- 15 hours ago
The Winter Session of Parliament begins with a contentious debate as the opposition challenges the government over the Election Commission’s 'SIR 2.0' (Special Intensive Revision) exercise, citing allegations of voter suppression. This special report examines the controversy, which has been intensified by the reported deaths of multiple Booth Level Officers (BLOs) due to work pressure, including the suicide of Suresh Singh in Moradabad. The program features a discussion with BJP's Pradeep Bhandari, who calls the opposition's claims 'theatre', and Congress's Salman Soz, who demands accountability. The focus then shifts to Maharashtra, detailing internal strife within the ruling Mahayuti alliance ahead of municipal polls. Tensions between Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and the BJP are highlighted by MLA Nilesh Rane’s bribery allegations against BJP Minister Ravindra Chavan, exposing deep rifts in the state coalition.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Winter session opens in kiosk.
00:14SIR sparks the first showdown.
00:27You allow us to discuss how it is. It is a very important issue.
00:34Vote Chori chants rock the house.
00:43Government versus opposition.
00:47No calm, no consensus.
00:59Political war inside, protests outside.
01:06If anything was to go by in the tone that was set on day one of the winter session, then we can well assume that the winter session is going to go down exactly on the lines of the monsoon session or even the budget session.
01:21That was a complete washout.
01:24On day one, you had the Prime Minister who openly stated, listen, if you have to resort to theatrics and drama, Parliament is not the place.
01:31Just because after a defeat you want to prove a point, don't use Parliament as a platform.
01:37The government, of course, setting the line, but the opposition hitting back.
01:42Today, on day one, the issue that resonated through Parliament was Vote Chori and SIR.
01:49Parliament witnessed a stormy start to the winter session on Monday, with the battle over SIR taking centre stage from the very first hour.
02:02Ahead of the session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged members of Parliament to keep the focus on meaningful discussion and not on drama.
02:23.
02:24shit
02:25,
02:30scary
02:38,
02:41.
02:46what
02:51,
02:52,
02:53Within minutes, the Congress hit back.
03:00It is a huge issue for democracy, what is going on, whether it's the election situation
03:08or the SIR.
03:09Speaking about issues, raising issues is not drama.
03:13Drama is not allowing discussion.
03:16Drama is not having a democratic discussion about issues that matter to the public.
03:21As Parliament convened, protests erupted in both houses.
03:25In the Lok Sabha, opposition MPs raised vote-chori slogans and demanded an immediate discussion
03:31on the SIR exercise.
03:34MPs stormed the well of the House, accusing the government of rushing the SIR process,
03:38not giving both level officers enough time and allegedly attempting voter suppression.
03:43The election commission fully well knows when the elections are due in each state, so why
03:49can't you start the process 12 months or 18 months earlier adequately train the BLOs, give
03:50them resources. Why do it in a rushed manner in 30 days and put so much pressure on them?
03:55The government must be a little bit more accommodating, give us space to raise issues of our concern,
04:03and I'm sure everything will work smoothly after.
04:08The government, however, maintained that the SIR is a routine electoral process and rejected
04:13all allegations. But as the political wall rages inside Parliament, the pressure on ground-level
04:15election staff is now turning deadly.
04:22Targets, deadlines, endless surveys. The opposition says frontline workers are being pushed beyond
04:27human limits. The poll body on Sunday extended the shiddish movement to the government.
04:31The government, however, maintained that the SIR is a routine electoral process and rejected
04:34all allegations. But as the political wall rages inside Parliament, the pressure on ground-level
04:36election staff is now turning deadly. Targets, deadlines, endless surveys. The opposition says
04:39frontline workers are being pushed beyond human limits. The poll body on Sunday extended the
04:44schedule for the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls across 12 states and union territories by a week.
04:53The poll panel said the extension was meant to ensure full transparency. Meanwhile, there are
04:58more reports of BLO deaths.
05:06In Moradabad, Booth-level officer Suresh Singh died by suicide. His family say he was under extreme
05:13stress due to SIR targets. This video, now widely circulating, shows him breaking down in tears.
05:20And his suicide note spells out the mental tone.
05:23The anger has now spilled onto the streets. In Kolkata, the Mathwa community marched the protest. The
05:24Congress has joined the stir, transforming the issue into a nationwide political confrontation.
05:30Shocking figures of BLO deaths are emerging. In just last one month, the
05:31BLO deaths are emerging. In the last month, the people have been
05:32trained for training. They have been trained for training. They have been trained for
05:33training. They have been trained for training. The anger has now spilled onto the streets.
05:37The anger has now spilled onto the streets. In Kolkata, the Mathwa community marched the protest.
05:46The Congress has joined the stir, transforming the issue into a nationwide political confrontation.
05:53Shocking figures of BLO deaths are emerging. In just last one month, 33 Booth-level officers
06:01have died after the rollout of the Election Commission's SIR 2.0 system.
06:07What began as a revision of electoral rolls has now turned into a battle with real human consequences.
06:15As political parties trade charges in Parliament, families of overworked Booth-level officers
06:21are left to grieve in silence. The question now is not just about voter rolls, but also the
06:27price being paid to update them.
06:30Bureau Report, India Today.
06:37All right, cutting across to our panelists this evening, joining me, Rajat Sethi, political
06:42analyst, Ashutosh, political analyst, Pradeep Bhandari, national spokesperson, Bharatiya
06:46Janata Party, Mr. Salman Saurz, national spokesperson, Congress. Each of you will get two minutes'
06:51time to put your point forward on a timer, and then the chance will go to somebody else.
06:56I'd like to begin with the BJP spokesperson. Pradeep Bhandari, you know, while one can,
07:01the jury's out on, you know, theatrics on the floor of the Parliament, while drama on
07:06the floor of the Parliament is one thing, but outside what is happening is entirely another
07:11issue where it comes down to the human cost of what is going on in the form of an SIR
07:17process. I am sure the video of the BLO from Muradabad crying before he took his own
07:22life will break your heart to Pradeep Bhandari.
07:29Well, Preeti, good evening to your viewers. And at the outset, let me tell you that an investigation
07:34has been ordered on that specific case. But what are the facts of the matter? The opposition
07:38today has become a rent-a-cause opposition which always has an alibi or an issue in order
07:44to divert the attention from the mandate of the people, which is time and again telling
07:49the Indian opposition that it is engaging in disruptive, negative politics, which the
07:53Hon. PM called as the Muslim League Mawadi Congress. Just a few months back, the opposition
07:58was claiming about vote chori. Allow me to make my opening submissions by two observations
08:02of the Supreme Court, one of which is quoted by the India today.
08:05Quote, can foreigners with Aadhaar card be allowed to vote? The Supreme Court asks on
08:10the SIR. Quote, no voter came forward to challenge exclusion despite apprehensions of mass deletions
08:15after Bihar SIR. So, the claim of the Indian opposition in particular Rahul Gandhi was 60
08:20lakh voters have been deleted but not a single voter has come. Now, please note what is the
08:24constitutional process under 324? It is the election commission which is looking after the
08:28process and the Supreme Court is supervising the process. Yes, I do agree that certain deaths
08:33of BLO is definitely a matter of concern because let me tell you what has happened in the last
08:37one week. Trinamool Congress BLA has threatened the BLO that if you remove any Bangladeshi leader
08:43named Lovely Khatun you will be threatened to life. You have Trinamool Congress MLA Shyamalan
08:47Yadav who is publicly threatened to break the hands of the BLO. You have TMC leader Jameerul
08:52Islam Molla who is threatened to kill BLO Deepak Mehta. I believe you have also seen that video
08:56and India Today has reported it how we all were shattered seeing the BLO being openly threatened
09:01by the Trinamool Congress. We have seen how TMC leader Mohammed Kasimuddin has beaten up
09:05BLO Nivedita Mandal's husband Kamal and threatened to kill him. Now, on the intention of the government
09:11this is what Mr. Kiran Dijiju has said in the floor of the house at 432 that we are even willing
09:15to discuss the SIR. But nothing gives the opposition the argument to disrupt the parliament
09:21where each and every issue is willing to be discussed. The opposition is disrupting it
09:25because it does not have facts on its hand.
09:29Alright, great. You know, we are having a problem with our timer this evening so I would
09:33really urge all our panellists to take care of the time that they speak for and
09:37you know, allow each of your panellists to speak.
09:40I could not hear your timers. I am glad sir, but you have ended it. You know, though I do keep my own watch
09:47you know, on a timer, but you have respected the time frame of what you were given. I would hope your
09:53co-panellists will do the same. I want to bring in Salman Saws into this conversation.
09:57Though, you know, Pradeep Bhandari, the fact is, you have every right to go after the opposition
10:02on the charge of vote chori or what the opposition says. But to treat 33 lives right now
10:08and that is what we are counting in terms of BLO suicides on ground. That's not small sir.
10:12And that needs to be addressed. I will come back to you and I want to bring in Salman Saws into this conversation.
10:17Salman Saws, are we staring at another session which is going to be a complete washout.
10:22If day one is to go by, that is exactly what is on the cards.
10:26Because if the government says that the Treasury benches say that they will allow debate,
10:33they are willing to talk about SIR should the opposition not cooperate this time.
10:38Well, Priti, I think the Prime Minister himself set the tone for this Parliament session by,
10:44first he said that the opposition does drama and they should be talking about delivery.
10:50But he actually was doing drama outside Parliament today. That is drama.
10:56If you really want to deliver a press conference outside Parliament, then I will see.
11:04If you really want to talk about delivery, you've got to go inside Parliament
11:08and say the same things in front of the assembled Parliamentarians.
11:14That is...
11:18Salman Saws is a problem with your audio.
11:21Yeah, so I was just saying that if he does these things inside Parliament, then I would say this is a delivery.
11:27But we know he does a lot of drama.
11:31You know, we saw the footage that you just showed of this.
11:35It's very sad. It's heart-rending.
11:38You know, our report is that 41 election workers have died in 27 days.
11:44For this exercise that a very arrogant election commission, very arrogant election commission,
11:50which gives not an inch to the opposition, not an inch to our supporters,
11:57and basically runs this entire massive process, wants to do it in just a couple of months.
12:06The arrogance of the election commission flows from the arrogance of the government.
12:09Why? Because the government chooses the election commission members.
12:12We know that because this government circumvented what the Supreme Court had asked it to do.
12:18We want accountability. The people of India want accountability.
12:23We want accountability on air pollution in Delhi, for example.
12:27Not just Delhi, across the country.
12:29And what do they do? They manipulate data.
12:32By the way, in Delhi, there were four Indian circles.
12:36Chief Minister, LG, MCD, you know, and of course the Prime Minister.
12:43But they have done nothing but hide data.
12:47On national security, we want debate.
12:50Salman Saws, I'll circle back to you now.
12:52You're one and a half minutes up and then hopefully we'll get the timer for the second round.
12:56So everybody could get equal time.
12:57I thought you said two minutes. That's why I kept going.
12:59Okay. No, no. Because your co-panel has spoke for a minute and a half.
13:02So I'm giving you the same on my stopwatch and I will cut across right now.
13:05But Preeti, because he doesn't have much to say, he only took one and a half minutes out of two…
13:09Well, sir, I'm sure everyone has a lot to say even if they don't have much to say.
13:13So let's, you know, let it rest.
13:16Do not challenge me on that, Mr. Sows.
13:17No, no. Don't challenge each other.
13:19It's going really well till now. Everyone's respecting each other.
13:23It's a good way to go about things.
13:25All right. I want to bring in Rajat Sethi and Ashutosh into this debate.
13:28Rajat Sethi, the fact is there is zero trust deficit.
13:30When even the Prime Minister uses language like keep the theatrics outside.
13:35Drama ke liye bahut or jagay hain. Not parliament.
13:38He is also cracking the whip. You can say that, look at what has happened in the past.
13:42The opposition can say, you've already set the tone.
13:47See, you have to leave some politics to the politicians, Preeti ji.
13:51You know, if all of these statements are wiped out from the political scene,
13:55it will become a very boring political theatre.
13:59So let's leave that aside and focus on what is important.
14:03If the SIR has to be discussed again, you know, repeatedly over the past 10 years or so,
14:08we've seen, you know, when Congress has been leading the opposition,
14:11they are the ones who know the rules and regulations much better than any other party.
14:15They are the grand old party of this country.
14:17There are rules and procedures that you have to follow,
14:20be it filing complaints against the election or tabling an issue like SIR in the parliament.
14:26My problem is that why does Congress not follow the rules?
14:29Question hour is not meant for SIR.
14:32There are separate rules which you can invoke to have that discussion
14:35and then ghero the government or the election commission or whatever you want to do.
14:39But if you want to, you know, break all the rules just because you believe that you are some kind of a princeling or something like that,
14:45then, you know, somebody is going to crack the whip and then you will come out crying and weeping and creating tamasha on television channels.
14:51So that should be avoided.
14:52Act like a mature party.
14:54Follow the rules and be more, you know, resilient about how you take up issues.
14:59Take up issues.
15:00Find people on the ground.
15:02Try and make a whole, you know, whole degree of seriousness around what is there.
15:07Don't piggyback onto the deaths that is happening because all of these deaths happen due to many, many other factors also.
15:14You need to establish that.
15:15There will be FIRs.
15:16There will be investigation to clearly lay it out that why is a man or a BLO crumbling under the pressure?
15:24Are there any other factors which are adding to this whole pressure?
15:27And of course, when it comes to pressure, I am 100% of the opinion that the Election Commission should give more time.
15:33Even for the five states that are going into election, we should allow voter list preparation to go on till at least January end through the SIR process.
15:41Even if the Congress Party or the opposition cries out that why is the list being created in towards the very last day of the election, let that be the case.
15:49We should not put pressure on the BLOs, but also the Congress Party and the others in the opposition should realize not to create this timing, you know, related issues that they did in Bihar elections.
16:00They were the ones, why did you drag the process till October?
16:03Similar pressure should not be put on the Election Commission because it all passes down to the BLO.
16:08No, and it is passing down to the BLO because, Rajat, you might say that it's a matter of investigation.
16:13But, Prima Faisai, 33 deaths and out of it, which are at least 14 bona fide suicide notes.
16:18You know, there clearly is a lot of pressure on the Booth level officers and it is translating into them breaking down.
16:26And we've seen enough visuals of that.
16:28And that doesn't compensate by the Election Commission releasing one happy video of BLO's dancing.
16:33You know, that's just the mockery of it. But we'll come back to that.
16:36I want to bring in Ashutosh into this conversation with what's really happening in Parliament, Ashutosh.
16:40Because what we are headed towards is, you know, another washout.
16:45And day one has set the tone. What happened during the monsoon session?
16:50What happened during the budget session? It's exactly that.
16:52It's going to be abject waste of public money, your and my money.
16:56Many would say that Parliament is the best place to protest.
16:59But ultimately, some business needs to get done.
17:01You know, like Salman was saying, I would love to hear a debate on pollution,
17:06where it's actually taken seriously by our leaders.
17:09See, Priti, this money debate, I never had given much importance to that.
17:13Because the Parliament is a Parliament.
17:15And whether we give the logic that we are paying so much money from people's pocket.
17:20And that's why there should be debate in the Parliament.
17:22That's an absurd debate. I've never subscribed to that debate.
17:26The issue is that the Prime Minister has successfully controlled his own party.
17:30The Prime Minister does whatever the party...
17:34The party does what the Prime Minister wants him to do.
17:37There's no difference of opinion in the party and nobody dare differ with him.
17:41Now, he wants the similar kind of an opposition.
17:44That opposition should listen to him.
17:46Whatever he says should follow.
17:48And if opposition is trying to be defined, then obviously there are issues and that will be done.
17:54And it shows very clearly that in one day, 140 MPs were suspended.
17:59Never heard in Indian democracy till that date.
18:03So, the issue today is a fundamental issue.
18:08That 28 or 32, forget about 28 or 32, when the 10 BLOs had committed suicide or died because of that.
18:16Should it not be immediately taken up in the Parliament and discussed and debated that why this is happening?
18:22I haven't heard a single word from the BJP.
18:25Rather, there are insinuations that these BLOs are committing suicide for any other factor could be reason for that.
18:34In an earlier debate, somebody who is close to the government has even insinuated that there is a bigger conspiracy.
18:42That's why these BLOs are committing suicide.
18:44I think nothing could be more cruel, more heartless than this.
18:48BLOs belong to the lowest rung of the bureaucracy.
18:53They are poor people.
18:55And the picture, the video, which the whole nation has seen today, is a reality.
19:02But not a word.
19:04Why?
19:05Should it not be debated on the floor of the house?
19:09Immediately?
19:10Sir, time is up.
19:11And we have our timer back.
19:13It clearly had a long weekend.
19:15And now back with us.
19:17But great.
19:18So the two-minute timer kicks in.
19:20And Pradeep Bhandari, you know, the fact is, like I said, some of those videos, some of the heart-rending messages of the BLOs, you can't unsee and unhear them.
19:29And that needs to cut deep where the government is concerned.
19:32And that needs to be addressed ASAP.
19:34Keep the politics aside.
19:36Whatever the opposition might be saying, whatever the government wants to counter, that can be done separately.
19:42But one must address this issue.
19:44One must debate this issue on the floor of the house.
19:47It cannot be TMC trying to instigate BLOs in West Bengal and in Tamil Nadu.
19:52It is at the DMK's behest.
19:54Or in Uttar Pradesh, it is Samajwadi party.
19:56Well, Preeti, at the outset, my dear friend from the Congress party has forgotten that it's not the Congress government at this moment, it's Prime Minister Rendra Modi's government.
20:09When the Congress was in power, this gentleman, a corrupt man like Naveen Chabla, was appointed by Sonia Gandhi.
20:14And the government used to appoint the election commission.
20:16At this moment, there is a three-member committee which appoints the chief election commissioner.
20:20And the Congress party had gone to challenge it in the Supreme Court.
20:23And the Supreme Court rejected the petition of the Congress party, saying that under Article 3 to 4, the government is very well justified to have a committee.
20:29So for the first time in India's independence, you have a committee deciding the chief election commissioner.
20:33The Congress party always had a chief election commissioner like a man who used to be a loyalist to Sonia Gandhi.
20:38That is fact number one.
20:39Fact number two, I completely agree with you that there should be a deeper investigation which has to be ordered.
20:44And I will tell you why.
20:45Please look at the gentleman who was protesting today as a BLO.
20:48This gentleman was till yesterday with Abhishek Banerji in his local party meeting.
20:53And today he claimed to be a BLO who was protesting against Suvendu Adhikari.
20:57So definitely I believe these are not representatives of BLOs.
21:00And there has to be a larger inquiry ordered that who are these gentlemen, who is pressurizing them.
21:05That is point number two.
21:07Now please look at the seriousness and the difference between the intention.
21:10This is Mrs. Renuka Chaudhary who takes her dog to the parliament and calls the parliamentarians as dog.
21:15And she believes that this is the issue which has to be discussed.
21:18And this is the most important issue when quote unquote the SIR is an issue which the opposition wants us to discuss.
21:24So this is the seriousness of the India's opposition which is reflected by Renuka Chaudhary on which Ashutosh who might be a very well established man.
21:31And there are very rich people in opposition like Rahul Gandhi who believe that 2.5 lakh rupees of taxpayers money per minute does not matter.
21:37This is what their mindset is.
21:39Our intention is reflected from how there was 100% productivity in the parliament session in April 2025 because the opposition did not disrupt the parliament.
21:48I will give you another instance.
21:49You recall this video of Rahul Gandhi?
21:51For months they used to say that why is there no discussion happening on Manipur.
21:55When the prime minister started to speak on Manipur it was Rahul Gandhi instructing his member of parliament to stop the prime minister and go to the well.
22:02This is the intention of the congress party.
22:04So the intention of the congress party is neither to let the house function, neither to have a discussion on SIR.
22:09The time is up Pradeep.
22:11They are even not serious on BLO.
22:12Pradeep ji the time is up.
22:13I will circle back to you.
22:14We might have just one more minute for all of our panelists.
22:16But Pradeep ji you bring up the case of one BLO which needs to be investigated.
22:21There are 10 other pictures that like I said should cut in deep.
22:26The heart rending messages including of this man who says take care of my daughter before he killed himself.
22:32And I think you know that needs to be addressed Pradeep ji.
22:35That can't be washed under the ambit of larger investigations.
22:38Who is pressurizing them.
22:39Political pressure.
22:40That needs to be addressed.
22:41Absolutely.
22:42An investigation has to be ordered.
22:43I want to bring in Salman Sars into this conversation.
22:47Salman Sars you know while the treasury benches the government is responsible for the functioning of the parliament.
22:53So is the opposition Salman Sars.
22:55And if the opposition is serious about addressing the issues of the plight of BLOs today.
23:02Then play by the rules.
23:04Have that discussion.
23:07I think the rule is that when you have such a horrible situation in the country.
23:13Where so many of our workers are dying.
23:16These election workers are dying.
23:19I think this should be prioritized.
23:21And what the prime minister and the BJP want to do is they'll basically cast aspersions on anyone who raises the issue of the plight of these workers.
23:32And the craziness of the SIR process that the election commission has instituted.
23:38And by the way I would if I was a BJP spokesperson I would not bring up Manipur.
23:43Manipur is one state you should not bring up.
23:46That is a state where women and children have been raped.
23:50Where women have been paraded naked.
23:52You should be ashamed that the prime minister did not visit Manipur.
23:59At all.
24:00Would not say anything about it.
24:02At all.
24:03So I would not.
24:04If I was a BJP spokesperson I would keep quiet.
24:07I would shut up about Manipur.
24:09Okay.
24:10As far as this parliament is concerned.
24:14Now.
24:15Let us talk about parliament.
24:17In this session.
24:19It's going to be 15 days.
24:21The shortest.
24:22The shortest session.
24:24In history.
24:26And there are going to be 13 bills have been scheduled.
24:3013 bills.
24:3115 days.
24:32And 10 of these bills have not even gone to their respective standing committee.
24:38You want us to be serious.
24:40You should be serious.
24:42The BJP should be serious.
24:43About 800 million people in India surviving on free government food.
24:48That is the situation of this country.
24:51That the International Monetary Fund is telling you.
24:53That the data that you're putting out for our economy.
24:57That gets a C grade.
24:59You should be careful about what you want.
25:01We want answers for the people of this country.
25:04We want answers for the PLOs who have died by suicide.
25:08That is the seriousness we want you to see.
25:10We don't want you to talk about Manipur anymore.
25:13Because you shut up about Manipur for two years.
25:16Did nothing.
25:17The Prime Minister was silent.
25:18The time is up.
25:19I want to bring in both Ashutosh and Rajat Sethi into this conversation.
25:22As political analysts devoid of ideology.
25:24Rajat.
25:25Let's begin with you.
25:26Okay.
25:27What should the opposition and including the government do that we see some work in this session.
25:36At least we see some fruitful debates.
25:39Either sides need to bridge this deficit which is where trust is concerned rock bottom.
25:45I think they should not walk into the trap that the BJP would be laying over and over again.
25:52You know what does BJP would want ideally the opposition creating a ruckus not allowing them to table an issue.
26:00And then the BJP can also walk out saying that see we gave them a chance they never wanted a chance to discuss serious issues.
26:05Why do you want to fall into that trap each time.
26:08See if you want to raise SIR be serious about it.
26:11There are rules which are laid out.
26:13You can have back channel conversations back channel negotiations.
26:16That's how the parliaments used to work.
26:18Those are personal relations that you invoke.
26:20And again the subject of the main subject is the election commission which is not represented on the floor of the house.
26:26So how do you ask those questions.
26:28There has to be a meaningful way of engaging that.
26:30You cannot say that SIR is illegal because it's a patently constitutional exercise.
26:34So you need to support it also.
26:36Find ways in order to be a creative part of the political class.
26:41They won't do that.
26:42The problem is that if you want to discuss economy.
26:45Discuss economy.
26:46Bring out issues.
26:47AI is the conversation around the world.
26:49Technology and technology dominance has completely shaken up the contours including security contours.
26:55But as a responsible opposition you will find all of these issues too boring because this won't garner votes for you.
27:01But let me tell you.
27:02Contrary to how you think that the Indian public falls for.
27:06These are the genuine issues public is worried about and concerned about.
27:10But as a responsible opposition have you ever chosen to raise these issues.
27:14Has your leader ever spoken on these issues in proper depth that is needed to handle it.
27:20And even corner the government for that sake.
27:22The problem is you want to only look for theatre.
27:24You want to only look for acting roles.
27:26And then it results in a drama.
27:28And this is what the Prime Minister has said.
27:30And he basically, he deliberately put in that line because he knew that the Congress will fall into that trap and will create similar ruckus.
27:37And will allow the government another peaceful, another 15 days or so throughout the Parliament session.
27:42This is my reading of the situation.
27:44Alright, which is basically every fault lies with the opposition, none with the government.
27:50And the opposition now needs to, you know, place what Rajat Sethi says.
27:54But I want to bring in Ashutosh into this conversation.
27:56Ashutosh, you know, gone are the days.
27:58You know, Rajat seems to suggest the goodwill back-channel talks where SIR is concerned.
28:03I think it's been a year or two.
28:05That doesn't happen anymore where the Parliament comes into question.
28:08There is no goodwill anymore.
28:10See, Preeti, mark my word.
28:13The government doesn't want an opposition.
28:16It's not a joke.
28:18It wasn't a joke when it was said, Congress Mukt Bharat or Vipaksha Mukt Bharat.
28:23So that agenda is on to discredit opposition at every given point of time.
28:29Discredit them so much, with so much government machinery and resources,
28:34that tomorrow the people will start believing the opposition.
28:37Because they don't want an opposition.
28:39There is no secrecy about it.
28:42Now, the two things which really baffles me.
28:44One, the BJP's over-vehement support to election commission,
28:49despite VLO's committing suicide.
28:52Secondly, election commission's sheer rigidity,
28:57that this exercise has to be done in a month's time or so.
29:02Now, are these two things linked to each other?
29:05I just don't know.
29:07If anybody and everybody wants a clean voter list,
29:11if that is the idea, that is the aim, that is the goal,
29:15then why insist on 30 days?
29:18Why not 3 months?
29:20Why not 4 months?
29:22Especially in a states where the elections are almost one and a half years away.
29:27Why so much insistence on just one month?
29:3030 days or 40 days?
29:32Just spread out for 3 months.
29:35The BLOs will have more relaxed time.
29:37They will do a better job.
29:39There will be better screening.
29:40There will be better scrutiny.
29:41There will be better scrutiny.
29:42But no, it has to be done in a month's time.
29:44Whether the people are committing suicide or not suicide, that is immaterial.
29:48How cruel a system can be.
29:51Just imagine about the family of this man, service.
29:54Just imagine about it.
29:56This could happen.
29:57And since he belongs to the lowest rung of the bureaucracy,
30:01so nobody is bothered.
30:02Now left, right and center, the FIR are lost against them.
30:06How many DMs have been sacked?
30:08How many DMs have lost their job?
30:10None.
30:11Because they are powerful people.
30:12Fair point.
30:14Because these are the BLOs are the foot soldiers
30:16where the election commission is concerned and most taxed.
30:18I want to quickly give in one minute, I believe.
30:21And let's go with that.
30:23First up, Pradeep Bhandari, one minute to put your point forward.
30:26Please go.
30:30Well, the Congress party speaking about North East is like Gabbar
30:33speaking about acting as Jai in a sholay
30:36because it was Congress which had bombed Mizoram.
30:38Point number one.
30:39Point number two, the fact here is that Mr. Ashutosh can go to the Supreme Court
30:43like Yogi Indriyadav has.
30:45What is stopping him to go to the Supreme Court?
30:47Because this domain, 324, it is in the purview of the election commission
30:50and the Supreme Court.
30:51Maybe Ashutosh has not read the constitution of India very well.
30:54That is point number two.
30:56Point number three, which is a very, very important point.
30:58Please go to the, he was speaking about Congress Mukt Bharat.
31:01We do not want to do Congress Mukt Bharat on our own.
31:03It's Congress which is doing it.
31:04Bihar, the Congress people are fighting against Congress.
31:06Jammu and Kashmir is nobody to pick up Congress flag.
31:08And in Karnataka, it's the Congress CM and Deputy CM which are fighting.
31:11You did a six o'clock show on it.
31:12So Ashutosh call the Congress which is doing Congress Mukt Bharat.
31:15The real intention is here.
31:17When the election commission increased the honorarium of the BLO,
31:19you know who did not implement it.
31:20It was only one government which did not implement it.
31:23And the government is the Tirmamool Congress.
31:25So here the culprit is the Indian opposition which wants the BLO's to be pressurized.
31:29We do not want the free and fair process.
31:31Pradeep, Pradeep, I just want to put a small show plug.
31:34You said, we have been doing Karnataka Congress versus Congress,
31:38but look at the ticker band right now.
31:39It is Mahayuti versus Mahayuti where Maharashtra is concerned.
31:42Stay tuned at 7.30 to watch that show.
31:44One minute.
31:45There is no Mahayuti.
31:46There is no Mahayuti.
31:47That is your editorial.
31:48I am just telling you.
31:49Stay tuned.
31:50Stay tuned for that.
31:51Okay.
31:52One minute, Salman sir.
31:53Time starts now, sir.
31:54Go ahead.
31:55I want you to think back to what Rajat said.
31:58He said about how the prime minister set a trap and the opposition fell into it.
32:05If you think that is the case, it really tells me that the prime minister is a very non-serious
32:11person, that he does not seem to understand that there is a real crisis in this country
32:18of jobs, of people not being able to afford food, of real starvation concerns if a government
32:26handout is not provided to people.
32:28I thought we were in the business of creating opportunities for the people of India so that
32:33they could fend for themselves.
32:35But what the prime minister and the BJP have been doing is actually trying to create a situation
32:41whereby the people would be dependent on a welfare state and they would benefit, the BJP would then
32:47benefit from that kind of a system because it would be where they can just donate money.
32:53I think that the prime minister, if he thinks that is going to sustain, I think he is wrong.
32:57Sir, time mark.
32:58It will be a half cut, sir.
32:59One minute.
33:00Rajat Sethi, make your point, please.
33:07Rajat Sethi, your turn.
33:08Sir, one minute.
33:09Can you hear me?
33:10Can you hear me?
33:12He is there with us.
33:13Go ahead.
33:14Yes, go ahead.
33:15So what I was saying is that prime minister is far too serious a politician beyond the
33:19comprehension of the Congress party and the entire opposition put together.
33:23So for you guys to understand him, you'll have to do a PhD and go to the public, ask,
33:29solicit their support, and still you will find it very hard to understand him.
33:32If you want to debate on genuine economic issues, read up the data, read up IMF reports,
33:38this report that you are quoting as a C grade given to data.
33:42There is just one clause that has been picked up and a narrative has been built.
33:46What is a fact is that the country is growing at the fastest possible rate, 8.2% around the world.
33:53The kind of global headwinds that are there working against India right now are unprecedented.
33:59And in spite of that, that shows the resilience of this country.
34:02If it can grow at 8.2% when such turbulence is there, that gives us confidence.
34:06It might not give Congress party the confidence, but it gives the normal citizen of this country
34:10far too much confidence that there is future in this country.
34:13And if we work hard, we can achieve the impossible.
34:16But the problem with Congress party is…
34:17Rajas Sethi, hard cut sir, time up.
34:19One minute, Ashutosh, make your point, sir.
34:22I wish what Rajas Sethi is saying should have been true.
34:26Economy is growing at the rate of 8.02, but IMF doesn't believe it.
34:31It's the same IMF which talked about the fragile five and the BJP took to the whole world
34:36and ridiculed the Congress development, the Manmoun Singh government's development.
34:40Now the same IMF is talking about that India's data is suspect.
34:44And that's why it has been put into the category of C.
34:47C category, imagine.
34:49We are not discussing this.
34:51The American Chinese Economic Security Review openly say that the Pakistani army has succeeded over Indian army
35:02and it's not a terrorist attack.
35:04It's an insurrection kind of a thing.
35:05Government of India has kept his mouth shut.
35:08Not a word.
35:09That's the confidence which our Prime Minister shows in our government.
35:14What about the rest?
35:16Why we are not speaking?
35:18Why we are not telling…
35:20Why IMF to shut up?
35:21Why we are not telling the American administration?
35:23Shut up.
35:24Are you trying to tell us…
35:25Rajas Sethi, that's all the time that we have now.
35:27Pradeep wants to come in.
35:28But Pradeep, if I come to you, I'll have to give equal time to everyone
35:30and then it's just going to never end.
35:32But what you can do, Pradeep, is stay tuned for the next show which is on the Mahayuti in Maharashtra
35:37because you've been tuning in to all our shows in Karnataka.
35:39So I'm going to leave it at that.
35:40Thank you all four of you for joining us.
35:42For the last one week you would have seen all media channels and networks fixated about the politics within the Congress where Karnataka was concerned.
35:51The succession war where DKS and Siddharamaya were concerned.
35:57But little wonder that the neighbour, Maharashtra, in equal trouble where the Mahayuti alliance comes into question.
36:05Political tremors now shaking Maharashtra where the ruling Mahayuti alliance is facing infighting,
36:11allegations of internal poaching and corruption right before key municipal elections in Maharashtra
36:17with partners accusing each other of engineering defection, poaching voter bribery.
36:34For days, the political spotlight was on Karnataka as the DK Shivakumar versus Siddharamaya power tussle forced the Congress into a temporary truce.
36:43But now political turbulence has shifted next door.
36:48This time the crisis is in Maharashtra's ruling Mahayuti, unfolding on the eve of crucial municipal polls tomorrow.
36:57The latest flashpoint poaching allegations within the alliance itself.
37:03Local level defections triggered sharp reactions from Mahayuti partners who accused each other of engineering shifts just ahead of polling.
37:12officials, according to the government of Mahayuti,
37:34But Chief Minister Eknath Shinde moved quickly to douse the fire.
38:04If we are at the local level, there are some barriers to the local level, but there is an agenda for development.
38:23Earlier this month, Shinde met Amit Shah in Delhi.
38:50A meeting closely watched within the alliance
38:53amid rising unease.
38:55This meet came after Shinde ministers
38:57boycotted a Maharashtra cabinet meeting.
39:02Then came the most explosive charge.
39:05From Sindhudurg, Shiv Sena MLA Nilesh Rani
39:07accused the BJP of voter bribery.
39:09The President of the Kri Ravindra Chavanji
39:15is when the Koken and Malon are coming,
39:21this entire distribution starts.
39:23I have no one bag, many bags, but it has been shifted.
39:31After this meeting, I had an allegation in other houses.
39:37There are also 7-8 houses where I have kept money.
39:42You can also go check there.
39:45I had also told the election officer and the police officer.
39:49As Maharashtra votes, the Mahayuti heads into polling day
39:55under a cloud of mistrust and public sparring.
39:58The real political test is next year's BMC election,
40:01the biggest civic prize in the state.
40:04Can the Mahayuti bridge the gap in time?
40:07Bureau Report, India Today.
40:12Alright, our Mumbai Bureau Chief Sahil Joshi joining with us
40:15who exclusively spoke to Mr. Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister.
40:20But Sahil, what's going on inside?
40:22Is the Mahayuti house in order?
40:24Is it just posturing or is it real trouble?
40:27Well, at this point of time, one can only say that it's more of a posturing.
40:33It's been brewing since past one year because the day when Eknath Shinde realized
40:41that he cannot become the Chief Minister of Maharashtra the way he could in 2022.
40:45Ever since, Eknath Shinde has been a little bit upset for not getting a chance again
40:51because he genuinely thinks that the victory in Maharashtra in November 2024 elections,
40:59assembly elections, was because of his decision of implementing Larki Bahin,
41:05distributing 1500 rupees every month to 2.5 crore women in Maharashtra.
41:11And that is the reason why the Mahayuti, the Shiv Sena BJP and NCP Alliance
41:16could win election with such a massive mandate. But he didn't get a chance.
41:21But at the same time, now these local polls, the city council polls,
41:26almost 288 city council elections are happening in Maharashtra.
41:30And in the next month or so, or maybe in the month of January,
41:34the big corporations, the BMC, the Thane Corporation, the Kalyan Corporation,
41:39Pune, Nasik are going to go for elections.
41:41What we can clearly see here is that there is definitely a fight within BJP and Shiv Sena
41:47for a one-up-one-ship between Eknath Shinde and Devinder Faddam is for sure.
41:52Eknath Shinde has realized that if he doesn't put his weight behind his party workers,
41:58his party leaders, then the BJP is going to sweep these elections on their own
42:03and then their claim in 2029 assembly elections or the Lok Sabha elections are going to be solid.
42:09So, he has realized that now he has to, you know, somewhere he has to fight back.
42:15He has to come out of the shadow of the BJP.
42:18And that's what he's trying to do in these city council elections, the local body elections.
42:24Very interestingly, Eknath Shinde, for the first time, you know, he said it in those many words that
42:30the alliance dharma needs to be followed by everyone.
42:33It is not only one party's responsibility. Everyone should be following it.
42:37And, you know, what triggered this is basically that Shtikan Shinde, his son's constituency, the Lok Sabha constituency,
42:44where the BJP state chief poached people from Shiv Sena.
42:49You know, that unwritten rule within the alliance partners that they will not poach into each other's territory.
42:54And that's what happened. And from there, it actually triggered.
42:57And we saw what Nilesh Rane, the Shiv Sena MLA alleged against, made allegations against the state BJP chief.
43:04So, you know, this is going to be the reality of the Maharashtra politics as what we can see at this point of time.
43:11The whole discussion around this election has been taken over by the BJP and Eknath Shinde altogether because of this.
43:18Alright, so more posturing as of now, but trouble still brewing.
43:22Will it come to a boil? We'll see. That remains to be seen.
43:25Thank you, Sahil, for joining us.
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