- 2 hours ago
The top focus of this episode of To The Point is the release of a tobacco tycoon’s son, Shivam Mishra, in the Kanpur Lamborghini crash case.
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00:00Kanpur's brat gets off easy arrested after four days released in six hours
00:22the great Lambo cover-up story
00:24delayed arrest speedy release
00:32money talks power walks where does the buck stop
00:42we'll be asking all those questions to the guests will be joining me shortly hello everyone our
00:50headlines this hour hours after arrest court grants bail to Kankur VBIP Brad Shiva Mishra and
00:57asks him to cooperate with cops court also raises questions over Uttar Pradesh police investigation
01:07general Naravani's book leak plot thickens Delhi cops probe global conspiracy defense ministry
01:15not bypassed cops claim online sale of secret defense information in book
01:20DMK Congress power sharing battle turns ugly Congress seeks power sharing DMK dismisses
01:32Stalin monthly has now said that let the Congress come and go DMK not dependent on alliance
01:39first death due to Nipah virus in Bengal 25 year old female nurse tested positive for Nipah a month
01:52ago she passed away due to cardiac arrest earlier today
01:55in an exclusive conversation with India today Union Minister Hardee Puri clarifies on Epstein charges says he was ambushed into meeting him
02:10the year of the Lord I think 2013 and I've put in on record I was ambushed into taking a going for a meeting with him along with half a dozen others
02:22and serious questions are being raised about whether justice moves differently for the powerful a high-end car a crowded street multiple people injured and a legal process that moved at breakneck speed once the accused was finally taken into custody was due process followed strictly or was the system unusually generous
02:49why did it take days for decisive action why did custody last only a few hours and what does this case say about influence access and accountability first of the story and then I bring in the guests
03:04a supercar crashes six injured yet the man behind the wheel walks free in Kanpur's Lamborghini crash a troubling perception grows stronger when power intervenes accountability weakens
03:25Shivam Mishra accused in the high-profile crash roams free within hours of his arrest arrested after four days of mounting pressure he spends barely six hours in custody before walking out on a personal bond of just 20,000 rupees for many the optics are stark when you are the son of a powerful tobacco baron does influence become a shield
03:52does influence become a shield here is how the farce unfolded after his arrest Mishra undergoes a medical examination and is produced before the court in an unusual move he argues his own case the court refuses police remark directs him to cooperate with the investigation and raises questions over the notices issued by the police
04:19what led to the rest was not surrender
04:48not surrender but surveillance cctv footage changed the course of the case two crucial clips tell a damaging story
04:55two crucial clips tell a damaging story
04:59Shiva Mishra allegedly behind the wheel
05:03and an apparent attempt to change the Lamborghini's number plate
05:09police allege there was an effort to mislead investigators
05:14a different driver was allegedly presented
05:17a false affidavit was filed
05:21the probe was steered off track
05:24investigators say Mishra did not cooperate
05:27when summoned
05:28raising serious questions about whether the system was bending to protect
05:33the tobacco baron
05:35KK Mishra's son
05:37the case also exposes major lapses in the initial investigation
05:42no immediate alcohol test
05:44no mention of Mishra's name in the original FIR
05:48affidavits claiming a different driver
05:51four crucial days lost before action was taken
05:56only after public pressure mounted
05:59was Shiva Mishra formerly named in the FIR and arrested
06:06but this story is bigger than one crash in Kanpur
06:10when arrests come late
06:12when custody lasts barely hours
06:15justice stops looking blind
06:18the Kanpur Lamborghini case is not just about speed on the road
06:24it is about the speed of influence
06:27and in the race between power and the law
06:30power
06:31still seems to be ahead
06:35the court today also raised concerns over the
06:37Boshtab investigation by Kanpur police
06:39and called the arrest of Shivam Mishra illegal
06:42now it remains to be seen that what action will be taken by Kanpur police
06:45who is already under the scanner for this shady investigation
06:48with video journalist Shubham Shukla
06:50this is Shawla in Kanpur for India Today
06:58so who is shielding this Kanpur VVIP brat?
07:03the court has clearly pointed out at several lapses by the UP police in its investigation
07:09the court has found out that the arrest procedure contained legal flaws
07:14the court has stated that the police failed to properly comply with the legal processes
07:19furthermore the Supreme Court's guidelines were also not followed
07:24then why did these lapses actually happen?
07:27was it done deliberately?
07:29is the big question
07:30Simir Chawla is joining me from Kanpur
07:32Simir give us the explanation
07:34I mean what explains all the lapses in the investigation and the arrest by the UP police?
07:42well some serious question raised by Kanpur court on the Kanpur police working itself
07:53now what we saw on the first day
07:55that the FIR was lodged was not in some serious sections
07:58the sections which included in the FIR in fact
08:01had punishment for less than 7 years
08:03now let me just explain you
08:05if the punishment is for less than 7 years
08:07the police cannot legally arrest the accused
08:09for arresting the sections you know should have been more serious
08:13but in this what we saw is that the local SHO when he registered the FIR
08:17first Shiva Mishra's name was not included in the FIR
08:20when there was pressure created through social media and through
08:23you know India
08:24today we have been clearly running this news
08:26ever since this incident has happened
08:28the FIR was registered the name was mentioned
08:31but it was too late
08:32third point is that the medical of Shiva Mishra was not done even after 72 hours
08:37you know there is a rule book which says that in such incident
08:41within 24 hours the medical of the accused should be done
08:44he was allowed to let go to flee from the spot citing a medical emergency
08:48the Kanpur police you know should have nabbed Shiva Mishra
08:52wherever he was the police team should have gone to him
08:56and at least conduct its medical
08:58but that too didn't happen that's why the medical was missing from the police report
09:02now what Kanpur police did today is arrested him and you know told court
09:08that he was evading the sections of 35 you know 33 BBNS
09:13that means he is not taking the notices
09:16he is evading the questioning
09:18he is not cooperating in the you know investigation so far
09:21court although you know came hard you know crack down on police said
09:25that the legal process was not followed and called this arrest illegal
09:30they have also you know raised some several questions on the lapses of the Kanpur police
09:35like yeah so that
09:37okay so lot of questions being raised there
09:40Simar will continue to keep coming to you with more details
09:43Yashvardhan Azad is joining us we have Dr. Kamal Sohi as well
09:46Yashvardhan Azad on the face of it somebody is protecting this accused
09:52and only because he is a VVIP
09:55and a rich man's son
09:57in fact in all such cases where the
10:01Audis or Mercedes or Lamborghinis are involved
10:05everyone gets into to sort of you know support the accused
10:09as you can see that the first thing we should have been done was to arrest this guy
10:15what a driver this is a usual ploy Maria it has been happening for 40 years
10:20that whenever a rich man is is indicted in a particular case
10:24it's always the driver who's sent for arrest
10:27then of course all those sections are put which are bailable
10:30which we have seen there should have been a culpable homicide
10:33not amounting to murder there should have been sections added for seven years
10:37if you see all the four sections which have been put in this case
10:40they are all below three years
10:42but you know Maria I am also surprised by the court
10:45it's fine to you know point out lapses
10:48but judiciary also is there for giving justice
10:52not only criticizing
10:54it could have redirected investigation in a fresh manner
10:58they could have asked the prosecution
11:00you know it's not that the justice arm of justice is totally separate
11:05you know since you are talking about justice and judiciary
11:09at the lower court level
11:11do you think that they take that extra step
11:14they go with the clear post processes here
11:16and here if there are you know the arrest has not been carried out
11:21without proper notice under BNS
11:23there is violation of supreme court guidelines
11:26then they are just following the piece of law here
11:28the rule book
11:30you see the police is certainly to be blamed
11:33there is no doubt about it
11:35in fact in all such cases
11:37mainly the senior officer should get involved
11:39and I am really shocked
11:40because in such cases
11:41you are quite aware
11:42if a Mishra has been caught
11:44who is the tobacco king
11:45the entire Kanpur city would know
11:47the ministers would know
11:49the MLA's would know
11:50so there is a quiet complicity
11:52in this entire exercise
11:54there is no doubt about it
11:55so hence I am talking about the lower courts
11:58who do not play their role at all
12:00by merely giving out four or five
12:02this is usual
12:03attacking the police
12:04and telling them
12:05the prosecutors are there
12:06the prosecutor is not
12:08is not a policeman
12:09they could have indicted them
12:11that how did you
12:12how did you put up this case
12:14without any proper guardrails
12:16or safeguards
12:17so you know
12:18it's unfortunately
12:19is the entire ecosystem
12:21which is mixed up
12:22I don't want to take name
12:24but you understand
12:25what I am trying to drive at
12:26this is the most unfortunate part
12:28of our system today
12:30absolutely
12:31but you know
12:32one would say
12:33Dr. Kamal Sohi
12:34that the other side
12:36should have been prepared
12:37that this is how
12:39in most of these
12:40you know
12:42crash cases
12:43the VIPs
12:45and those who are rich
12:46and powerful
12:47get away with
12:48I fully
12:50you know
12:51agree with you
12:52you know
12:53this has happened
12:54in the case
12:55in this Kanpur
12:56this happened in the case
12:57in Pune
12:58this happened in the case
12:59in Nanda case
13:00in Delhi as well
13:01what is happening is
13:02the police become complacent
13:03by looking at their profile
13:04they always
13:05try to
13:06you know
13:07this is open and shut case
13:08the person was taken out
13:10of the injured Lamborghini
13:12by his bouncers
13:13and it was apparent
13:15that this guy
13:16was the only
13:17he was the only guy
13:19who was behind wheels
13:20and how come
13:21a driver appears
13:22and then police
13:23gave a theory
13:24that this guy
13:25was not driving
13:26the driver
13:27there was another guy
13:28driver was driving
13:29the vehicle
13:30so once you are not able
13:32to
13:33there is two fears
13:35in the road shape
13:36that is one is fear
13:37of being caught
13:38so you are caught red handed
13:40and in front of the cameras
13:42than the fear
13:43of being punished
13:44here this fear
13:45of being punished
13:46is not seen at all
13:47you are caught free
13:48after injuring
13:49score of people
13:50and they've been
13:51they've been put at risk
13:52of being given death
13:53now the question is
13:55law should be same
13:56for everybody
13:57whether you are a VVIP
13:58you are tobacco king
13:59or you are a liquor king
14:00or you are a automobile king
14:02so now the question here is
14:04we cannot let go
14:06these kind of people
14:07if we let go
14:08these kind of people
14:09law will stay
14:11only in the books
14:12and people will stop
14:14you know
14:15having trust in our policing
14:18so here
14:19police failed
14:20this total system failed
14:22there was no crash investigation
14:24as such
14:25but this has been the case
14:27who did the accident
14:28what happens in this particular case
14:30is not really an exception
14:31VIPs rich and powerful
14:34have been getting away
14:36for years now in this country
14:38yes you are right
14:40absolutely Maria
14:41and this should not happen
14:42law should be same for everybody
14:44and now
14:45what we can
14:47I remember
14:48the question is
14:49why was no medical test
14:50conducted on Shivam
14:51after the crash
14:52why was Shivam allowed to leave
14:55Kanpur for Delhi
14:57multiple questions
14:58listen to me Dr. Kamal Sohi
15:00why was Shivam allowed to leave Kanpur for Delhi
15:02why was no medical test conducted on him
15:05multiple such questions need an answer of Yashvardhan Azad
15:09and the Kanpur police doesn't have answers to most of these questions
15:13absolutely
15:14absolutely
15:15yeah
15:16Yashvardhan Azad
15:19it should
15:20it should not only be the
15:22I mean and if it was
15:23if it was about
15:25you know UP police then why wasn't he arrested in Delhi
15:28he did travel to Delhi
15:30you know why Maria
15:32because the law cannot be the same for everyone
15:34because the Gutka kings or the tobacco kings or all these liquor magnets
15:38are the ones who are paying a lot of money to the political parties
15:43so you understand that clout is absolutely immeasurable
15:47in this particular case
15:49in fact the DCP included should be suspended
15:52and the commissioner Kanpur should be held for inquiry
15:56this is a case which needs an examination right from the top
16:01but unfortunately the court itself does not play its role
16:06and I'm very sorry to say
16:08if a case comes to you in a bust up manner
16:10you have the authority to redirect the investigation in a particular manner
16:15and the prosecutor itself also should be suspended in this particular case
16:19so there is a there is there is supposed to be you know
16:22thank God for the media and the TV channels which have brought this case
16:25otherwise it has been happening for the last five decades
16:29in exactly the same fashion
16:32let me give you the last word Dr. Kamal Swaye
16:34you know if we want to stop this kind of massacre on the roads
16:39we have to be very very strict
16:41the countries world over
16:43whosoever being able to reduce the number of deaths and injuries
16:46and this kind of road terrorism and road ravage
16:48we have to be strict and without enforcement
16:52and without the people at helm of affairs
16:54the punishment should be exemplary
16:57and here no medical done
16:59this guy's his age is not verified and his score free
17:04and this gives an example
17:06if you are rich you can buy law
17:09if you are poor you will be only behind bars
17:12only the rich can play with the law
17:14and laws like I would not like to use the word
17:18laws like that in the hands of riches
17:22I always believe and I pray to the God
17:27I have Naresh Chandra Tripathi
17:29Shivam Mishra's counsel also joining us
17:31Mr. Tripathi there are a lot of questions that are being raised
17:34of course your job is to protect your client
17:37but the processes
17:39the point that you have raised
17:41that the arrest should be an exception in cases
17:43where the punishment is less than 7 years of imprisonment
17:45that has been the Supreme Court guidelines
17:48the arrest has not been carried out
17:50all those points that have been raised
17:52but the larger question is also
17:54the sense that one gets
17:56that the rich and powerful get away
17:59and this was a sham arrest of just 6 hours
18:02yes
18:04today
18:05today
18:06police
18:07पुलिस ने जो गिरवतारी की है
18:09वो कताई अन लीगल थी
18:12मानी सर्वोच नियाले का अपना व्यू है
18:17कि सेवेन साल से कम की सजा के मामलों में
18:22कोई गिरवतारी ना की जाए
18:24साथ ही
18:26BNSS में
18:28सेक्सन 35 के
18:30अन सेक्सनों में
18:32ये किलियर है कि अगर कोई
18:34अब्यूक्त आपको
18:36परिच्छन में आपकी
18:38विवेचना में सहयोग नहीं कर रहा है
18:40तो आप उसको
18:42कम से कम दो बार नोटिस दें
18:44पुलिस ने वो भी
18:46प्रोसीजर फालो अप
18:48नहीं किया जिसकी
18:50इसार आज वो
18:52जब लेके माननी नियाले
18:54में आय तो माननी
18:56नियाले ने उनसे एक
18:58question रेज किया
19:00विवेचना अधिकारी से
19:02कि आप ने इनको क्यों
19:04कि रपतार किया तो विवेचना
19:06अधिकारी ने कहा कि
19:08अभीयूक्त द्वारा विवेचना
19:10but what is evident here is that there you were able to find a point out at the lapses
19:40perhaps the fact is that the Kanpur police and the UP police did not really prepare a watertight case
19:47to ensure that Shiva Mishra stays behind wars
19:51thank you so much for joining us here Shavardhan Azad, Dr. Kamal Sohi and the lawyer here, Shiva Mishra's lawyer
19:57Naresh Tripathi who spoke to us
20:00The Jeffrey Epstein files have created political earthquakes world over
20:10and now the Indian parliament has started talking about it
20:14yesterday we saw union minister Hardeep Singh Puri in fact also address a press conference
20:20we have the minister right here with us
20:23Mr. Puri, thank you for speaking to India today
20:25you dismissed Rahul Gandhi's words on the floor of the house
20:31through a press conference outside that it is buffoonery and smear campaign
20:36why are you calling it buffoonery first of all I'm glad that you are choosing the word correctly
20:42I did not call him a buffoon I said his performance indicated elements of buffoonery
20:49yesterday's performance in parliament of Mr. Gandhi raises two fundamental questions
20:56Mr. Gandhi should realize even though he is labeled as a young leader
21:02that the essence of freedom of speech the essence of democracy
21:08which is anchored in parliament in representing the people lies in participation
21:14if you want to raise an issue you must do your research and raise the issue and let the other side respond
21:22now what he does is he practices something called politics by innuendo
21:26earlier I used to say he shoots and scoots he says something and then he runs away
21:32yesterday's performance in parliament was precisely that
21:36what he did was he was speaking in jujitsu or martial arts language and he was bending forward to see what a grip in one of these martial arts is
21:46then he said because of factors which happened 10-15 years ago the Indian state
21:52system has surrendered to the Americans on the trade deal and then he went on to make
21:56bizarre allegations that we've lost out on data we've lost out on farmers are everybody's lost
22:02out etc in there there was a passing reference since I got an opportunity and I thank him
22:08wholeheartedly for mentioning me that I had perhaps some association with that person
22:16I want to remind you that on 26th of November which was Samir Dhan Divas the man walked up to me in the central hall
22:24of the old parliament building and winked not once twice I didn't quite realize what he was doing
22:30then I said yes name is in interesting places your name is in interesting places I said I said you mean that
22:36I said would you like me to send you a note he said yes so I sent him a note explaining precisely that
22:42now those facts were known I brought that out in the press conference but what has happened as a result is
22:48he is greatly diminished now because if you say if I were to turn around and say there is something in the
22:56there is something very basic there is something called criminal wrongdoing there are files which the FBI has
23:04on the victims of those crimes who are now seeking justice and then there are three million other emails
23:12now in three million emails there are two emails which refer to me or were exchanges with me by the way I went to the US
23:20I went to New York as ambassador in May of 2009 that's right I was there till 2017 in eight years because I was the
23:30secretary general of the independent commission which was a project and the IP I have made this gentleman
23:36four times in eight years but what I had the need of meeting no hold on it was part of the ICM work is not a question of need
23:42I also met a lot of other people when I was first secretary in the Indian High Commission in Colombo I was sent to meet
23:48Mr. Prabhakaran was a terrorist what is the need that's not a question a journalist should ask if in the course of your work you meet somebody and what happened there I am giving you a
23:58lecture you want me to read from the email you want me to read from the email I am saying I met Reid Hoffman in Los Angeles and I told him that India provides a great opportunity to invest in
24:14Now Mr. Rahul Gandhi after I had given him that note if he had just read this he would not have made a fool of himself and you are asking what was the need to meet him I told you I was as part of a project and you know who the other people who met him were a former prime minister of Australia the other people who are there and in that note which I sent him I told him these are the people so one minute this story is not about Epstein this story is about the lack of
24:42the lack of maturity and the fact that the leader of the opposition who believes in politics by innuendo and follows a spit and fly saying hasn't grown up but but Mr. Puri in 2008
24:58Jeffrey Epstein had always had already been convicted of his offense as a sexual
25:07whoever is doing your research for you and whoever is doing your research for you let me tell you whoever is doing your research for you tell him to find out in 2008 how many people knew about it I didn't know him in 2008 I didn't meet him in 2008 I'm again telling you something he was part of something in the Florida state
25:27okay where there was a charge for which he got a house sentence etc but I can tell you I didn't know him in 2008 I didn't meet him in 2009 when I first met him in the year of the Lord I think 2013 and I've put in on record I was ambushed into taking a going for a meeting with him along with half a dozen others and then he was
25:50first of all first of all I don't know why you're fixated on your 18 months in jail it was whatever it is I condemn that but point is did everybody know about it did you know the kind of people I was meeting he was sending a email to the white house general counsel saying you know tell reporters to come for this meeting there are a lot of important people here was he meeting important people or not I'm not important but I just one of the people I used to meet 900 people in a in a year
26:19when I was ambassador or I met later so please I think it is also good for you to get a perspective that when I met him I did not meet him because I wanted to meet him and you know by the way the second email says he's telling Terry Aron Larson the president of the IPI was famous for the Oslo Accords he's telling him two faced question mark and that guy says if you meet an Indian and a snake kill the Indian first so that is my association
26:46but you certainly felt the need to clarify through a press conference I did because Mr. Gandhi needed education I did not need to clarify so far it's been going on for a while three million year emails get put out three months ago this note I sent him was 26th November today whole month of December whole month of January two and a half months ago I sent him the note but he chose to play politics by innuendo so I decided to give him the treatment
27:13But because you say that this is a smear campaign does it stop at just responding or do you plan to take it up legally
27:20No no first of all first of all first of all first of all first of all what I plan to do I will do and I'm not going to share it with you my party is already filing a privilege motion against him I don't know what privilege motion you can turn around and say why did you hold back so far look I also choose my timing properly there's innuendo has been going on for the
27:43But nobody had raised it with me one or two journalists like you called me one called me at 130 in the morning sir your name is appeared in this thing they wrote a story
27:50I said yeah please read the email oh you must have known him I said known whom Reid Hoffman Reid Hoffman is the founder of LinkedIn and what am I telling Reid Hoffman saying that look if you want to grow in India you've got 28 million viewers please go by local languages in Gujarat even the postgraduate studies are in Gujarati and if you want to grow in India you've got 28 million viewers
28:06Viewers please go by local languages in Gujarat even the postgraduate studies are in Gujarati and then I gave them the example of Softbank I said they have this Japanese telecom and internet giant they have announced a 10 billion Indian e-commerce investment and one company has already got snap deal has already got 600 million so is this what is wrong I mean I was not even a government's official I had already retired as ambassador to
28:36So as a private citizen as a private citizen I'm meeting somebody I meet you give you advice I mean if something goes wrong with you tomorrow am I going to be held for that advice I give you I'm saying this is a investing opportunity
28:47But as a private citizen as part of a delegation that's what you have said of the independent commission on multilateralism is when you met him I have told you that in eight years in eight years four meetings and because I was a secondary general of the independent commission and by the way this independent commission at 16 thematic subject they did retreat they had some of the most respectable people in the world I mean Jose Ramos Horta was on the
29:16on the on the ICM he's a president he's a president of Timor-la state so you you never had one-on-one meeting with Epstein again again I'm telling you are the only meetings I had was when I am discussing this issue with him the one once this this email goes to him so please if you go through the record there's no issue here what we need to do here is a scrutiny of the people who are bringing up I've seen other emails very interesting email somebody saying so and so's son is getting my
29:46somewhere somewhere you know you are invited I mean is that person they're making references to you know so-and-so is on board etc but that person has nothing to do with it is that any reference I made an open challenge yesterday three million emails and by the way you know what is happening I think you're a victim of that what they are doing is if somebody told me don't have an interview with any press person today why they will take a ten seconds clip out of that then AI generate a controversy on that
30:16so what you are answering is that I clarified yesterday somebody said I think there's a journalist asked me in 2008 how much was known I said obviously it was not known because in 2008 which is good five years before I met him after that the whole world was meeting him heads of state government but by 2014 when you met him things were known about him no this was he had served 18 months in jail by that fact that you served 18 months a day may be known to you now
30:46let me tell you let me tell you when I met him on 13 or 14 I knew he was controversial I was he was controversial that's why when I went for my first meeting I asked Terrier Rod Larson my boss where is this thing you are taking the chairman and me to he said I won't give you the address you'll find out I said why how will I gauge there he said another driver will bring you there so I asked Anna she gave me the address we googled Kevin and I had a discussion should we go or not
31:16I said yesterday as it can be I said yesterday we were ambushed now why did you meet him why did you do that listen the whole world was meeting him and that in 2014-15 it's only later and the minute we knew what was happening we cut ourselves off
31:30and the interesting thing is after this email which I'm talking to about you have that other email about snake and Indians etc by the way no I was not the only one in IPI a lot of people just distance themselves and because he was a friend of the president of the IPI you're not a friend of mine you understand now you you work for some news outfit your your owners may have some political problem somewhere etc they may have some case somewhere
32:00are you responsible for that mr. Puri besides Rahul Gandhi speaking on the floor of the house this issue has been there on the social media a number of your political opponents had been raising questions regarding that why didn't you speak about it you know about it no tell me tell me TMC MPs and I'll tell you what the TMC MP I'm glad you raised it about the TMC MP I was looking for it and I thank you very much
32:25the TMC MP the TMC MP raised it in the context of that I was pimping this is the word pimping for somebody all right if she had read this issue this email is this a person who's working for India and Indian interest or is this a pimping email
32:43pimp is a word used in the context of you know sexual transactions you know pimp is the intermediary okay and you try to and you quote that MP to me I mean I'm amazed at the level of journalism you are coming down to and tell me anyone else and by the way at that stage I did not have to reply
33:03because she's got to reply because she is carrying out an attack against the government same time she is tweeting against the prime minister against this against that I mean look I don't want to say anything she the ethics committee said she gave her handle for asking questions and why because no one on her staff spoke English and therefore it had to be given someone I'm not getting into all that I know what kind of questions were asked etc
33:31listen so I am very clear that issues were raised in terms of personal queries to me and they were raised I give you the names of the journalists and I answered them and one of them wrote a story which I think was a very fair story another one who didn't write a story and now you're making this an issue
33:49and by the way I thought I thought this press conference was about Rahul Gandhi and the state of Indian politics but I'm what channel are you working in for now by the way India today
34:00oh India today so I have an interest in Epstein so I'll be very happy to
34:03TMC MP Mahua Moitra in fact when she posted on 3rd of February she said that you had called her to delete the tweet telling me if people come after me now he won't be able to help it
34:15let me tell you something let me tell you something let me tell you something I have known Mahua Moitra very well
34:22I have known her over the years I only called her and somebody said it was a maybe mistake to call her not at all I am very proud of the fact I called her
34:32I only called her to ask her one question did you read the email in question because and she was going
34:40I said look don't serve me I have a name I've known you very well okay so I said if you have read the email and still posted it all I can say is I'm disappointed that's all
34:53now you as a journalist your channel as a national channel you have a choice of either accepting this or not
35:03but do you regret meeting this is a nonsensical question I did not meet him of my own volition I went to him as part of my work
35:12even when no no no wait is it even then even when you were meeting him as part of a delegation
35:17this is whatever I went as part of a delegation I have met half a dozen people with whom I would not be in a room with
35:24I met a terrorist called Velupailai Prabhakaran who was responsible did I meet him on my volition I was sent there and then when I am sent there this is what I do
35:33I give them a lecture on what they can do if for India and what India can do for them
35:39you know since you certainly feel that okay this needed a clarification I've done the clarification and let's come to your press conference again
35:49since this is about Rahul Gandhi raising it on the floor of the house and you say that he had warned through some
35:56winking that some papers I had given him a paper he could have read it but today I was sitting
36:01when was this when did you
36:0326th November 2025
36:05you sent a note to Rahul Gandhi
36:07yes because he winked at me and he said your name is in interesting places your name is in interesting places so I said would you like to know what it is
36:13so I sent him a note and in that note I gave exactly what I am telling you now and I thought the story was over
36:20but if he had read my note and he still wants to do politics by innuendo he can be my guest otherwise you see some people don't grow up
36:29I've been watching this young leader for a long time in the civil service you know I don't know how much you know about the civil service we have a rule
36:37it's called rule 56 J that if after the age of 50 if somebody doesn't perform you don't compulsorily retire him you give him an option of voluntary retirement
36:47here is a guy who's leading one of the all-time historical political parties which was the instrument of India's political freedom they worked a lot
36:56Annie Besant another the big leaders who founded it he is not grown up now today that thing has changed when he decides to do this man you know this kind of politics by innuendo people are going after him
37:09I have always said that the essence of freedom of speech the essence of democracy the essence of parliamentary participation is in taking part in a discussion not by spit and fly
37:21now what has happened here clearly is that he goes out a lot he I had the privilege of hosting him in places like Brazil in Geneva etc I'll talk about that at some other time
37:34just now and Mahua Moitra your new friend I will talk about her some other time
37:39No she isn't a friend
37:40But no no but she's you the very fact that you choose to quote her but let me tell you Mr. Rahul Gandhi needs to grow up or he needs to step aside
37:48By the way a large section of my party believes that he's a very good guy to have as a leader of opposition because as I said in the opening of my press conference yesterday there are some leaders who give their lives to Samad Seva some leaders who give their lives to transforming the nation who bring it from a fragile five tenth position economy to a fourth position economy in the world going to third position and there are others
38:17who are always finding fault the guy got into a sports quota of some admission somewhere it's all over the place he went goes to some university he joins politics he tears up an ordinance in 2013 September he calls
38:34the Indian economy when the whole world is saying it's growing he calls it a dead economy and now and now to jujitsu thing he stopped that trade deal is one of the best things that has happened to India let me explain to you what
38:46let me explain to you if you have an interest in trade India's economy fifty percent of it is in GDP is in the external sector which is the value of goods and services exported and imported and remittances you need to interact with the outside world the prime minister has signed nine has inspired nine such trading agreement the earlier was with the EU 27 and you know as my colleague and friend Kiran
39:15said to say that the prime minister surrendered he said in Hindi who can make that charge against Narendra Modi and let me tell you another thing he is jealous that India is doing well he makes all kinds of nonsensical statements against the armed forces he goes around waving a copy of the constitution it had a cellophane cover around it leader of opposition be jealous of the growth of the country because he does not believe in the aspirations of the people
39:44ask him you know just compile all the statements he has made in the last one year what is he questioning he is questioning the rate of growth he says India is a dead economy I know some other important person said that but that could be a negotiating leverage but Rahul Gandhi subscribed to it by the way at the same time our quarter on quarter growth was 8.2 percent previous quarter 7.8
40:146.6 to 7.3 are you getting my point so here is a country which is growing he mixes apples and oranges if you want to make something if you want to make an allegation something make it on that subject come to the subject and say alright this is the interest which has been sold out develop it and Nirmala will give the answer on that and by the way by the way I have yet to see I have yet to see you know instead of
40:44making a substantive response that take 10 seconds out of a statement of a press conference which was 55 minutes 10 seconds you take it then AI generate a falsehood around that but Mr. Puri why do you think that despite you sending a note to Rahul Gandhi in November of 2025 that this is what your version of truth is he raised it on the floor of the house I don't know why he raised it I was sitting next to a person who was in the Congress
41:11party earlier so he had a good laugh so when I told him I sent him a note he said yeah but you should have known he never reads anything I don't know whether he reads or not but I thought listen my duty if you tell me that you want to do a press conference and I will tell you roughly what are the issues we are going to discuss okay at least if you stick to those issues you will have a press conference if on the other hand it's an exam in chemistry and you fire questions in medical sciences at me well I will try up to a point to indulge you
41:41So Rahul Gandhi is in that happy situation of having done a I think I think from our point of view did quite well I mean you know you need periodically so I said there are two kinds of politics one they dedicate their lives to the nation have no private attachments no private party I should have said and the second who provide entertainment value through streaks of buffoonery periodically.
42:11So Rahul Gandhi tends to hijack what you want to send as a government with regards to the trade deal.
42:18He is not even he's linking to that saying apples and oranges he's not even made an app allegation against me.
42:24He said you know his sister I mean she's a slightly more effective person.
42:29Aakke mantri ka bhi mantri mahandi ka bhi naam aaya kis mea aya?
42:34Oh criminal wrongdoing mein aaya hai?
42:36Nahin!
42:37It's in the other emails and if you had read it naam aana means what?
42:42Secondly I made it absolutely clear at that point ever this was the context.
42:47That is what had been made clear to him.
42:49By the way Mr. Rahul Gandhi when he said that two of his spokespersons one is called shrieking jain
42:56some Supriya Chinat or something like that and the other what they have said how was Mr. Puri
43:02introduced and it was not me tha terrier Rod Larson was the president of IPI introduced this
43:07is the only this is the allegation against me and you as a main senior journalist are asking me you
43:13know do you regret the question of Raul Gandhi is who introduced you and you are taking it into a
43:19into a discussion on wrongdoing I'd be happy to have that discussion but on a separate platform
43:25okay my last question to you since you have chosen to clarify through a press conference would you
43:30have wanted to clarify earlier when the details came out I was in the public domain no details in
43:36the public domain again all you had was some people as I said let's get our facts right what
43:42was known in 2008 I told you I did not know him in 2008 when he went 2014 this way think of some he's
43:48controversial that's why we googled and I said I used the word in the press conference I was ambushed
43:52that's why I didn't go there but when I go in a delegation and they asked me to look at have a
43:59discussion to read Hoffman I had a discussion with read Hoffman I put it down on paper and if you read
44:06that email it is about India is what's India buying products how is that got to do do you regret it I
44:12don't regret meeting read Hoffman secondly it was part of a delegation you want me to start telling
44:17people how many people one is made to do as part of one's official this is not even official I was a
44:21private citizen no when people raise this I always said I'm not accountable if somebody wants to know
44:28let them ask me so two of your lady journalist friends called me and I told them one of them
44:33wrote a story which I think was very fair it was in a publication which is totally against us unlike
44:38India today which I thought is a neutral channel the other one was from somebody in and she happens to be
44:46related to somebody who's been taking pot shots on it I explained and they keep kept quiet so all I'm
44:51saying is please let's have the you know evidence on record 2008 he serves time somebody said I'm
45:00trivializing not at all I don't know I did not know him in 2008 when I met him in 2014 he is mildly
45:06people are controversial so I said I won't go there but then you say let's go there we are part of a
45:11delegation and that's it okay so is this the end of this controversy well I don't know I
45:16it's the end of the controversy is there something else it's a question of how much of controversy
45:21generating thing I this story is over but some of the others who have you know tried to milk it
45:28there will be retribution for them okay so retribution yes no I'm not saying the system systemic
45:35retribution yeah who am I to give I'm a small person but you know if you take a pot shot at me I will take
45:42a pot shot at you at some stage so that's what I am not doing I'm a law abiding hard-working minister
45:48works 18 hours a day seven days a week thank you very much
45:51Harbipuri really appreciate your time thank you
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