- 2 days ago
Nepal's future is at stake as violent protests continue despite the fall of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli-led government. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Vice President-elect CP Radhakrishnan after the BJP leader won the Vice-Presidential elections.
Category
ЁЯЧЮ
NewsTranscript
00:00Oh
00:30Good evening, you're watching the News Track and I'm Maria Shakil.
00:48Violent protests rocked Nepal as a youth-led revolution spirals into chaos.
00:54What began as a call for regime change has now turned violent.
00:58Gen Z demonstrators looting, vandalizing and setting fire to the homes of Nepal's top leaders
01:05including Nepalese Prime Minister Kepioli.
01:09Former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deoba's residence was storaged as well.
01:14Wife of another former Prime Minister Jalanath Khanal was tragically killed when his house
01:20was set on fire.
01:21The capital city of Kathmandu lies mired in Inaki.
01:26After siege and out of options, Prime Minister Kepi Sharma Oli has resigned, forced out by
01:33a generation that refuses to stay silent.
01:35Tonight, we bring you the story of Oli's dramatic fall from power and ask the big question, after
01:44Oli who?
01:46Who will be Nepal's next Prime Minister?
01:53Nepal is on fire.
02:04Prime Minister Kepi Sharma Oli has stepped down, citing an extraordinary situation as massive
02:10protests engulf Nepal.
02:16On Tuesday, he also erupted as thousands of demonstrators stormed the streets, setting
02:21fire to Parliament and vandalizing the homes of several political leaders.
02:29Gen Z-led protesters launched coordinated attacks across Nepal, targeting residents of prominent
02:34figures, including former Prime Minister.
02:39His wife tragically scummed to burn injuries after their home was torched by the mob.
02:46In a last-ditch move, a desperate Oli appealed to the army for protection and a safe passage
02:53from his residence.
02:54But army chief reportedly refused, saying order was impossible with Oli in power.
03:04India today has learnt that Oli is now preparing to flee to Dubai, citing medical treatment as
03:09the reason.
03:10The anger of youth protesting against corruption and social media restrictions had already reached
03:17his doorsteps.
03:20Demonstrators stormed and torched Oli's private residence in bulk court.
03:26An unmistakable message that people had enough.
03:31From the power to panic, Oli's fall was in the making.
03:36Authoritarian rule, soaring inflation, vanishing jobs, a disastrous Covid response and corruption
03:43that shattered public trust, all contributed to his downfall.
03:48On the streets of Kathmandu, cheers replaced chants as news of Oli's resignation spread.
04:00Protesters held a march calling Oli's exit people's victory.
04:07As KP Sharma Oli's leadership faces uncertainty, several figures emerge as potential successors.
04:14Former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Dioba of the Nepali Congress could return as a compromise
04:20candidate, while Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda may try to forge a new alliance.
04:27Reformist Shekhar Koirala, also from the Congress, has distanced himself from the ruling coalition.
04:32Meanwhile, Kathmandu's outspoken mayor, Balinda Shah, popular among youths, stands out as a bold, independent voice.
04:45This is the third violent change of guard in India's neighbourhood in three years.
04:49Mahendra Rajapaksa was forced to give up power in Sri Lanka in 2022.
04:56And Sheikh Hasina had to flee Bangladesh in 2024.
05:02While there are celebrations on the streets of Kathmandu, there is also caution in the air.
05:08What comes after Oli could define Nepal's future for years.
05:15With Amit Bhardwaj and Rohit Singh in Kathmandu, Nepal, Bureau Report, India Today.
05:21And joining me now is Dr. Pramod Jaiswal.
05:26He is a research director at Nepal Institute for International Cooperation and Engagement.
05:31He's joining me from Kathmandu.
05:33We have Reshma, who is part of that protesting students group.
05:39We'll be joined by two other experts or analysts on the show in just a bit.
05:46Dr. Jaiswal, the question is, is Nepal staring at a long period of uncertainty?
05:55Or are you of the opinion that this period in which the Nepalese army is in charge is going to be short lived?
06:03And as protesters have been demanding, Balin Shah will be in charge of the interim government.
06:09I think it's too early to make any speculations, especially when Balin himself is not aware that he can be a next prime minister.
06:18And we don't know where the country is moving to.
06:20But what one can predict is looking at the demands of the protesters.
06:25They've asked for interim government.
06:27They've asked the dissolution of the House.
06:29They've asked election under interim constitution, interim government.
06:34So I think the whole process will take some time.
06:37Obviously, maybe in a week there will be a new team who will be leading and normalizing the situation.
06:42But I think to have a new election will take some time.
06:45So overall, it's a new journey where we have to wait for some time to go through.
06:51But I think there's a lot to be resolved at the moment.
06:54As you said, nothing is clear.
06:55We don't know what are the clear demands of the protesters.
06:58What are the demand would be addressed?
07:00Who will address those demands?
07:02How long will and who will address those demands?
07:05How can we have normalcy in Kathmandu, have law and order problem?
07:08How if St. Nepal army will be there?
07:11You know, all these are still difficult to answer, especially the legal questions also arise.
07:16How we can address those.
07:17There are lots of questions in to unfold before we can make any concrete comments at the moment.
07:23Okay, so perhaps Reshma will be able to answer some of these questions.
07:27Reshma, what is the end game or the final objective of protesters?
07:32The question is that this was seen as a Gen Z protest.
07:35But Gen Z protesters certainly did not want this kind of violence to play out.
07:41Because over the last few hours, we have been speaking to a lot of protesters.
07:45And they say that this is not something that they had expected.
07:48That they had certainly not expected that a former prime minister's wife will be torched to death.
07:54So now that the protest has turned violent, what is it that the protesters are expecting will happen next?
08:03Ma'am, actually, I'm not leading the protest, actually.
08:10I'm just the youth of this country.
08:12You know what I mean?
08:14Basically, this Gen Z revolution is actually they want the corruption to end.
08:20That's only the point.
08:22That's only the point.
08:23I'm not leading anything.
08:25I'm not.
08:26I'm just a random person who lives here.
08:28Okay, so when you say that the protesters want corruption to end, how will that corruption end?
08:36Because the prime minister has resigned.
08:38It is the Nepalese army which is now in charge of the country.
08:43So moving further, we don't know, like maybe the Nepalese army will be leading us for a certain time until the vote is done or something happens forward.
08:58But till then, nobody has any answers about that.
09:01And what about the violence as just a youth?
09:05No violence is acceptable.
09:07Actually, no violence is acceptable.
09:09I know people are angry.
09:11People have so much aggression inside them, but no violence is accepted.
09:18We are very sorry.
09:19I always say violence is not accepted at all.
09:23Burning the public properties, torturing the people of the country, it's not the solution of this problem.
09:30So if that is not the solution, and you are among the youth who feel that this is not the way out, then there is also the sense that this protest is no longer organic.
09:43It's no longer organic, then perhaps it is being orchestrated.
09:47The youth doesn't want this.
09:50Maybe they protested.
09:51They did everything.
09:52Because yesterday, 20 of the children who were in college uniforms were killed.
09:58Maybe the aggression was in their heart.
10:01I don't know.
10:02Maybe something has happened.
10:04It's not only about Genji.
10:06Their mother, their parents, everybody was outside their house today.
10:12It's not only about the young generation actually.
10:15Everybody wants, each and every people in this country wants corruption to end.
10:20That's only what we want.
10:22We are not demanding violence.
10:25We are not supporting violence.
10:27If somebody does it, we are against it.
10:29Okay, let me bring in others now.
10:31Darshan is joining us.
10:33We also have Shaswat.
10:35Shaswat, the question is that as one of the early voices that led these protests, how do you view this change now?
10:44The fact is that you wanted, you know, if you're thinking that corruption will end suddenly, that's not going to happen.
10:53Perhaps there will be a regime change.
10:55That is evident now.
10:57What is it that you all are expecting now?
11:02After the social media ban, I was extremely concerned about freedom of speech.
11:08And I wanted a permanent solution to this problem and also other problems rampant in our country.
11:13What I did not want was this level of atrocity, this level of violence.
11:19I see right now my home city, my homeland is burning in front of me.
11:25Black smoke has covered Kathmandu Valley.
11:28I really hope this is not a bad woman for what is to come tomorrow.
11:32So you are actually fearing as to how this protest has taken a form that none of you planned.
11:39And now it is out of your hand?
11:41Yes, we planned it.
11:44We set out seven points.
11:46We wanted to negotiate with the government.
11:49We were in consultation with various legal experts and scholars.
11:52We wanted to do this as peacefully as we can.
11:54We wanted to raise our concerns to the highest level and reach to a peaceful solution by negotiating with the government,
12:01not by overthrowing it, not by using such kind of atrocity.
12:07This is absolutely insane.
12:08I don't think any one of us who were organizing the September 8th protest even thought about the level of atrocities.
12:17So you are essentially of the opinion that you wanted to negotiate with the government,
12:21but the fact is that there is no government today.
12:24So what is it and who do you think is best suited to govern Nepal now?
12:31Who do you want as your potential leader?
12:36So right now the state is in chaos.
12:41Nothing is under control.
12:44Everyone is for themselves.
12:47There is looting right now, right in the street where I live.
12:51There are fires everywhere.
12:53People have knocked on my doors as well.
12:56It is absolute chaos.
12:58And I really do hope, sincerely hope, that a strong leadership emerges from this.
13:03I sincerely hope that people will not take advantage of this and push their own personal agenda.
13:09And that I really hope we have not removed one corrupt leader to bring in thousands, many more.
13:18Okay, that's a valid fear, I would say, Darshan.
13:22What are your thoughts, Darshan?
13:23Do you share the concerns which have been shared here by Shaswat?
13:27Absolutely.
13:31I mean, there is a lot of confusion right now in the year.
13:35And recently the army chief have also, you know, released a statement saying that they will handle this transition period.
13:51Hindra Modi there, greeting the next Vice President of India, C.P. Radha Krishnan, Maharashtra Governor C.P. Radha Krishnan,
14:04who is the NDA candidate for the post of the Vice President, will succeed Jagdeep Dhankar in this post.
14:11He's a 68-year-old who won with 452 first preference votes.
14:18And the opposition candidate, Justice Sudarshan Reddy, won 300 votes in this election.
14:28You know, all eyes will be on who are those who actually indulged in cross-voting.
14:35But Prime Minister Modi there meeting the next Vice President at the residence of Union Minister Prahalad Joshi.
14:42You can see the BJP president also present and other leaders who have been involved in this entire electioneering,
14:50which is the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Kiran Rajuju and others who have been involved extensively.
14:59Mr. Vinod Tawade also seen along with C.P. Radha Krishnan.
15:04Prime Minister Modi, in fact, met him just a few minutes ago.
15:09In fact, he had also congratulated C.P. Radha Krishnan on his Twitter handle just a few minutes ago
15:17and had said that this is a historic moment because his life, C.P. Radha Krishnan's life,
15:25has always been devoted to serving society and empowering the poor and marginalized.
15:31I'm confident that he will be an outstanding VP who will strengthen our constitutional values
15:36and enhance parliamentary discourse.
15:38Let me bring in Piyush, who joins us live from outside Prahalad Joshi's residence.
15:44So Prime Minister there at present, who's now there at the residence to greet the new Vice President of India.
15:53Piyush.
15:55Well, Maria, it was a short visit of C.P. Radha Krishnan.
15:59He stayed for around five minutes at the residence of C.P. Radha Krishnan.
16:03And he had just messed up from his residence after congratulating him on this land side victory.
16:09Remember that it's a huge win for NDA, where its candidates C.P. Radha Krishnan has secured 452 votes,
16:16around 152 votes more than the India Alliance.
16:20And it's a big boost for NDA, and that's why it's been Marendra Modi.
16:23And various other MPs of NDA are present at the residence of Prahalad Joshi,
16:28which is also the election office of C.P. Radha Krishnan.
16:31And all these MPs are here to congratulate C.P. Radha Krishnan.
16:35And Piyush, when we look at the cross-voting, what is NDA's estimate, who has cross-voted in favour of C.P. Radha Krishnan?
16:50Well, what we are now learning, Maria, a big claim has now come in from GERU working President Sanjay Jaha,
17:13where he is now saying that had 15 votes not been termed invalid,
17:18then NDA, NDA, C.P. Radha Krishnan, would have got 10 more votes.
17:22So NDA partner and GERU leader, he's saying that 10 votes out of these 16 votes got invalid,
17:30and these votes belong to NDA.
17:32And we are now claiming, so that's a big claim coming in from GERU,
17:36GERU and, you know, they are of the view that cross-voting has also taken place,
17:44and there are some independent MPs who have voted in the favour of NDA candidates.
17:48So that's a claim coming in from GERU MPs.
17:50We'll have to wait and watch how the opposition is going to react on this.
17:53Okay, and overall, what happens now, Piyush, in terms of protocol and process which will be followed?
18:00Now that, you know, he is Vice President-elect,
18:05he will have to be sown to the constitution for him to take charge.
18:11When is that swearing-in likely to happen?
18:16Well, swearing-in will take place after the Ministry of Law and Justice comes out with a date.
18:23What we are now told is that, what we are now told is that,
18:28you know, the presiding officer of Rajasabha, Secretary,
18:34P.C. Modi is going to inform the Ministry of Commission of India,
18:37and also the Ministry of Law and Justice, and after that they are going to decide.
18:41But we are learning from our sources that most likely on September 12th,
18:45the outstaking ceremony will take place, but we are still getting,
18:49trying to get it confirmed from our official sources,
18:52but we are hearing from a few leaders within the NDA that,
18:56most likely, the outstaking ceremony will take place on September 12th.
19:00Yes, and visuals also now coming in, Piyush, of Home Minister Amit Shah,
19:04meeting C.P. Radhakrishnan, and, you know, perhaps all the leaders,
19:09the senior Raisina Hills ministers will be meeting C.P. Radhakrishnan in a few minutes from now.
19:16So, it's a day of celebrations, but all the dinners that were planned of larger NDA partners,
19:23that was put on hold. In fact, it was cancelled because of the flood situation in Himachal and Punjab.
19:31So, the celebration is pretty muted right now, Piyush.
19:34Well, celebration is not taking place. It was just a courtesy meet by Piyam Narendra Modi,
19:41where he congratulated C.P. Radhakrishnan.
19:43I remember that before two big dinners were planned,
19:47one by BGP's National President J.P. Radhakrishnan,
19:49and J.P. Radhakrishnan, and another one was by Piyam Narendra Modi,
19:53where J.P. Radhakrishnan was going to host all the BGP MPs at his residence,
19:58and the PM was going to host all NDMPs at his residence.
20:01But later on, it was decided that due to the flood,
20:04which has reached the lives of many people in the states of Punjab,
20:08and the dinner ceremony was also cancelled.
20:13Piyam Narendra Modi during the workshop of BGP MPs had also highlighted that
20:17a time when people are facing a lot of problems due to flood,
20:21he did not feel like organizing a ceremonial dinner.
20:26So, that's what the Prime Minister also said.
20:28So, because of the flood situation in multiple parts of the country,
20:32the Prime Minister decided to cancel the dinner meeting with MPs,
20:36and a similar sort of procedure was followed by BGP's National President J.P. Radhakrishnan,
20:43and after that, we also saw how the opposition also decided to cancel the dinner meeting with MPs.
20:48Malikandu Kharitayi was also all set to hold for India.
20:52Piyush, we have the visuals now of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh meeting CP Radhakrishnan,
20:58and remember, soon after that name was announced,
21:00it was Defence Minister who made the calls to all political parties
21:04seeking their support for the NDA nominee in CP Radhakrishnan.
21:09So, who is CP Radhakrishnan?
21:11The Governor of Maharashtra is an OBC Tamil leader
21:16with deep administrative experience of running state unit of the BJP,
21:21and he is a former MP of Coimbatore.
21:25So, here's a quick wrap-up of life and time of CP Radhakrishnan as he takes charge as the Vice President.
21:32Of course, that swearing-in ceremony will be happening sometime in the next few days,
21:37and thereafter, his primary responsibility will be that of running the upper house that is the Rajya Sabha.
21:44Chandrapuram Pannu Swami Radhakrishnan arrived at the Ram Mandir early morning to offer prayers
21:55a couple of hours before the Vice Presidential election was to start.
21:59A staunch RSS member, he and his wife have been moulded by the Sangh discipline since his teenage years.
22:09A college champion of table tennis with a BBA degree from Chidambaram College in Thuttukuri in Tamil Nadu.
22:16CP Radhakrishnan was elected to Jansang's Tamil Nadu State Executive Committee in 1974.
22:23That was the start of his political career.
22:27In 1980, when BJP was formed, 23-year-old CP Radhakrishnan became former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's aide.
22:3718 years later, in 1998, Radhakrishnan was elected to the Lok Sabha, representing Konbathore.
22:44After two decades of shadowing Vajpayee, Radhakrishnan became the prime author of the alliance between BJP and AIA-DMK.
22:52When DMK ended its ties with NDA in 2004, Radhakrishnan once again got AIA-DMK in an alliance with BJP.
23:05He became the Tamil Nadu State President for the party from 2004 to 2006
23:11and worked simultaneously to build the Kerala State Unit of BJP.
23:22In 2014 and 2019, twice he contested from Coimbatore in the Lok Sabha elections but lost.
23:30And then, in 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the appointment of CP Radhakrishnan as the governor of Jharkhand.
23:41A year later, following the resignation of Tamil Asai Sundarajan, he was given additional responsibility as governor of Telangana and as lieutenant governor of Puducherry.
23:53For the next one year and four months, Radhakrishnan had to struggle with all three responsibilities of two states and one union territory.
24:06In July 2024, CP Radhakrishnan was appointed the governor of Maharashtra, relieving the burden of administration of two states and the union territory of Puducherry.
24:19Another year passed and then Jagdeep Dhankar resigned, suddenly as the vice president of India.
24:26Party top brass once again turned to trusted strong hand of CP Radhakrishnan to tide over this crisis.
24:34At 67, this man from the OBC community in Tamil Nadu.
24:38Chandrapuram Punnaswami Radhakrishnan is now the 17th vice president of India.
24:44So CP Radhakrishnan there meeting the prime minister.
24:51He has had several union ministers from Home Minister Amit Shah to Defence Minister Rajnad Singh, all of them greeting him on his victory with 452 votes is what the victory of the new vice president of India looks like.
25:11He is, of course, going to be sewn in to office in the next few days.
25:16But these are the visuals of celebrations which are happening at Pralaj Yoshi's residence.
25:19I'm leaving you with these visuals.
25:21Thanks so much for watching.
Recommended
52:42
|
Up next