playing cricket,
26:10because Jair Shah's pockets can be filled up. And who is the other one? Anurag Thakur's brother's
26:15pockets can be filled up. So let's understand that this thing, first, if you want to say blood and
26:20water, we can't flow together. Let me finish. Don't interrupt me. First stop this cricket match
26:25tomorrow. If you have the guts, stop it right now. We don't want to play cricket with Pakistan,
26:31if that is what is your case. Then let's understand. Let me finish. Constitution...
26:36Ma'am, 30 seconds. I'll start timing. Ma'am, 30 seconds. Make your point.
26:40You bring it one day before, because you don't want to debate. You never debated any of those bills.
26:45You don't want to debate and discuss any bills. You just want to pass bills without the opposition.
26:49And it's the duty of the Treasury branch to run the parliament, not the opposition. You have to run
26:56the parliament. You don't want to. And you did not give us the answers. Who is accountable for the
27:00security labs in Pahlga? Who is accountable for the security labs in Pulwama? How did our people die?
27:07Why is Ajit Dawal sitting there? Why is the worst home minister in the history of India behind Manipur,
27:13behind what happened to the riots in Delhi 2020? Why has this man not resigned till now?
27:19There is no accountability in this government. Nobody resigned.
27:23Ma'am, I'm going to now... Okay, I have timed you. Now I am going to go to Sanju Verma. Ma'am,
27:30allow me to bring in your co-panelists. There's no point. I'll come back to you. Ma'am,
27:35I'll come back to you. Hold on to that thought. I understand you're passionate about your point,
27:39but hold on to that thought. I want to bring in Sanju Verma back to you. Ma'am, allow me to bring
27:44in your co-panelists. All right. I'll have to put down faders. I'll have to put down faders. There's no
27:50point. Okay. I want to bring in Dr. Sanju Verma who wants to rebut where Dr. Shama Mohammed is
27:56concerned. But the sheer fact is, Sanju Verma, that A, the sheer fact that you can protest in parliament is
28:05something that was a model floated by none other but the likes of Sushma Swaraj and Arunjaitli.
28:10That is the place to protest, number one. Number two, Sanju Verma, you're passing bills after bills,
28:17but it has absolutely zero debate and zero discourse. Yes, they've gone to the JPC, the three
28:25bills which have been introduced yesterday. But the larger question is, it's without participation.
28:32How do you justify it? Preeti, now I need my time. I heard her speak for a full three and a half minutes.
28:39Ma'am, I'm timing you. Go ahead. She spoke for three minutes, ten seconds. Make your point.
28:44I need my time without being heckled. Thank you so much. Preeti, first and foremost, I never speak without evidence.
28:51The entire media has this news. On the 18th of August, at 10.25 a.m., Pavan Khera deleted that tweet of his,
29:03where he had maligned the election commission with respect to data on Maharashtra elections,
29:09particularly with respect to Ramtech and Devlali Assembly Constituencies. So, I have not lied.
29:15Pavan Khera has deleted that tweet. Shame on Pavan Khera, shame on Jairam Ramesh for deleting the
29:22tweets after damaging the election process with their blatant lights. But,
29:27I am so glad that Sanjay Kumar of CSDS has completely nullified the fake propaganda of Rahul Gandhi and the
29:50Darbari ecosystem. But, I want to make a couple of very important points. You know, Pakistan is like this,
29:56Pakistan is like that. The current Pakistan Premi Gang of Rahul Gandhi, listen to it. Pakistan's GDP is
30:04300 billion dollars. Our GDP is 4.3 trillion dollars. Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves are not even
30:1310 billion dollars. Ours are over 695 billion dollars. Pakistan's annual exports are less than
30:2036 billion dollars. Our annual exports are 821 billion dollars. So, stop comparing Pakistan with
30:27India. Though, you know, Rahul Gandhi and Darbari love applauding Pakistan at the drop of a hat.
30:32Now, speaking of Jai Shah, you support Sharath Pawar. Sharath Pawar has been heading either BCCI or ICC.
30:39Was he a great cricketeer? Ashwa Gainot's son, Vedhar Gainot, out on bail in the cash for jobs camp,
30:45was the head of Rajasthan Cricket Board. Vedhar Gainot is a great batsman and a great bowler.
30:52Your chief minister Siddhar Amayya was clicking photographs with Virat Kohli when 11 people died
30:59outside Chinnaswami Stadium. And you are sitting here and lecturing about Jai Shah. Siddhar Amayya was
31:05happily clicking photographs along with his grandchild despite knowing that people outside have been
31:12killed in a stampede. So, sharam karo, Shama Muhammad. And my final point is this, Preeti. Let's get one
31:18thing very clear. Operation Sindhu, is it a success? Yes. Who says it? Not Sanju Verma. The IAF says it.
31:26The Indian arms. Okay. Ma'am, I'm giving equal time. I'm timing you both. No, no, please. Now my final point.
31:33I think you have 10 seconds to make it happen. Yes. Please, please, Preeti. You've been interrupting me.
31:39Please. The best thing that has happened in the monsoon session is Supreme Court telling Rahul Gandhi,
31:45you are not a true Indian because had you been a true Indian, you would not have said without proofs that
31:50China took away at 2004. All right. I've given both of you exactly the same time and I'm going to end
31:56this debate because the debate was about parliament, what it has come down to be. Ma'am, I'm sorry,
31:59you've got an equal time. I have timed it. I have timed it, Dr. Muhammad. I have timed it, Sanju Verma.
32:04You both have got equal time. And the sad fact is we were supposed to debate parliament. It's gone
32:09down to India playing Pakistan. It's gone down to a cephalogist getting his numbers wrong. Nothing
32:15to do with parliament. We're going to end it there. Thank you, both of you for joining us,
32:19where Pakistan and India playing is concerned. It's not about the BCCI. It's not about anything.
32:24It's about the sentiment of Indians. Do we want to play cricket with Pakistan? We leave it for our viewers
32:29to decide. With that, I want to quickly shift focus on the other big story that's coming from
32:34the south. Battleground Tamil Nadu. Heating up, all eyes were on Madurai today where Tamil superstars
32:40turned politician Vijay staged a massive show of strength. The TVK chief unveiled his political
32:46roadmap with thousands thronging the rally ground to hear him. But while Vijay's entry was electrified,
32:52his supporters, it has also drawn sharp political fire. Addressing a sea of supporters amidst chairs and
32:58chance, Vijay, BJP his ideological enemy and DMK a political enemy. He further went on to say that
33:06he won't join any slave alliance and those banking on alliances are wrong. DMK launched a scathing
33:12attack at Vijay saying he has a lot to learn about politics and that crowds alone will not help
33:17Vijay win an election. AIDMK chief EPS also took a dig at Vijay. Listen in.
33:33A lion is always a lion. There are so many jackals and other animals in the forest, but there will be only one lion.
33:48And even if it is single, it will be the king of jungle.
33:52It is not only a description, but also a clear declaration.
33:59A lion will say to the Ioan lớp understands with each mle.
34:03I am the moon iskin's answer.
34:08You should rise in the light.
34:10You should rise, Sharif Zeiki.
34:12That we can rise in the wild.
34:20Mother'su Milks 4th, Ashton Polar ch Locke.
34:22Lord, Vijay was 2019 to rise in the wild.
34:25Formula'su Milks 6th, Fay N
35:26We don't quite know.
35:28He's untested in politics.
35:29If you go by sheer crowd, you'd be awestruck.
35:33But will the crowds materialize in votes for TVK?
35:37That's the big question.
35:38Let's cut across right now to Suman C. Raman, political analyst, Shekhar Rahir, senior journalist.
35:43Suman C. Raman, you know, if one goes by sheer crowd, you could be in a bit of awe when you see these visuals on your television screen.
35:51But what was important, I would reckon, Mr. Raman, is what Vijay actually said.
35:58Made it very clear with his attack on the BJP, Prime Minister Modi called them their ideological enemies.
36:05There was a nuance where DMK was concerned, stating that it's their political enemy.
36:09Software on the DMK, hardware on the BJP, you'd agree?
36:12I think this was a very cinematic kind of a performance.
36:17The crowds were going to be there.
36:18I mean, he's a big star, so there's no doubt that there would be crowds.
36:21But this was extremely cinematic.
36:23And, you know, the style of dialogue delivery and all that, it seemed to be right out of one of his own movies.
36:29My point is, he has said nothing new.
36:32It was a speech which was, you know, high on rhetoric, very low on substance.
36:37Nothing that we hadn't already heard.
36:39We knew that he had already identified a year ago.
36:42He said, BJP is my ideological enemy.
36:44DMK is my political enemy.
36:46He reiterated that using, you know, various other examples and various other things.
36:51But my point really is, Priti, he said that he wants to abolish Neet.
36:55He said that Kacchateva must be retrieved.
36:59Now, all of these are part of the DMK's election manifesto.
37:03So, how are you differentiating yourself from the party that you claim is ruining Tamil Nadu and you want to replace?
37:11So, I'm not very clear, you know, what he's actually standing for, except that he now has projected himself as a vote or a vote splitter.
37:22So, he is going to be splitting the anti-DMK vote.
37:25To help the DMK potentially to win the election.
37:29I think that that's basically how his role is sort of envisaged.
37:32And I would possibly go as far to say that, you know, if he continues on this course, then he's very likely a Trojan horse of the DMK.
37:41So, there's no doubt about it because the way everybody knows that he's not going to be able to win the election, but he will be able to cut a sizable proportion of vote and take more votes away from the AIDMK BJP alliance because he says, you know, anti-DMK, you must vote for me because the DMK is my enemy.
37:59So, whose vote is he taking?
38:01He is having MGR, a gigantic cutout on the stage.
38:05But Mr. Suman, to say we all know that he's going to come down to nothing, political prophecies have come down to bite people.
38:14No, I'm not saying he'll come down to nothing.
38:16I'm saying that he will take a sizable share of the vote.
38:19Maybe 8%, maybe 10%.
38:21But he's not going to win.
38:23He's not going to win.
38:24No way.
38:24All right.
38:25Mr. Iyer, would you want to weigh in on that?
38:27Because just by the virtue of optics, by the virtue of oratory, he's hit it out of the park today.
38:34Well, this was his second such conference because last year he had it in Virapandi.
38:39And the only difference this time in the points that he was making is this time he was directly addressing the cadre of AIDMK.
38:50Last time he did not attack AIDMK leadership, you know, as much as he did today.
38:56Basically, he was saying, look, you know, look at the fate of the AIDMK today, whose hand it is.
39:03This party was started by NGR.
39:06There it was later led by Jailalita.
39:08So, he wants to appropriate the legacies of MGR.
39:12I mean, right from Andadurai, from Piriyar rather, from Piriyar, Andadurai.
39:17I mean, Andadurai was the founder of the DMK.
39:19Then he comes to say, you know, MGR.
39:22Now, by invoking the legacy of MGR, already the last conference we saw, he brought Kamraj also there.
39:29Kamraj was a tall leader of the Congress Party in Tamil Nadu.
39:32And, you know, what he wants to say is, this is going to be a big change that is going to come in the Amunad.
39:38He referred to 1967 when Congress lost the election.
39:43Then after that, he referred to 1977 when MGR came to power dethroning Karunanati.
39:47So, the point he is making is, yes, this suspicion that Dr. Suman mentioned today, yes, there is a suspicion that he is acting as a vote cutter which would eventually benefit DMK.
40:01Because that language, there was a language shift, Sumansi Raman, and I will go back to Shekhar Raya on this.
40:08Because of what he said earlier, I would reckon the biggest shift was a direct attack on AI DMK.
40:13And then practically, you know, Mr. Raya is right, addressing the cadre of AI DMK.
40:18Yes, and two things.
40:20He says, 2026 is a battle between TVK and DMK.
40:24So, what does that actually mean?
40:27It means that there is only one opponent against the DMK and that's me.
40:32So, that's basically what he is trying to pitch where he is again making a pitch for the anti-DMK vote.
40:36Second, and I think the ADMK has also come out with a kind of attack back or counter attack now.
40:42The rather small fact that MGR did not start a party and immediately become Chief Minister.
40:49He had been in the DMK for a good, almost one and a half decades.
40:53And subsequently, after he formed his party also, it took him a good four years of hard work and effort before he was able to come in.
41:00So, it was almost 20 years in politics before he became the Chief Minister.
41:04He didn't start a party on Monday and become Chief Minister on Wednesday, which is what Vijay is effectively trying to do by starting a party two, two and a half years before an election and saying that he wants to come to power.
41:15And likewise, Jailalita. Jailalita was in politics for a good 10 to more than a decade.
41:21She was a Rajasabha MP. She was a propaganda secretary of the party for many years before she actually became a Chief Minister.
41:27So, this whole approach of saying that I will start a party, I've got a big fan base and I will straight away become Chief Minister.
41:33I don't know how Tamil Nadu is going to respond to that.
41:37All right.
41:37Shekhar Raya, last word in with what Sumansi Raman said, Trojan horse or what is commonality where politics is concerned, the team B here of the DMK.
41:49Well, Preeti, he made one more thing.
41:51I mean, he didn't, rather he was alluding, I would say, to major partners of the DMK, I think particularly the Congress.
41:58Because he attacked the DMK on dynastic politics, but at the same time, he did not say anything about the dynastic politics of Congress.
42:07On the other hand, he said, look, anybody else who want to join this alliance are welcome.
42:12That is, obviously, he is looking at one AIA-DMK scanners to come to him and the other is some other partners.
42:21You're insinuating, Mr. Raya, that he's possibly holding out an olive branch for the Congress where an alliance is concerned.
42:28Is that what you're saying?
42:30No, he was basically saying, look, I mean, he did not attack Congress.
42:34He has been calling...
42:35He was talking about dynastic politics, only limited to...
42:39Okay, fair point.
42:40Yeah, fair point.
42:40One sentence, one sentence.
42:42He has been asking for parties to join the alliance for the last six months.
42:50Not a single party has signed up.
42:52So, let's be very clear.
42:53It's not that his only condition was they should accept his...
42:56He's the CM.
42:57Him as a CM face and his party as the leader of the alliance.
43:01Not one party has signed up.
43:04Big, small, minuscule, nobody has signed up.
43:07So, I think that also...
43:07Did you see today as once again an overture to the Congress?
43:11I don't think so.
43:12Congress is vetted to the DMK.
43:14There's no way...
43:14You don't think so?
43:15They are like...
43:15In Tamil Nadu, Priti, the joke is they are a branch office of the DMK.
43:19If you need to meet a congressman, you go to the DMK headquarters.
43:22You don't go to the Congress headquarters.
43:23Priti, I think...
43:25I think, you know, the last word has not been sent up even on Vijay's, you know, alliance plans.
43:31I mean, things are fluid to a great extent.
43:34Yes, the parties would not easily leave the DMK-led alliance.
43:38But in the months to come, because there are eight months left for the elections,
43:42if Vijay continues to get the kind of crowds that he's getting and there are rallies after,
43:47you know, every district in every major towns,
43:50there could be rethinking among the alliance partners of the DMK too.
43:54Okay.
43:55All right.
43:55I'm going to leave it at that.
43:56Dr. Sumansi Raman is shaking his head.
43:58I appreciate both you gentlemen for joining us.
44:01I'm sure we're going to have you back on the show sooner than later.
44:03We're going to quickly move on on a piece of news that has been very disconcerting to say the least,
44:10where a ninth standard student stabbed his senior to death purely out of frustration and rage.
44:16But what is more shocking is that the ninth grader has not only confessed to the crime,
44:20but has been found boasting about the murder to his friends on WhatsApp chats.
44:25These aren't just words.
44:37They're called confessions from the minor accused in the Ahmedabad school stabbing case that has shaken the city and the nation.
44:44A class 10 student of a private school stabbed to death by his junior after a brief argument.
44:53But what's more disturbing is what came after.
44:56Chats access during the probe revealed the accused admitting to the murder
44:59and even telling his friend to inform others that he had killed a class 10 student.
45:04The reason, the victim allegedly questioned his standing in school.
45:09The chat shows the shocked friend questioning the extreme action and asking why didn't he just beat up the victim.
45:15The response from the alleged killer was chillingly calm.
45:18What's done is done.
45:20A day after Saffron activists,
45:23it was the Congress student wing that held a protest outside the Ahmedabad school.
45:28The situation turned tense as they clashed with the police and were later detained.
45:37The NSUI, the youth wing of the Congress,
45:40has come to the protest at the school right now.
45:44They are protesting.
45:45They are protesting against the authorities, the school authorities.
45:48They have claimed that the authorities are not listening to anyone.
45:52And that's why NSUI is protesting here.
45:55They are doing a protest.
45:57They are doing a quarrel with police officials.
45:59The school police is now under the school.
46:02This has had been arrested.
46:04Some political incidents have been arrested.
46:05Some of the police officers who have been arrested.
46:07They have arrested the police officers and have taken the police officers.
46:08They have been arrested now.
46:09And now we have been arrested.
46:11And this has been arrested.
46:12I was arrested here.
46:13I was arrested here.
46:14Then he was arrested me,
46:16then I was arrested.
46:17The minor victim, who is just 15, died on Tuesday night.
46:31The accused is now in custody, showing no signs of remorse.
46:35Only one question is haunting every parent today.
46:38If this can happen in a classroom, are our children truly safe?
46:43With Vijayesh Doshin Ahmedabad, Bureau Report, India Today.
46:47Now, in a cramped makeshift room, Rajesh Vishwakarma sits in silence,
46:54trying to rebuild a life stolen from him.
46:57For 13 full months, he was behind bars for a crime that he did not commit,
47:03but for trying to help someone else.
47:05A daily wage labourer with no land, no family and no understanding of the law,
47:10Rajesh has become yet another invisible victim of a broken system.
47:15We tell you more, in our Get Real India Report.
47:18Imagine spending 13 months in jail for a noble deed.
47:38Last year, on June 16th, Rajesh Vishwakarma took an ailing woman,
47:43his neighbour's wife, to a hospital in Bhopal.
47:45Hours later, the woman died in the hospital.
48:14The police arrested Rajesh for allegedly strangling her,
48:18his life dependent on the advocate provided by the government.
48:44In the trial, several holes in the police investigation emerged.
48:49The police did not present CCTV footage from the hospital.
48:49There were no witnesses.
48:50None of the doctors at the hospital mentioned any injuries from strangulation attempt.
48:55The victim did not mention any assault on her conversation with doctors when she was admitted.
49:01The post-mortem indicated strangulation but no fingerprints were found.
49:07The post-mortem indicated strangulation but no fingerprints were found.
49:14When Mayla went to hospital, the clothes were worn in the hospital.
49:21The suits of MMA were worn in the hospital.
49:32The pictures were worn on her clothes.
49:33But when the doctor said to PM that her hair color is full of thin?
49:35The clothes used as much as the things that were worn in the clothes.
49:38Rajesh Vishwakarma is now a free man, but he has paid a heavy price.
50:08Rajesh now stays at his sister's house in Govindpura Basti in Bhopal.
50:32He has been acquitted of murder charge, but the stigma of going to jail still haunts him.
50:38This is Ravish Pal Singh, Bureau Report, India Today.
51:04Thank you for watching. We'll see you tomorrow.
51:08Karuna Karan and his 73-year-old son Rajan are proud residents of Pullampara, the Gram Panchayat
51:15in rural Tiruvannantapuram, the first in the country to achieve full digital literacy in
51:212022. At 103, Karuna Karan is slowly losing eyesight and memory, but still gets excited
51:29to make a video call to see his grandchildren. And Rajan, who earlier used a keypad phone,
51:35is now adept at using all main apps on his new smartphone.
51:38What are your phone, does it have your phone?
51:39You can watch YouTube.
51:4058-year-old Shyamala returning home after work is talking to her children on a WhatsApp call. She
51:45We've been able to get rid of it from home, and we've been able to get rid of it from home.
51:50What's your name?
51:52I am a YouTuber.
51:5758 year old Shyamala returning home after work is talking to her children on a WhatsApp call.
52:02She tells her daughter about the television crew filming her.
52:06Shyamala and many others in Pullampara were trained by the women army of Kerala, Kutumbashree,
52:12a state-sponsored empowerment project.
52:16The training was conducted in three modules comprising 15 activities.
52:20It covered basics like installing apps, using WhatsApp, Facebook and other social media,
52:25sending messages, searching on YouTube and Google, shooting pictures and videos,
52:30booking cooking gas, paying electricity and other utility bills.
52:35The 15th activity was creating awareness about digital scams.
52:39Anyone successfully completing six of the 15 activities is deemed to be digitally literate.
52:44literate.
53:14Purnampara's success inspired Kerala to adopt its model.
53:24It's the country's first state to achieve complete digital literacy at 99.98%.
53:32Inakulam resident M.A. Abdullah Molluvi Bafaki, nearing 105, is probably the oldest person
53:39to clear the digital literacy program.
53:42In 1991, 34 years ago, Kerala became the first Sintian state to achieve total literacy.
53:49So now, from total literacy to digital literacy, we have traveled a long way.
53:56It's a matter of pride for Kerala.
53:58So this is the real Kerala story.
54:01Kerala's digital literacy module adheres to the digital learning standards defined by
54:06global agencies, including UNESCO.
54:10Years of struggle led to the literacy raid that Kerala proudly flaunts.
54:14And today, it is witnessing yet another revolution in the form of digital literacy.
54:19And it's people like him that helped in writing this story that the state believes is the true
54:23Kerala story with video journalist Tinko Rajsega, Shubhi Molkeji for India today from Tirantabara.
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