- 2 days ago
Following the tragic Karur stampede at TVK Chief Vijay’s rally that claimed 40 lives, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi reached out to Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin and Vijay over phone. He enquired about the incident and expressed condolences to the bereaved families, including for the death of a TVK supporter.
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00:00Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi dials Vijay and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin over the stampede deaths.
00:06As per sources, we're learning that leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi telephoned Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to inquire about the Karoor stampede.
00:15And in fact, the opposition leader also called TVK President Vijay to convey his condolences for his supporters' death in the same incident.
00:25So that's the update that we're getting.
00:26Pramod continues to stay with us. Pramod, tell us more about the conversation that Rahul Gandhi had with the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister as well as with the TVK Chief.
00:35Actually, like yesterday evening, we got the information stating that Rahul Gandhi has called up the Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, who was in this location.
00:42Karoor, day before yesterday, night itself, around 1.30, he reached the spot.
00:45And until 6 a.m., he was over there and he was like monitoring the treatment that was given to the people who were injured.
00:53And also, he was talking to the people who lost their loved ones and he was, you know, coordinating a lot of things over there.
00:58So like Rahul Gandhi has called him and he has actually asked about what exactly happened, the kind of measures that have been taken to provide relief and the like compensation that has been announced to the people who have lost their loved ones.
01:08Which was 10 lakh rupees. At the same time, we also got information that Rahul Gandhi also called Vijay to find out what happened over there, the kind of like the timeline of like when he arrived and what exactly went wrong and how did like all these things happen.
01:21So this kind of conversation Rahul Gandhi had had with both Vijay and Chief Minister M.K. Stalin trying to get more clarity into this matter, Anjali.
01:29Alright, Pramod, thank you for getting us all those details.
01:33So the politics is also bickering over the tragedy that unfolded in Karoor on Saturday evening during TVK Chief Vijay's rally in which unfortunately 40 people have lost their lives.
01:45And now the BJP claims that it was in fact the DMK government's fault. DMK government is responsible for the deaths and not TVK Chief Vijay.
01:54Meanwhile, leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi telephoned Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to inquire about the Karoor stampede.
02:02And in fact, he also called the TVK President Vijay to convey his condolences for his supporters' death in the same incident.
02:10A lot of factors are being looked upon that may have contributed to the stampede in Karoor.
02:18The probe is still on. Meanwhile, TMK and AIA TMK claim that it is the DMK's fault.
02:26The lens is now on. Also, the venue that was chosen for Vijay's rally as Vijay claimed that the location that they chose was a bigger one.
02:36But the location that was approved by the authorities was a much narrower one, which may have led to the stampede.
02:45Now we're getting some breaking news.
02:50Ex-Pakistani cricketer Tanvir Ahmed shows mirror to Pakistan.
02:55Epic Pakistan meltdown over Dubai drubbing. He slams Pakistani players over bravado.
03:01The ex-Pakistani player Tanvir Ahmed says India told Pakistan to go home.
03:06The ex-cricketer goes on to say that Sri Lanka was the second best team in the tournament, not Pakistan.
03:13He in fact also says that Bangladesh and Sri Lanka helped Pakistan reach the finals.
03:19So this rant on Pakistani national TV by the ex-cricketer Tanvir Ahmed, he in fact also said that Pakistan deserved to lose.
03:29So clearly, Epic meltdown over Dubai drubbing on national TV, on Pakistani national TV by ex-cricketer Tanvir Ahmed, who slammed the Pakistani players.
03:40He went on to say that India told Pakistan to go home with the kind of performance they put forward in the finals and in fact throughout the tournament.
03:50The ex-cricketer also said that it was Sri Lanka that was the second best team in the tournament and not Pakistan.
03:57He didn't just stop there. He said that Bangladesh and Sri Lanka helped Pakistan reach the finals and through which he is saying that Pakistan did not actually deserve to be in the finals.
04:07It was Bangladesh and Sri Lanka that helped Pakistan reach the finals and he also said that Pakistan deserved to lose.
04:17That's the statement that the ex-cricketer Tanvir Ahmed has made.
04:21He said that the ex-cricketer Tanvir Ahmed has made the finals and the ex-cricketer Tanvir Ahmed, who has played the third class cricket for the finals.
04:51And India today's Rajdeep Sardisai is now joining us on the broadcast.
05:10Rajdeep, the meltdown, the Pakistani meltdown is clear, although the result, the victory is for everyone to see.
05:16But the ex-cricketers of Pakistan are also now admitting that India deserved to win.
05:22And in fact, they're also claiming that Pakistan did not even deserve to be in the finals.
05:29Look, I've been very clear, Anjali, about this entire tournament.
05:33When you look at the performance of India and Pakistan, there's a yawning gap.
05:37India is one of the best teams, if not the best team in the world.
05:41Our T20 record speaks for itself.
05:44Pakistan today is a mediocre team, a shadow of its former self.
05:49But frankly, it's not so much what's happened on the field that should be the debate, but what's happened of it.
05:55To be very honest, I was among those who did not support the idea that India should not shake hands with the Pakistani players.
06:01I believe a shake hand is part of the spirit of the sport.
06:04But then, yesterday, when Mohsin Nakvi, the Asian Cricket Council chief, insisted that he would be giving the trophy,
06:12and the Indians chose not to receive it from them, I think they were perfectly justified.
06:17This is the same Mr. Nakvi, who has been spewing venom and bile against India.
06:22An official could easily have given place to another official to give the trophy.
06:27The Emirates Cricket Board, which is hosting the tournament in Dubai, could have given the trophy.
06:32It's very sad that the players, therefore, have become pawns in a game which is being played between India and Pakistan off the field.
06:44And that's the problem.
06:45The players are mere pawns.
06:47And it is Mohsin Nakvi on one side and Indian officials on the other who are trying to write these scripts.
06:53You're quite right to your original question.
06:56I think India and Pakistan, India is a way superior team.
07:00The Pakistanis come nowhere close to us.
07:03Yes, they gave us a fright yesterday because there was some injudicious shot making under pressure by the Indian top order.
07:10But overall, if you look at it, 3-0, conclusive.
07:14There is no competition on the field.
07:17The worry is what is happening off the field.
07:19Now, let's assume that there's a World T20 next year.
07:24What if Pakistan wins a match and a trophy is to be given by an Indian official and they refuse to accept it?
07:32How will we take it?
07:33I think all of this needs to be looked at, considered very carefully.
07:37I think it needs a dialogue off the field.
07:40But on the field, India has proven over the last several months now that we are the number one T20 team in the world.
07:50Absolutely.
07:51Rajdeep, also we've seen how Pakistan had been attacking the Indian team over not shaking hands and for bringing politics on the field.
07:59But do you feel that Pakistan itself did not actually show sportsmanship throughout the tournament?
08:05I have a slightly different view of that.
08:09India started this by not shaking hands.
08:12The Pakistanis responded in an ugly manner.
08:15And I think both the teams, therefore, have much to introspect.
08:19I don't think there is anyone out there who can claim that we have observed the true spirit of the sport.
08:30Neither India nor Pakistan.
08:32I'm very clear on that.
08:33If you go and play a tournament, then you have to accept the spirit of the game.
08:39Either we should have boycotted the tournament, which, according to me, India should have ensured the postponement of the Asia Cup so soon after Pahal Gham.
08:48There should have been no cricket played at least for a year until the scars of Pahal Gham had at least partially healed.
08:54Or we had seen from Pakistan some kind of behaviour to accept some level of contriteness for what happened in Pahal Gham.
09:02So, that's my view, that we should not have played this tournament at this particular juncture.
09:09Having played it, I think we should have shaken hands.
09:12I also think that the behaviour of Haris Rao and a few of the Pakistani players was against the spirit of the sport.
09:18But what troubles me more is the manner in which officials are using players as pawns and making this war minus the shooting.
09:26It is these officials who need to get their act together.
09:30Please look at the visuals before the tournament where we were happily shaking hands with the Pakistani players and Mohsin Nakmi.
09:36These scripts are being written outside the cricket field by those who believe that they can be the chess masters and use the players as pawns.
09:47I think they are the ones who need to introspect and I hope they do so because as a cricket lover, we want to see quality cricket on the field and we want to see sporting spirit of it.
09:58Unfortunately, in this Asia Cup, the entire manner in which this tournament has been played has left a sour taste in the mouth.
10:06I am not going to blame one side or the other. I think everyone needs to introspect.
10:11And how do you see Bumrah mimicking the plane crash gesture which was done by Rauf earlier in the earlier match?
10:19Yesterday, we saw Bumrah mimicking the same. Your views on that?
10:22You know, Haris Rauf has been fined 30% of his match fees. Who knows tomorrow? Bumrah also may be fined.
10:31All of this is getting out of control. You see, what is happening is we are fighting battles that should be fought off the field, on the field.
10:42I maintain players are not soldiers. Players are cricketers. We should cherish them for their cricketing ability.
10:49We should not cherish them for the gestures they make on the field against each other.
10:55All of this is low level and all of this is extremely avoidable.
10:59I think ahead of the World T20, which will take place next year in India, there needs to be a strict code of conduct for the players and the officials.
11:09The officials also need to give clarity as to under what conditions are these games being played.
11:14I don't think any of what has happened in Dubai has enhanced the reputation of the sport.
11:23Other countries will look at it and actually almost mock us because this is not what is expected of cricket teams.
11:32I really believe that the cricketers themselves do not want to get engaged in these verbal battles.
11:38Yes, some amount of intimidation on cricket fields will happen. Nothing wrong with that.
11:43But let's not reduce it to these mocking gestures.
11:46What Haris Rao did the other day was unacceptable.
11:50And I think Jasperi Bumrah is too great a bowler to get involved in this tit-for-tat politics that has taken over the sport.
11:58Rajdeep, talking about politics, shortly after the victory, yesterday's victory, Prime Minister Modi also congratulated the Indian team.
12:07And he also mentioned about Operation Sindur in his post. How do you see that?
12:13Well, that is contentious as well. I think the Prime Minister did well to congratulate the team.
12:19I'm not sure whether he needed to involve Operation Sindur in this.
12:22You see, this is the problem. Everyone is bringing politics into sport.
12:28Mohsin Nakvi has made the most unsavoury remarks against India, bringing politics into the sport.
12:35Do we really need to tweet about Operation Sindur rather than just focus on the cricketing victory?
12:41To my mind, there was only one hero yesterday. That was Tilak Verma.
12:44Let's salute him and how he played.
12:47We don't need to get into Operation Sindur at this moment.
12:50Cricketers are not expected to take revenge for what happened in Pelgham.
12:55That will be done by the soldiers.
12:57Let's not now confuse the army with our cricketers.
13:00This is all setting a very dangerous precedent for the future.
13:05God forbid Pakistan, unlikely as it may seem, wins a tournament tomorrow which India is hosting.
13:12Do we want them to also retaliate in this manner?
13:14It is not, we should try to whatever extent possible, keep the sport out of politics.
13:22And if we cannot, then the best way is to try and ensure that Pakistan is ostracized on the cricket field
13:29by using our powers as a cricketing superpower to try and postpone such tournaments
13:39till we can have some kind of normalcy.
13:43The wounds of Pelgham are too raw.
13:47And I think that's the reason why we've seen the kind of responses on the cricket field this time.
13:52Right. Also, Rajdeep, we were discussing about Surya Kumar Yadav being fined for his statement
13:58on the Pelgham attack and Operation Sindur.
14:00But despite the fine, we yesterday saw him dedicating the entire fee to the victims and to the Indian Army.
14:09I think that's his choice.
14:11He's perfectly entitled to say that I want to dedicate my match monies to Pelgham victims and the army.
14:19In fact, I believe the entire team should be doing that.
14:22Those are personal choices.
14:23I don't think we should have problems with what personal choices are made.
14:27But when you're representing India on the cricket field,
14:30then you should represent the best of the spirit of the game.
14:33Same thing goes for Pakistan.
14:35So, if Surya Kumar Yadav chooses to give his monies to the Pelgham widows
14:43or indeed the Indian Army, good luck to him.
14:46That's a personal choice.
14:47But I think overall, overall, the entire tournament has left the sad impression
14:53that cricket has become war minus the shooting
14:56and players are mere pawns in the hands of board officials on both sides.
15:02And those board officials are taking their instructions and their script
15:06from the political powers on either side of the border.
15:10Right. Rajdeep, thank you so much for joining us on the broadcast.
15:13So, the politics also continues over the Asia Cup tournament.
15:19India emerged as the clear winner.
15:21And there's a lot of rant also, ranting also, that is going on in Pakistani national media
15:27with ex-Pakistani cricketers themselves saying that Pakistan, in fact,
15:31did not even deserve to be in the finals.
15:33Sri Lanka was the second best team and that India was actually the deserving winner of the tournament.
15:40We're now getting some more breaking news.
15:43Prime Minister Modi pens forward for Meloni's memoir, calls it her monkey bat.
15:49PM Modi hails Meloni's inspiring journey in forward to her memoir
15:54and Meloni's memoir to get Indian edition with forward by Prime Minister Modi.
16:00That's the breaking news that we're getting.
16:02Prime Minister Modi has penned forward for Meloni's memoir
16:06and he has called it her monkey bat.
16:08Prime Minister Modi has also hailed Meloni's inspiring journey in forward to her memoir.
16:15And Meloni's memoir, the Italian Prime Minister Meloni's memoir
16:19to get Indian edition with forward by Prime Minister Modi.
16:23That's the breaking news that's coming in Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's monkey bat.
16:33Prime Minister Modi has hailed Meloni's inspiring journey in forward to her memoir.
16:39And this memoir of Meloni will get Indian edition with forward by Prime Minister Modi.
16:46So Prime Minister Modi has penned the forward for Italian Prime Minister's memoir
16:52and he has called it her monkey bat.
16:54In fact, he has hailed the Italian Prime Minister's inspiring journey in the forward.
17:01And the memoir will get Indian edition as well with the forward by Prime Minister Modi.
17:12So Prime Minister Modi in the forward to Giorgia Meloni's memoir
17:17has called it her monkey bat.
17:19He has hailed her inspiring journey.
17:23And we're also learning that the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's memoir
17:28will be getting an Indian edition with the forward that has been penned by the Prime Minister.
17:35So that's the breaking news that we're getting.
17:36Prime Minister Modi has penned forward for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's memoir.
17:43He has called it her monkey bat and he has in fact also praised and hailed Meloni's inspiring journey
17:51in the forward penned by him.
17:54And the Meloni's memoir will be getting an Indian edition with the forward
18:00that has been written by Prime Minister Modi.
18:02A deadly stampede at Vijay's rally in Tamil Nadu's Karur on Saturday sent shockwaves across the nation.
18:18The stampede left at least 40 people dead and several others injured.
18:22Sources tell India today that the Tamil Nadu government advised Vijay not to meet the victims
18:26fearing his visit could incite further chaos.
18:29Vijay was reportedly asked verbally to leave Karur with authorities urging TVK to avoid political activities.
18:36Consequently, the TVK chief left Karur at the authorities' request.
18:41There was no power cut at the event.
18:43Although TVK party had requested a power supply interruption,
18:46the brief dimming of a few lights was solely due to a generator issue specific to the party's arrangements.
18:53Earlier, TVK leveled several charges against the state government and the cops,
18:56including stone pelting, police lathe charge at the venue and a sudden power cut leading to the tragedy.
19:03It also alleged that TVK was forced to hold the rally in a cramped space.
19:08However, the Tamil Nadu top cop has countered these claims that have been levelled by TVK,
19:13stating that an alternative venue was considered high risk and the TVK carder defied the protocols.
19:19The ADGP also stated that there was no lathe charge by the cops or stone pelting
19:25and that adequate police personnel were deployed at the event.
19:49So they asked for one more place called the Ulawar Chandai.
19:52So that was also examined and they told them that also the kind of capacity that they're going to bring
19:56is not going to accommodate in that place.
19:58So keeping that as an option, they suggested a place.
20:01We suggested a place called Velaida, this one.
20:03Because this was conducted in the recent past by one of the political parties
20:07with about 12,000 to 15,000 people who were gathered there and it went out very peacefully.
20:11So that was suggested to them.
20:13So they also went and saw the place.
20:14They finally agreed.
20:15They gave it in writing saying that we may be permitted to conduct the event in this place.
20:19And my colleague Apoorva is now joining us with more details on this.
20:23Apoorva, it was being claimed by the TVK that the DMK government was responsible for the power cut
20:29that happened at the rally, but which has now been clarified that there was no power cut at the rally.
20:35In fact, the lights were dimmed.
20:36Give us more details on this.
20:42Well, in fact, I want to give you a clarification and a correction.
20:44In fact, it's not that, you know, government officials had asked Vijay to leave from the premises after the stampede had happened.
20:51In fact, it's the TVK that has gone ahead and alleged that it was the government officials who had asked Vijay to leave.
20:58In fact, government officials have outrightly denied these any kind of allegations,
21:03saying that it was the authorities of the government there who had asked Vijay to leave.
21:06In fact, that's the clarification or rather the correction that is coming in from top sources from the government of Tamil Nadu.
21:12And more importantly, when we're talking about the stampede-like situation, you know, the 40 people's lives have been lost.
21:19And the government has also clarified, saying that there hasn't been any kind of power cuts that had took place.
21:25In fact, what we are getting to know is that there had been precautionary measures that had been taken by officials there,
21:32owing to the kind of, you know, fan frenzy crowds that had come in here for Vijay's rally.
21:38Several of them who were chasing the vehicle in which Vijay had come on bikes.
21:42Several of them who were trying to, you know, get atop transformers and other kind of, you know, things just to catch a glimpse of Vijay.
21:52And this is why authorities had to, you know, force to turn off power for some time
21:57because they did not want any casualties to take place owing to people climbing on transformers
22:02and other such dangerous areas which might have potentially caused more deaths anticipated.
22:09But now, unfortunately, in this stampede that had taken place,
22:13we have seen 40 people, including children, who have died in this stampede there as well.
22:19In fact, TVK's chief Vijay has gone ahead and issued a statement wherein he says that he is heartbroken
22:26that this kind of an incident had taken place and that they had neither anticipated
22:31that this kind of a calamity might take place when they had requested for permissions.
22:36We also saw there the ADGP of the state going ahead and saying that they had given them multiple options
22:43that they were asked for permissions where they could hold the rally.
22:47And this particular location, thank you for getting us those details.
22:50We'll keep coming back here for more updates on this.
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