- 6 days ago
This edition of To The Point delves into several significant political developments across India. In Bihar, RJD chief Tejashwi Yadav's election pledge to repeal the Waqf Amendment Act during his Seemanchal campaign has generated a political firestorm.
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00:00Good evening, you're watching To The Point. We come to you from Baksar in Bihar and it's a good day to land in Bihar.
00:09The festivities where Chhat Pooja's concerned are at its peak and it cliches will prove that the festival of Chhat is going to give way to the festival of an election in the state of Bihar.
00:20We're going to get you the latest coming up from Bihar and our ground reports with the team election dispatch on ground from Wednesday onwards.
00:27But we've got lots to discuss today. But first up, allow me to take you through the headlines.
00:38Election Commission announces Phase 2 of SIR in 12 states. All 2026 poll-bound states accept a SAM named in Phase 2 of SIR.
00:48Voter roll in these 12 states and union territories to be frozen from midnight.
00:57Acid attack on a 20-year-old student in Delhi. Accused was allegedly stalking the survivor for a long time.
01:06Meanwhile, accused's wife claims that she was raped by survivor's father.
01:09Another shocking crime in the capital. UPSC aspirant murdered in Delhi by his live-in partner.
01:22Girlfriend killed him with the help of her ex-boyfriend. Accused is a forensic student.
01:27She staged a cylinder blast to camouflage the murder.
01:30Madhya Pradesh Minister Kailash Vijay Vargyar triggers widespread outrage suggests that two Australian women cricketers should learn a lesson after they were molested in Indore.
01:47One month after Karoor Stampede TVK chief, Vijay Mead's kin of victims breaks down while meeting them.
02:00He urges the families to consider him as their own.
02:03Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Romar Abdullah threatens to resign if centre's statehood promise stays unfulfilled.
02:16Chief minister Abdullah dropped the bombshell while speaking exclusively to India today.
02:22There's a finite timeline.
02:24There's a finite timeline and that could very well be before your term ends.
02:28That's why there is a timeline.
02:29If it isn't before my term ends, then it's a total waste of time.
02:33What is the option? What is it? You're going to step down.
02:42Alright, our top story comes in from Bihar, from the C. Marchal region.
02:48Viewers, you had Tejasvi Yadav who was campaigning in C. Marchal Haq all the way back to 2020.
02:53If you remember, this was the area which AIMIM, Saduddin Ovesi, dented quite a bit, winning five seats, where the Mahagat Bandhan chances were concerned.
03:05This time around, you had the RJD chief, Tejasvi Yadav, taking nothing to chance.
03:11And where the Muslim Vote Bank is concerned, suggested that if the Mahagat Bandhan is voted to power,
03:20then he will not allow the Waqf Amendment Act to be implemented in the state of Bihar, of course.
03:28That led to a lot of charges coming in from the NDA of appeasement politics.
03:34In battleground Bihar, Muslim Vote Bank is the crucial pawn.
03:46Both ruling and opposition alliances are pitching for their vote.
03:50One with promises, while the other strikes through those promises.
03:54In the latest, the chief ministerial face of Mahagat Bandhan pledged to scrap the Waqf Act in Bihar if his alliance comes to power.
04:04On Sunday, the RJD chief was campaigning in four Simanchal assembly seats of Pranapur, Kocha Dhaman, Joki Hart and Narpat Ganj.
04:33Muslims form a significant and influential electorate in the area with nearly 68% of the population count.
04:41A day before Tejasvi Yadav's comment, the RJD youth wing president and sitting MLC quoted controversy for threatening all supporters of the Waqf Bill of Consequences if Tejasvi Yadav comes to power.
04:54And he was quick to tear into Mahagat Bandhan's claims.
05:08Bihar has a total of 8,616 vaqf.
05:13Bihar has a total of 8,616 vaqf properties.
05:39Out of these, 1,750 come under the Bihar state Shia vaqf board and 6,866 under the Bihar state Sunni vaqf board.
05:50The combined area covered by these properties is approximately 1,98,354 acres.
05:57BGP alleged that Tejasvi Yadav's claims for writing-off Waqf Bill was akin to illegal land acquisition.
06:05Parliament passed the Waqf Amendment Act in April this year.
06:26In September, the Supreme Court temporarily state provisions granting district collectors white powers over vaqf properties and requiring five years of practicing Islam to create a vaqf.
06:38The court also capped the number of non-Muslims on the Central Vaqf Council and State Vaqf Boots.
06:46In poll-bound Bihar, vaqf is once again at the center of debate to capture the minority vote.
06:51With Piyush Mishra in Patna Bureau Report, India Today.
06:55My colleague, Mariya Shaqeel caught up with Tejasvi Yadav in C. Marchal where he was campaigning and asked him on the charges of appeasement of the Syrian community.
07:08Listen in.
07:09Are we going to be, after all...
07:13In the last 10 days, we are holding the truth out of the fact that our people also have been trolled in court by the 18,9% of the people who live with a deputy chief.
07:21In the last 10 days, we have announced the police chief to tell them that we are on the behalf of the deputy chief and state, too will be getting hurt.
07:27And this BJP is being trolled.
07:30They say, Pakistan, go.
07:33They say, Ghuspatia.
07:37They are doing this today.
07:40We will also stop the BJP's love.
07:43You said that we are waiting for a announcement.
07:57We're going to continue to get you more, but let's quickly dip in on the latest that's coming in from the state of Bihar and the politics concern there.
08:05At one end, you have the Congress facing the Jan Nayib charge.
08:09On the other, you have Chirag Paswan who is campaigning,
08:13finally coming up and supporting the face of Nitish Kumar as the chief ministerial face where the NDA is concerned.
08:22The battle for Bihar's political legacy has turned bitter over the Jan Nayib tag.
08:27The Congress has projected Rahul Gandhi as Bihar's new Jan Nayib invoking the memory of socialist icon Karpuri Thakur.
08:35The BJP has hit back sharply, calling it a title theft by what it described as the Nayib of corruption.
08:41In a major show of unity within the NDA,
08:52LJP chief Chirag Paswan has publicly backed Nitish Kumar as the alliance's chief ministerial face.
08:58Day after, Prime Minister Modi endorsed Nitish for another term.
09:02Paswan said,
09:03My MLAs will vote to make Nitish Kumar chief minister,
09:06adding that the NDA is much stronger and more united this time.
09:11Paswan's endorsement comes after a meeting with Nitish Kumar,
09:14signaling the internal rift within the alliance may have settled.
09:19As election fever peaks, the BJP has cracked the weapon in discipline.
09:27The party's Bihar unit expelled six leaders including sitting
09:31Khalgaon MLA, Pawan Yadav for anti-party activities.
09:36Other expelled include Sunny Yadav, Shravan Kushwaha, Uttam Chaudhuri, Maruti Nandan, Maruti and Pawan Chaudhuri.
09:44All have been suspended from the party's primary membership.
09:48The move signals the BJP's zero-tolerance approach and what they call to dissent.
10:00The Congress has announced a list of 40-star campaigners for the first phase of Bihar assembly elections.
10:05The list includes Malik Arjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi,
10:11Kandhaya Kumar and Independent MP Pappu Yadav.
10:14The line-up underlines the Congress' push to energize the Mahagat Bandhan campaign
10:19as the contest with the NDA intensifies.
10:23Meanwhile, back where the national capital is concerned,
10:36Chhat Pooja politics only peaks where you have the NDA and the Aam Admi Party
10:42now in the opposition trading charges on the cleanliness of the Yamada.
10:46If you remember, viewers, you had the BJP who had taken on the Aam Admi Party
10:51last time around when the Aam Admi Party was in power on a dirty, filthy Yamuna.
10:58Well, all that has happened right now is the positions of the Aam Admi Party
11:02and the BJP have changed with the BJP now incumbent, but the Yamuna remains as dirty.
11:08Chhat Pooja is here and so is the politics over it.
11:20Tensions flared in Delhi between the BJP government,
11:23led by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and the opposition Aam Admi Party
11:26over the cleanliness of the Yamuna River.
11:29Chief Minister Rekha Gupta defended her administration,
11:32highlighting sewage treatment upgrades and ongoing efforts to clean the river.
11:37In Delhi, there is a pipeline in Delhi.
11:40In Delhi, there is a decentralized STP in Delhi.
11:44Then Yamuna will be clean.
11:46There is no work for one day.
11:47I will say yes, I have gone, and the Yamuna is clean.
11:50No, it will be time.
11:52Now, the previous government's actions
11:56were taken away from the previous government.
11:59We were taken away from such a bad way.
12:00We were taken away from the summit.
12:02Aam Admi Party Delhi Chief Saurabh Bhardwaj accused the BJP of building artificial ghats
12:09and misleading the devotees over cleanliness of the Yamuna,
12:12claiming the ruling party was politicizing the festival ahead of the Bihar elections.
12:17The BJP, however, dismissed these allegations as baseless and politically motivated,
12:32with Chief Minister insisting that these were genuine environmental initiatives,
12:49not a publicity stunt, unlike in previous years when the scene remained unchanged,
12:54with devotees offering prayers in frothy polluted waters.
12:59India today took a boat ride to track Yamuna clean-up firsthand.
13:27As the city celebrates Shatpooja on the banks of the Yamuna, the river clean-up continues to stir debate.
13:56With Anjana Om Kashyap and Anmol Bali in Delhi,
14:01Bureau Report, India Today.
14:03Right now, let's cut across to the latest that is coming in from the state of Madhya Pradesh
14:13with the latest shocking incident from a minister in the cabinet where Madhya Pradesh is concerned.
14:21Mr. Kailash Vijay Varga, what he has said is shameful where it came down to the molestation of Australian women cricketers.
14:30Mr. Kailash Vijay Varga has sparked outrage across party lines and embarrassment at a time when India is hosting the Women's Cricket World Cup.
14:49After two Australian women cricketers were stalked and one of them allegedly molested near their hotel earlier this week,
14:56the Sina B.J.B. leader, instead of focusing on the crime, chose to put the onus also on the cricketers.
15:05While the accused Akeel Khan has since been arrested, Vijay Varga's shocking remark drew fierce criticism.
15:21What could have been a strong anti-harassment message has instead turned into what many see as victim blaming.
15:42The incident of stalking and molestation of women cricketers has
16:11harmed the country's image. The minister's comment has only added to the embarrassment.
16:18Bureau Report, India Today.
16:20What is truly shocking is that till now there has been absolutely no action that has been taken against this minister.
16:30It's not the first time he said something this derogatory, this pervasive and this misogynistic.
16:36What has also happened, viewers, is in the interim we have had the Australian cricket teams handle on the social media platform X
16:45where they have tweeted about the incident, deleting all their tweets because they say that they have been facing constant harassment
16:51ever since they actually posted about the incident.
16:55Shocking to say these. No action, nothing coming in where the incumbent government of Madhya Pradesh is concerned or the party right now.
17:05I want to cut across to our two guests this evening, Miss Brinda Adige and Miss Lalita Kumara-Manglum,
17:12former chairperson NCW, Brinda Adige, women rights activist. I want to cut across first to Miss Lalita Kumara-Manglum.
17:20Ma'am, you've been part of the Bharatiya Janata Party and I'm a little appalled today that there has been no action
17:28that has been taken against Mr. Vijay Varghaya. Absolutely nothing. Stone-cold silence coming in from the Madhya Pradesh government
17:35as well as the central party.
17:41I'm as appalled as you are, Preeti. At the very least, Mr. Vijay Varghaya should be made to apologise for the people whose feelings he's hurt.
17:49And this is not just the cricketers. You know, when you're in a position of power or influence, you really need to watch what you're saying.
17:57When I was young, my father used to say, bite your tongue. I think more often than not, our politicians must learn that when you are talking on sensitive topics,
18:08please do not just rattle off whatever you think will get you out of hot water. In this case, I found his remarks not only insensitive and very, very patriarchal,
18:21but I'm victim-shaming. These are the normal words we use. A politician who has been elected to rule, whether the ruling party or the opposition or any other party,
18:31must understand that a huge number of people have put their trust in him. Many of those people are women who have voted for him.
18:38Imagine the disappointment and the fear now or the apprehension that girls may have in that part of the country, Madhya Pradesh,
18:46that a minister has said something like this. Couldn't he have stopped with saying that, yes, this should not have happened?
18:54Victim-shaming is ridiculous. It's the usual, usual, you know, what we say, cover that people use to hide their faults in the system.
19:04In this case, whoever did the, you know, the abuse of these young girls, he has been arrested, but that's not the point.
19:12When a man like Kailash Vijay Vargya, who is such an influential person in the government, comes up with an extremely, I don't know how to say it, ridiculous,
19:21patriarchal, extremely, sometimes frightening statement to people, to girls who are walking on the road imperfectly, you know, we have the freedom to do so.
19:32Because democracy, at the very least, Mr. Vijay Vargya should apologise, not just to the two Australian football players who are assaulted,
19:42but to all the women who have been hurt by what he said, more than hurt, scared, I mean, I can't use the word I want to use now on TV, but really scared.
19:51Even women like me, I have a 12-year-old granddaughter, somebody turns around and tells me she's walking down the street in her school uniform,
19:58which is basically a skirt and a blouse, that she's dressed inappropriately, therefore she has been abused.
20:04I would probably slap that man. I'm sorry. I mean, I'm in a position to be able to talk so strongly and perhaps follow up on it.
20:11But most women are not. So, politicians have a responsibility and in this case, it's a shame that he belongs to a ruling party and seems to have got away with it.
20:20At the very least, I request the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh to ask or make Kailash Vijay Vargya apologise,
20:28or at least explain and apologise why he said what he said.
20:33It's not just about an apology. I think strong action now needs to be taken because this individual, this man, who's got gutter-level thinking, has gotten away way too long.
20:47This is not the first time Kailash Vijay Vargya has said something this derogatory and this sexist, this misogynist.
20:54And he is a man who occupies a very powerful office where it comes down to the cabinet where Madhya Pradesh is concerned.
21:02So, Brinda Adhige, my question is because, you know, ultimately it gets down to between one government or the other that your molestation is bigger than my molestation.
21:11But having said that today, if one doesn't hear, not condemnation, but action coming in, what's the message that we are sending across, not just in our country, but internationally?
21:25Not only condemnation, but like Mrs. Lalita said, he requires to be made to apologise to all Indians.
21:39Because of his sexist, misogynistic, regressive, retrograde statement, all of us have to hang our heads in shame.
21:46He made that statement that these women should have reported to the administration, told somebody if they are going out.
21:54Does he not know that it is his responsibility, his government's responsibility, the state's responsibility to ensure at least 10 kilometre radius from that hotel, there is patrolling that is increased, that there is more security.
22:08Because we have people from abroad and they are playing in our country, in the state where this man has been elected into power.
22:16Instead of doing and saying all of those kind of things and feeling sorry that something like this happened in Indore, this man is going around blaming women, just like he has been doing all along.
22:30His party leaders also must hang their heads in shame because this is the kind of elected representative our citizens have elected into power.
22:39These are guys who are making our laws and policies for protection of women, for protection of children.
22:45And we are a country who always pride ourselves that the guests who come into our country are like gods.
22:52So we treat them with respect, with dignity.
22:54How dare he make such a statement?
22:57And like you mentioned, he may get away and so it is important to set an example.
23:03I am hoping that my Prime Minister and his party leaders will look into it.
23:07But you know, Ms. Kumara Maghlam, I want to bring you back into this conversation.
23:10Because as much as it that we can keep delving into and talk about, oh, we must, should have strengthened security around, you know, the hotel that they were in.
23:19They should have been patrolling and they should have been.
23:21There is nothing wrong with what Prinda Adige is saying.
23:23But this is a true reality check on what young girls face every day on the streets of India, small towns, big towns, big cities.
23:33And this is the mindset of our ruling class because this team was an Australian team.
23:40The incident was highlighted by them.
23:42This is an everyday situation for a young girl walking out alone.
23:47I agree.
23:48And I don't think it's always just young girls.
23:50Unfortunately, in this country, Eve T. Singh is...
23:54Annie, I agree.
23:55Sorry?
23:58Unfortunately, in this country...
23:59I agree, ma'am.
24:00You're right.
24:01It's not just young girls.
24:02It could be any woman.
24:03No, and any ruling party, regardless of their political beliefs, et cetera, et cetera, needs to make sure that, at the very least, as Binda Adige said, when we have guests, these are guests of honor, they've come to play a tournament.
24:17They should have been provided security.
24:19It's not the job of the guests to say, I'm going to a shop or going for a walk or whatever else.
24:25It's the job of the security to make sure that they are there to protect them when they need to be protected.
24:32Yes, I agree.
24:33It is a crying shame that in this country, even today, for all the big talk across parties, states, et cetera, women still are at such severe risk.
24:45Women, young girls, et cetera, are at severe risk, right from birth, I think, up to the point that they pass away.
24:51But all of us know it.
24:54So any party that is in power, regardless, must make sure, and here I say it again, I agree with what Binda said, must make sure that the security is in place.
25:04I'm not saying generally we need not, we do not need to step up our security of girls and women in this country.
25:13I'm saying in this particular situation, unfortunately, and it is my party that's in power there, so I say this with a great deal of regret and shame.
25:22Unfortunately, they did not have enough adequate security in place.
25:29These are everyday happenings, as you pointed out, Priti, and everybody knows it.
25:34So a state government needs to make sure that when they have an international tournament where women are playing, those women, their security is adequately taken care of.
25:45It is a fault of the government, and when a minister of that government, a senior minister turns down and makes a statement where he more or less absolves the government of blame and actually tries to victim shame, then it's, I mean, it's not really deeply regretful.
26:00It's also, like I said, it's very frightening.
26:02Where is the security for women, for all the shows we have and come and, you know, agitate on about on TV, for all the work that is done by so many women across the last 70 years or so?
26:14Where is the security for women over and over again?
26:18I mean, all over again, we go through this.
26:21In a month, at least two or three times I'm saying this on some issue or the other, whether it's dowry, whether it's eve teasing, whether it's molestation, whether it's rape, we just don't seem to be able to move forward.
26:33There is something intrinsically wrong in the system.
26:36We need to take a very deep look at the system and, you know, with rose-colored spectacles off, we need to look at ourselves, not just always find blame to the other side.
26:47We need to all sit down and make sure that, at least today or from as soon as possible, that systemic changes are also affected.
26:58Otherwise, this pathetic dread, I mean, you know, absolutely horrible story will just keep repeating itself.
27:05But, you know, Brinda Adige, where is the collective outrage? Because that's always missing.
27:14The sheer fact that we haven't seen a cross-party line outrage on a comment as sexist, deeply misogynistic and troubling as this, that hasn't happened.
27:26It's not big enough right now for the government of Madhya Pradesh to actually take notice and condemn this statement, leave alone the party back in Delhi, to actually take strong action against one of its own leaders.
27:40Absolutely right. There is no outrage from the government.
27:45But on the flip side, what this man stated just goes to show that no place is safe for women, certainly not the streets of Madhya Pradesh.
27:55And so he is reiterating and saying public spaces are not safe for women, so women don't come out onto the streets.
28:04And that is the most shameful statement reiterated by an elected representative.
28:10You're asking about public outrage on this particular case.
28:14But where is the outrage from the state government or from public when there are women and girls molested, sexually harassed, raped and murdered on a daily basis?
28:27There is no outrage.
28:28There is no outrage.
28:29Because you have leaders of this nature who continue to make these retrograde regressive statements.
28:34And so impunity continues.
28:36There is no fear of law.
28:38There is continuously statements being made even by the judiciary.
28:42You marry this person, write an essay.
28:46It is okay.
28:47Boys will be boys.
28:48Men will be men.
28:49We never pull up anybody.
28:51I'm not talking only about this minister, but I'm talking about elected representatives and political leaders across parties,
28:58where we've always absorbed them, never held them accountable for this kind of loose statements.
29:05Neither by their parties, nor by the state, and sadly, not even by us citizens.
29:10Right.
29:11You know, I just want to take the last couple of minutes of your time, and I want to bring in Lalita Kumara Mangalam first, and then Brinda Adike.
29:21Because, you know, what's the way ahead, Lalita Kumara Mangalam?
29:25And I'm not talking generically, but in this particular case, how does one ensure that it's not an apology that one needs, but strong action that one takes?
29:34And what I take great heart in today, Lalita Kumara Mangalam is because you come from the Bharatiya Janata party, and to say it for what it is, is commendable, which many of your party ilk are not doing so.
29:47Preeti, this is not the time for me to pat myself on the back.
29:52I don't feel particularly nice about what happened at all.
29:55You know, most politicians have very big egos.
29:58To make the man apologize will be a big thing.
30:01Believe me, I'm a member of a political party.
30:04I know this extremely well.
30:06The state government must issue an apology.
30:09If Mr. Vijay Bhargaya does not do it himself, a senior person in the government of Madhya Pradesh must apologize, not just to those particular girls,
30:19but also say that it is not correct that such statements are made.
30:24Because unless we start with a public acceptance or a public apology, we are not going to go anywhere.
30:32Normally, most people don't like to apologize when they've made a mistake.
30:37But in this case, I think that's the first step.
30:40And moving forward, like I said, we need to look at the systemic problems we have.
30:45It's a it's it's not a small job. It's a huge job.
30:48And it has to start somewhere in some state.
30:52I hope at least, you know, every time, like I say, I'm on TV at least three times a month talking about what has happened to women, something that should never have happened that happens.
31:01And it keeps happening over and over again, whether it is in Kashmir or Madhya Pradesh or Tamil Nadu or anywhere else.
31:07It's sort of repetitively women keep getting abused, killed, raped, etc, etc.
31:14So we must sit down and I think everybody needs to sit down together.
31:19I want to, right.
31:20And look at systemic changes that have to be put in place.
31:22I want to get in. I want to get in. Yeah.
31:25Brinda Adige to come in. Brinda Adige, if you could encapsulate because, you know, we can talk about the how, you know, how we're going to fix it, which never gets fixed because the issue quite remains the same.
31:36And there is absolute bizarre statements that are made time in and time again.
31:42But I'd bring you in. In this particular case, Brinda Adige, how does one put enough pressure on the Madhya Pradesh government or on the party, which is the Bharatiya Janata Party, to actually take tangible action?
31:56I think it is media channels like you who are the best to put that kind of a pressure.
32:04But that said, I think it is important that the Madhya Pradesh chief minister show that there will be consequences if these kind of talk are continuously spewed by members from his party.
32:18And that consequences is not something that you're, you know, saying, OK, I'm going to take action against him.
32:23You have disciplinary clauses. You have guidelines within your party, your manifestos.
32:28And that is something you must put on place. You must not be afraid to put somebody where they are meant to be so that you teach a lesson to others and say such action, such behavior and derogatory speech against women citizens of our nation and guests who come into our nation is absolutely unacceptable.
32:48And that disciplinary action, they shouldn't be afraid to take against these people because otherwise they always will keep getting away because there's nobody who's going to register any other complaint against them.
33:00Even the Australian cricketers, somebody might say, oh, we are going to register in FIR or whatever. But it is the party's job, the state government's responsibility.
33:10Otherwise, who else will you hold accountable? Nobody is held accountable. And this kind of behavior will continue.
33:17And people, especially the perpetrators, will think, OK, why should I fear the law? Let's go on.
33:23So the state government of Madhya Pradesh, the chief minister, must put his foot down and ensure that disciplinary action is taken against this man within the party at least.
33:33Right. Well, I appreciate both you ladies for joining us. Thank you there. Well, we on our end are going to do what we can.
33:41And that is two men are answerable today on why no action has been taken against Mr. Kailash Vijaywarke.
33:46And that is party president of the BJP, Mr. J.P. Nada and the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, Mr. Mohan Yadav.
33:53Thank you for joining us on this debate.
33:56Have you given yourself a time where statehood is concerned?
33:59That, OK, I'm going to be this, this is my talk.
34:01I've given myself a time for occupying the office that I currently occupy.
34:05What is that time?
34:06Leave that. That's between me and the Almighty.
34:11And the Almighty. You're not answerable to the Almighty. You're answerable to your people.
34:15No, I definitely am. Well, I mean, sure.
34:17But the people have put you there.
34:18I mean, when I have to tell the people, they will know.
34:21So you're saying?
34:22I'm not going to, I mean, I'm not going to give you sort of that position.
34:26You have already given it.
34:27Where you will stand behind me with a stopwatch.
34:29No, you've already given it. So you've already told us that.
34:32No, I've not told you. I mean, I've said there is a time, there's a finite timeline.
34:35There's a finite timeline. Yeah.
34:37And that could very well be before your term ends.
34:39That's why there is a timeline.
34:40Well, if it isn't before my term ends, then it's a...
34:42Then it's not a timeline.
34:43Then it's a total waste of time.
34:44OK, so basically what you're saying is that you've given yourself a finite timeline.
34:47If we don't get statehood.
34:48If you don't get statehood.
34:49Yeah.
34:50By next year then?
34:51Is there...
34:52Now, stop. I mean, you're not going to get the answer.
34:54So you can find as many ways as you'd like to ask the question.
34:56And I will continue to.
34:57OK, fine. I want to ask you the timeframe of it.
34:58But what is the option? What is it? You're going to step down.
34:59Again.
35:00When the time comes, whenever that time is.
35:01Exactly.
35:02That is between you and your maker.
35:03So when will you step down? Is that the...
35:04What is the other option? I'm hardly going to step up.
35:06OK, so you will step down. I have to ask you this. I have to verbalize it.
35:21I think when I tell you that if things continue the way they are, it is unlikely that I will
35:28be in this office when the term of this government ends. I think that is as clear as it can be.
35:35All right. So that was the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister who had a rather honest, candid chat with me
35:42and practically stated that he has set himself a finite timeline.
35:48If restoration of statehood does not happen where his state Jammu and Kashmir is concerned, then he will step down.
35:56He didn't give us when that timeframe is, but is he issuing an ultimatum to the centre is the question.
36:03We are asking our two panellists this evening. Joining me, RS Pathania, BJP MLA, advocate Ifra Jaan, spokesperson, National Conference, NC.
36:15I want to cut across to Irfa Jaan first. Irfa Jaan, is there now an ultimatum by the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister that restores statehood or else I step down?
36:28Of course, we don't know what that timing of stepping down is, but there seems to be an ultimatum that was issued.
36:34You see, Miss Preeti, there should have been no need for any such statements given the fact that the BJP government, top leaders of the BJP government had themselves promised both on the floor of the parliament and in the Supreme Court of India that they would restore the status of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir as soon as possible.
36:54Now, when that as soon as possible is, we don't know because it's now been, what, it's now been six years since that has happened.
37:02But some questions, I would want to reframe this debate because a lot of people ask this, when are you going to resign? Are you going to resign?
37:11There is a fundamental question I have and which is, who does the onus of resignation lie on?
37:17Does the onus of resignation lie on somebody who has fulfilled every constitutional and democratic obligation or does it lie on those who failed in theirs?
37:26Who has fulfilled the obligation and who has failed their obligations?
37:30Umar sahab has not failed any obligation. He was not the person who made any such comment in the Supreme Court of India.
37:38When the solicitor general of India goes to the Supreme Court and he says, we cannot restore statehood because of attacks like Behelgaam, because of the law and order situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
37:48Then the second question I would like to ask is, who does the law and order rest with?
37:53It rests with the honourable central government.
37:56So why is there this narrative of shame that is being crafted to in a way pressurize Umar sahab and an elected government to resign by constantly asking, kab resign kareho, kyun nahin karareho?
38:12Does the shame lie on us? Does it lie on the elected representatives?
38:16And it's something that he said himself.
38:18What is the pressure on him?
38:19He could have said that I'm not, that there is no timeline, he himself said I've set myself a timeline.
38:25BJP government, unfortunately, in our country, uses every trick from their hat to ensure that opposition leaders are not allowed to work.
38:34Whether it's the ED raids, whether it is conversion of union territories into, conversion of full-fledged states into union territories.
38:42And then, in a way, making their working impossible.
38:47So it's not just Umar sahab who's now being asked to resign because he's just tired of how he's been made to work.
38:53You have to look at this as a larger pattern of how the BJP has ensured that no opposition chief minister in any way is allowed to work.
39:02We see the Tamil Nadu bills which are lying with the governor for years where the Supreme Court had to intervene.
39:08We see the ED raids.
39:10And now we see a situation where they refuse to let the UT elected government work.
39:16I'm just going to cut across to RS Pathania.
39:18Okay, I'm going to cut across to RS Pathania, but I want to make it very clear because it was something that he said entirely.
39:24There was no pressure on him to confirm.
39:26It's a valid question to ask him whether he set himself a timeline on the basis of which if he thinks that it wasn't worth his while.
39:33Because he said he only fought that election on the basis of statehood being delivered.
39:38So, and he did say that he has himself set a deadline of sorts.
39:43Now, he didn't give us what the time frame was.
39:45But I want to bring in the BJP MLA here, Mr. RS Pathania.
39:50Yeah, Mr. Pathania, the fact is statehood was something that was promised and was to be delivered by the government.
39:58The Jammu and Kashmir chief minister makes it very clear that was the promise on which an election was announced and fought.
40:05And after that, it's been now over a year.
40:08And yet the promise of statehood stands unfulfilled.
40:12You're practically forcing the hand of an incumbent chief minister who, for all practical purpose, is ruling without power where the state of Jammu and Kashmir is concerned.
40:24Yes, Priti, first of all, a very good evening to everybody on board.
40:27So, my point remains, very small, very precise, very 2D point, that politics of doublespeak, duplicity and dubiousness, the traits of national conference in Omar Abdullah.
40:44Sir, there's an audio problem.
41:06Mr. Pathania, there seems to be an audio problem.
41:08So, I want to cut across back to the NC spokesperson and Irvajan, what seemingly the BJP MLA suggests that this is all doublespeak, where your party is concerned?
41:22You see, when it comes to, you know, I actually laughed when he talked about doublespeak, when the word doublespeak comes from the BJP government,
41:31because nobody knows what it means to doublespeak better than the BJP, it is the BJP that on the floor of the parliament promised that they would restore the statehood.
41:42And we have not seen any signs of it yet.
41:45It's the BJP that in an affidavit, on an affidavit that this...
41:48But Irvajan, it's been a tough year.
41:50It's been a tough year where the state of Jammu and Kashmir is concerned.
41:54You've gone to Pehelgam, you've seen the series of drone attacks after that, and then you have seen floods in Jammu and Kashmir.
42:01You need a sense of security and stability to bring statehood back.
42:06That is the argument which has been given by the centre.
42:09If that is the argument which is being given by the centre, let me respond to it.
42:13Number one, it's basically saying that it's Pakistan that will in a way decide when statehood will be given back to the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
42:22It is not something we should be giving to Pakistan.
42:26It's not something Pakistan should be allowed to determine.
42:29It is this country, it is our forces, it is our constitution that should be allowed to determine these questions.
42:37And most importantly, it's the word of our Prime Minister in the Honourable Supreme Court of India
42:42and the Honourable Supreme Court of India's own judgement that should be allowed to determine when these things take place.
42:48Number two, they say Pehelgaam has happened and terror attacks have happened.
42:53Please tell me when the Pehelgaam attack happened, who is responsible for law and order?
42:58So what we are saying here, just a second, what we are saying here is because the central government was in charge of the law and order situation
43:06when a terror attack like Pehelgaam happened, therefore the central government should be allowed to stay in charge of security and law and order.
43:14But Ishpa Jan, for the lack of a line right now with the BJP MLA, the PDP, the PDP, you know, Sajjad loan all call this a nicely orchestrated fixed match
43:28between the NC and the BJP where both sides are comfortable and the public posturing continues.
43:33You see, the PDP and Sajjad loan both happened to be BJP allies. Both were a part of the BJP government in 2014.
43:44So for anybody to come and ask, I mean, I am ready to take this argument from anybody but not the 2014 allies of the BJP government when they call us allies.
43:55If we had to be allies of the BJP government...
43:56You've been part of, you've been part of the NDA.
44:00I think we have repeatedly said that there were...
44:02You've been an ally of the BJP.
44:04I think we were allies of Vajpayee's BJP. We've never been allies of Narendra Modi ji's BJP.
44:12Our political party changes its ideology over time and we've also seen how the BJP has changed its ideology over time.
44:19At one point, the National Conference was at loggerheads with the Congress. It's not at loggerheads with the Congress.
44:27Now, I mean, there was... It was the Congress that used to bring down our governments. That's not the situation right now.
44:33So, political parties change, ideologies change.
44:36But I want to come back to the question of statehood.
44:39When they say, oh, we can't give statehood because behelgaam, I think the question we should be asking is,
44:44which government is controlling law and order and do we basically give an incentive to the same government...
44:49All right, I think we have the BJP spokesperson back, the BJP MLA.
44:53Let me bring back Mr. Pathania if his line is fine.
44:56Mr. Pathania, these were all promises that were made that need to be delivered.
45:01Like I asked you, you're forcing the hand of an incumbent chief minister who was promised statehood
45:06and that was on the basis on which he fought an election and has been now ruling without power for one year.
45:14Priti, my point remains that governance cannot be hosted to such a melodrama.
45:20National conference has been elected to power.
45:22They need to decode the moral, ethical and political impulse of Jaman Kashmir.
45:26But fact remains that this government is a non-starter till yet.
45:30None of the guarantees which they promised in the manifesto they are able to fulfill.
45:35Even daily governance they are not able to do.
45:36There had been a virulent, there had been a very, very harmful, very, very record that landslides and rains have lashed Jaman Kashmir.
45:46They are not able to give relief to the people.
45:48They are not able to give five marlas of land to the people, to the houseless people.
45:52So, my very sweet and simple suggestion to national conference remains that you please govern, you govern.
45:59These tantrums, these gimmickry, window dressings or shadow boxing won't yield any result.
46:05Had they been able to yield something, Jaman Kashmir by now would have turned into a happy office of the state.
46:13So, where is the question about statehood?
46:15I always say on local channel, on everywhere and on the floor of the assembly also, that Jaman Kashmir is a state, Jaman Kashmir shall remain a state.
46:24Once the prime minister, once the home minister, from the ramparts of the Red Fort, from the podium of the Lok Sabah,
46:31they have assured the nation and the people of Jaman Kashmir again and again that Jaman Kashmir shall come a state.
46:36So, but the point remains that when the time will come, that time will also show that.
46:40When will that happen?
46:41When will that happen?
46:42Because security and stability are two paramount considerations for Jaman Kashmir.
46:46And everybody understand that during this intervening period also, not...
46:50Okay, I'm going to leave it at that.
46:51Not Bhata Janta Party say...
46:52Okay, I'm going to leave it at that. I appreciate both of you for joining us. Thank you there.
46:56I want to quickly move on. Appreciate it, sir. Appreciate it. We've run out of time.
47:01And I want to, you know, cut across to this tribute and also what was troubling actor, comedian, great performer, Mr. Satish Shah.
47:10Veteran actor Satish Shah has died of complications post a kidney transplant. He was 74.
47:31His friend, actor, Sachin Pilgaonkar revealed in a post that he underwent a kidney transplant.
47:38An end-stage kidney transplant is a major procedure that requires kidney transplant from a healthy person to the patient.
47:48It can lead to complications in senior citizens.
47:51In surgical fitness, many of these patients who are elderly are already having comorbidities like diabetes, blood pressure and other age-related changes of brain and heart.
48:04And because of this, the checkup that we do before surgery called pre-anesthetic checkup, they tend to fail in that.
48:11And their weak hearts sometimes are unable to take surgery.
48:14So, surgical candidates are very few and this is a major hurdle.
48:20India is seeing an alarming rate of chronic kidney disease to the tune of 13% or so.
48:25Doctors say that this disease earlier seen in the elderly population is now being seen in the younger population.
48:32Heat stress that causes dehydration, diabetes, uncontrolled blood pressure, high BP.
48:38These are some of the contributing factors that lead to chronic kidney disease, renal failure.
48:43Also, making some changes, simple changes in your lifestyle, doctors indicate, will go a long way in preventing this disease.
48:52Identifying the first symptoms also are extremely important, is what doctors say.
48:59You can lose up to 90% of your kidney function without any symptoms.
49:04Okay, so once the critical point is reached, when the kidney failure reaches a point, when it starts showing symptoms, like swelling, generalized swelling in the body or swelling in the legs, swelling in the face, decreased urinary output, a lot of nausea and vomiting type of symptoms.
49:25By that time, already there is established kidney failure.
49:29These steps can reduce the changes of kidney failure in the long run.
49:34With Neha Mordani, Bureau Report, India Today.
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