- 4 days ago
In Tamil Nadu, former three-time Chief Minister O Panneerselvam joined the DMK ahead of the upcoming assembly election, following his 2022 expulsion from the AIADMK.
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00:00Hello and welcome. Good evening. You're watching Super 6 here on India Today.
00:04I'm Akshita Nandakopal. We've got lots lined up for you over the next one hour
00:08as we track all the big headlines coming in from the southern states.
00:11We'll begin the broadcast by talking about the big headline that emerged from the courts in Delhi today
00:16of Kejriwal and Sisodia getting a clean shit in the alleged Delhi liquor gate.
00:21But remember there was a whole lot of talk about a south cartel that involved also Kej Kavita.
00:27The court has now granted relief to Kavita among others and we're going to be breaking down for you
00:32whether this entire south link to the Delhi liquor scam has now fallen flat.
00:38That's coming up on the show but also the big headline from pole-bound Tamil Nadu.
00:43O Paneer Selvam in the biggest twist yet in pole-bound Tamil Nadu has now joined the DMK
00:49who would have thought that a man who was most loyal to Jail Alitha
00:53who was her man Friday essentially is now on the side of N.K. Stalin with the DMK.
01:01We'll decode what that really means in the upcoming elections.
01:04His OPS leaving and joining the DMK a big blow.
01:08Also coming up on the show at 6.30 this evening the big news break that's rocked Vijay fans.
01:14A divorce saga that's playing out rather publicly.
01:17Vijay's wife has filed for divorce.
01:19And here's what's going to lead to his personal life going right through in fact all kinds of scrutiny.
01:27The wife in a divorce plea has spoken about an affair.
01:32We're going to be talking about that, getting you details of the divorce petition.
01:34Let's begin with the top 10 headlines.
01:45The court noted that serious allegations lacked material evidence
01:51and that the claim projecting Kejriwal as the central conspirator could not be sustained.
01:56Kejriwal accused the BJP of plotting against AAP and asked Prime Minister Modi and Shah to apologise.
02:03Massive churn in Tamil Nadu, miffed with the NDA.
02:06Three-time Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Opaneer Selvam has joined the DMK.
02:11After being inducted by Chief Minister Stalin, OPS called Adepadi Parniswamy, AIATMK chief, as a selfish dictator.
02:21Pakistan and Afghanistan are locked in an open war along their border after deadly clashes and cross-border strikes.
02:28After Afghanistan's army launched an attack, Pakistan said there will be no compromise on territorial integrity.
02:34The Taliban government has claimed that 55 Pakistani soldiers have been killed so far.
02:41India and Canada have hit reset on ties.
02:43Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has touched down in Mumbai.
02:46He's on a four-day visit to India.
02:48This visit, of course, involves high-stakes meetings, focuses on people-to-people ties.
02:54After allegations of Union Minister Hardi Puri's mention in the Epstein files,
03:00government sources say that the government is satisfied with Puri's testimony
03:03during an internal verification into email exchanges with Epstein.
03:09Big relief for the filmmakers of Kerala Story 2.
03:11The film has been cleared for release.
03:13The Kerala High Court Division bench overturned the previous order from a single judge,
03:18staying the release for 15 days.
03:20The movie was scheduled to release today.
03:22In all likelihood, it will go ahead and do so tomorrow.
03:24An earthquake of magnitude 5.3 struck near the India-Bangladesh border,
03:29sending powerful tremors across Kolkata and several districts of southwest Bengal.
03:33The jewels lasted for several seconds.
03:35Residence, it did lead to a whole lot of panic.
03:38But we can confirm for you that there were no casualties.
03:42Indian markets continue to consolidate amid rising geopolitical risks,
03:46with investors' sentiment turning increasingly cautious.
03:50Sensex was down 980 points, and Nifty 50 fell over 322 points.
03:55Vijay Devrakonda and Rashmika Mandana have tied the knot.
03:58They shared glimpses of their special day on social media
04:01and made their first appearance as a married couple arriving in Udaipur
04:05with a close-knit group of family and friends.
04:08And TVK chief Vijay's wife has filed for divorce.
04:12In her petition, the wife claimed that Vijay was having an affair with another actor.
04:24Let's get you the first reaction coming in from Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta
04:28on Kejriwal getting a clean shit from a Delhi court in the liquor, the alleged liquor scam.
04:34She's now called Kejriwal's emotional breakdown, those images on your screens,
04:39as nothing but crocodile tears.
04:41Yes, Rekha Gupta claims that Kejriwal manipulated a whole lot of evidence
04:46as questioned decisions that were taken by the ARP government to maintain
04:50that there was very much a scam and that Kejriwal is corrupt.
04:55Let's play out for you what the Delhi chief minister has had to say.
04:59Look, I would like to say that this is a lower court decision or their claims.
05:05If we were wondering that when we all know that the conditions were made,
05:10if it was not the case ofūtos no one had taken care of,
05:15we did have to change that the truth.
05:19As we started running, then I would like to get through this money,
05:30And if they were right,
05:32mainly that they were,
05:34if they were right by the end of the church,
05:34they are the people that can become Crystal,
05:35So they have to withdraw their leaker policy.
05:38That's right.
05:39If they were right, why did they do that?
05:42If they can say that they can give a bottle of one with one bottle,
05:48that's right.
05:49Do they can say that they have to privatize this whole sector?
05:55They have worked in this country, and their trader, their commission,
06:03gave it to 5% and gave it to 12%.
06:06Their share was increased.
06:07Their share was shown in the same way.
06:11What is the wrong thing?
06:18Now remember that in the course of the investigation into the alleged Delhi excise policy scam,
06:24there was a lot of talk of the South Cartel.
06:26At the heart of it was Kay Kavita.
06:29Now the Delhi court has also discharged Kay Kavita in the case.
06:32Essentially, she's been given a clean shit as well.
06:35Now similar to Kay Jhriwal, similar to Manish Sisodia,
06:38in this case too, the Delhi court has cited lack of evidence.
06:43Kay Kavita soon after has slammed the BJP saying there's been an attempt
06:47to muzzle the opposition voice, which has failed.
06:50Images are on your screens also of the celebrations that broke out.
06:54At Kavita's residence right after the decision came in from the courts
06:59that she has been given a clean shit.
07:01Remember that Kavita was among several others of this alleged South Cartel
07:05who were also jailed, who spent quite a bit of time in jail over these very allegations.
07:11I'll bring in Abdul Bashir who's joining us live from Hyderabad with more details on this.
07:14Abdul, you know we've seen a whole lot of family differences between KCR, KTR and Kay Kavita.
07:21But on this they stand united because even her brother has spoken out saying this was an attempt to target
07:26the family,
07:26this was an attempt to target the opposition.
07:29Well yes, absolutely. After spending more than five and a half months in jail,
07:36KKavita has got a major sigh of relief after the CBI has failed or refused to file charges against KKavita.
07:46Now here KKavita has said this is the major victory for her as she had been fighting.
07:52And major turning points we have seen from her elite involvement in this particular scam, the cases,
07:59and then after that she leaving the party, desiring from her membership of a member of legislative council,
08:06and then starting her own new party, everything, just a turning point.
08:10We had an exclusive conversation with KKavita where she said she's now living, you know,
08:15every day with that particular time that she spent in jail,
08:20or who's going to give back these days, these times, the fame that she's lost,
08:24the allegations that were made were baseless, that is what she had been arguing,
08:27and now who is going to answer to this is what she said.
08:30But at the same time she said she is, you know, she has a confidence in the judiciary,
08:35multi-fold, and this is the truth, the win of justice has prevailed in this particular case,
08:41and she believes that this is the point where the justice has been given in her particular case
08:48that has been filed against her.
08:51Thanks Abdul for joining us with those details.
08:53So the South Cartel and the allegations that, you know, there was a teleguner politician link,
08:58that at this point the court has said there's no evidence of,
09:02which is why the clean shit has been given.
09:04But let's move on now, here on Super 6, and get you the big development from Tamil Nadu.
09:10Surprises galore, really, in Battleground Tamil Nadu,
09:13because you had O. Paneer Selvam joining the DMK fold,
09:16and this is as unbelievable as it gets, because here's a man who was Jail Alita's Man Friday.
09:22Whenever she faced legal troubles, he'd be thrown in as the interim chief minister.
09:25He was considered to be an AIA DMK man through and through.
09:29Today, he joined the DMK and pictures you'd never thought 10 years ago could happen
09:34of O. P. S. shaking hands and greeting Chief Minister M. K. Stalin.
09:44Three-time Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O. Paneer Selvam has joined the DMK.
09:49Jail Alita loyalist has stirred the political waters openly calling out the AIA DMK.
09:55He called AIA DMK chief E. Palanisami a selfish dictator.
10:01.
12:40Jailalita's former aide, Sasi Kala, said OPS shift to the DMK was a mistake and extremely
12:46unfortunate.
12:47For now, the DMK enjoys an early advantage ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly polls.
12:52With Apoorva, Pramod Madhav and Anaga Keshav, Bureau Report, India Today.
13:22The point is that this is bad optics, Apsar Reddy.
13:24That you have someone who was so close, who was essentially Jailalita's man Friday, now
13:29in the DMK.
13:32I don't know about the optics, Akshita, but I think people in AIDMK, the carders and the
13:36two-and-a-half-crow members of the AIDMK are under the leadership of Mr. Adapadi Palani
13:42Chami wanted Mr. OPS out.
13:43Even when he was expelled, there was no protest, there was no resistance.
13:47People saw him for what he was.
13:49He was constantly aligning himself with the Chief Minister's son-in-law at cricket matches.
13:54His son, OP Ravindranath, was meeting the Chief Minister, praising the Chief Minister.
13:59When the arch-rival of AIDMK is DMK, and when Amma was alive, and even under Mr. Adapadi's
14:05government, we would never have any dealings with the DMK.
14:11But OPS was openly in bed with the DMK, so to speak.
14:14So I think the people of the AIDMK, the carders of AIDMK, the leaders of AIDMK are firmly
14:19with Mr. Adapadi Palani Chami, and OPS is an expelled leader.
14:23Now that he has joined the DMK, it's unfortunate because it's betrayal of the highest order.
14:27He was three-time Chief Minister because of AIDMK.
14:30His rise, in many ways, is because of the AIDMK, and aligning with a party which literally
14:36compromised the dignity of Madam Jailalita and the Assembly.
14:39Madam Jailalita was attacked on the floor of the Assembly.
14:41In her own words, her saree was pulled out, her hair was pulled out.
14:45People hit her with mics and books.
14:47The same party which literally harassed and violated Madam's dignity.
14:53OPS who calls Jailalita Madam Amma has gone, aligned with the evil force called DMK.
14:57It's out there for people to think, people will never forgive him.
15:00I'll just highlight that he also arrived at the venue at the DMK headquarters this morning
15:04in a car with Jailalita's photo.
15:07So that's the messaging that he's trying to send out, that his loyalty per se to Jailalita
15:11hasn't shifted.
15:12But Apsra Reddy, beyond really what the Carder feel, there's an election coming up.
15:16There's an election coming up, Apsra Reddy.
15:18And election-wise, if you look at it electorally, in South Tamil Nadu, you can't deny the fact
15:23that this is cutting votes essentially.
15:25OPS on one side, Sashikala on one side.
15:28OPS doesn't have any clout electorally.
15:31He doesn't have Carder to work for him.
15:33To work for an election, you need people, at least in your constituency, where you've
15:36been multiple times chief minister to have stood by you.
15:39There are no loyalists of OPS.
15:40Everybody is frittered away, including his own constituency.
15:43He was not able to, you know, sustain any momentum there.
15:46I don't think OPS will cause a dent to the AIDMK.
15:49I think he'll be a liability to the DMK if it were.
15:53However, I don't think OPS is considered a serious political force in Tamil Nadu.
15:57He's a spent force.
15:59Okay.
15:59Dhani Dharan, your opening remarks are on the fact that OPS is now with the DMK.
16:04You know, it was clear that you consider this a big bang entry, which is why the chief minister,
16:08the deputy chief minister, all of them were there to welcome Paneer Sevam.
16:12But realistically speaking, Dhani Dharan, what really is his contribution to the DMK,
16:16considering that he's not really enjoyed any electoral win even in 2024?
16:22But no one in the other camp won the elections in 2024.
16:24But he still managed to get about some 20 odd percentage,
16:28a significantly higher percentage than the average vote share of the block
16:31in which he contested the NDA block, which means to show that he has,
16:34he has a drastic support in that region.
16:37And quality is also about perception.
16:40And in perception matter, there is a clear perception, DM, MDK,
16:43which is ADMK has now joined us.
16:45OPS is an integral part of ADMK.
16:47And stood with the NDA in 24, 21 with the ADMK,
16:50and now with us.
16:51Again, perception shift.
16:52PMK, which was with the NDA, ADMK, now is split into two.
16:57Other factions might join us or somebody else or stand alone.
17:01We don't know.
17:01So, which means perception-wise, our allies have gone stronger
17:04and ADMK's allies have deserted them.
17:07When do allies desert?
17:09When they realize that, collectively, there is no winning possible.
17:12That's when they desert and that's what is happening.
17:15And more so, OPS has cataclyly said that this government
17:18is the only government that gives Dravidian model of governance.
17:21See, ADMK and DMK, to begin with, nearly had the same ideology
17:24because ADMK is an offshoot of the DMK party.
17:26But the fact that OPS has joined it and several other leaders from ADMK joining us
17:30means that the ideology of ADMK is now not there anymore.
17:33No, but it's also a contradiction for you that you have an OPS entering your party
17:38with Jailalitha's photo in hand.
17:41No, how does it matter?
17:42And I'll tell you, in DMK split, half the people from DMK went into ADMK.
17:47So, ideologically, both parties were the same.
17:49Of course, we gave better governance.
17:51We stood for many other things which they should have stood.
17:53But now, the whole point we have to look into is the entire ideology of ANNA or the DMK
18:00or ADMK has been obliterated under ADMK.
18:04There is no ideology left.
18:05It appears like a B team or rather a franchise of the BJP party.
18:11The franchise is like an offshoot of the BJP party.
18:14That's why ADMK is being operated.
18:16And the way people are deserting the ADMK.
18:18And again, we have to remember, Arapadi was not chosen by the Carders.
18:20He was appointed.
18:21And we know how he was appointed before Sasekhar had gone to jail.
18:26Apsar Reddy, your response.
18:27Because, you know, this is exactly what happens.
18:29You have handed it over to a plateau on the DMK where they can say perception matters
18:33and OPS has ditched AIA-DMK because they no longer believe or stand for what,
18:38you know, Amma's AIA-DMK stood for.
18:41See, it shows the desperation of the DMK, the way they are collecting allies.
18:46OPS's own supporter, there was a lady who gave an interview to multiple channels today,
18:50who said that he was upset and he was tearing up even until the last minute,
18:55that he had no place and AIA-DMK and Carder were not accepting him.
18:58He's been discarded from AIA-DMK and Stalin is collecting those discarded from AIA-DMK, number one.
19:03Number two, when he talks about alliance, I don't think the DMK is in any position to talk about alliance
19:08when the biggest ally Congress is coming out and making drastic statements against Stalin's leadership
19:14and the way they treat the alliance partners.
19:16And also in terms of the nominated chief minister, I strongly condemn this,
19:21that Mr. Adhapadi Palmi Chami was the chief minister of the state for four and a half years.
19:25When you talk about nominations, let's talk about the dynasty of the DMK.
19:28How did Mr. Stalin make it to power? How did Mr. Ojai Nidhi make it to power?
19:31And their own ministers are now calling for inventory.
19:33That is called nomination, that is called preferential treatment.
19:36Not how the AIA-DMK leaders risen from a simple farmer's background to the seat of the chief minister.
19:43Adhapadi Palmi Chami's journey has been that of a hard-working loyal AIA-DMK Carder.
19:48No, but can I also highlight here, Apsar Reddy, will you concede that there were attempts made to bring OPS
19:55onto the NDA block?
19:58Because we had statements from the BJP. We had statements from the BJP suggesting there were attempts.
20:04Mr. OPS has tried to enter the AIA-DMK through various routes.
20:08But his whole loyalty has never been with the AIA-DMK.
20:11The way he behaved when the general council meeting was supposed to happen, he broke open the office,
20:15his supporters stole documents which were later returned by the police rightfully to the AIA-DMK office.
20:21A lot of things that Mr. OPS has done has gone against the very grain of the AIA-DMK and
20:25the very fabric of AIA-DMK.
20:26So people in the AIA-DMK, the carders, the district-level secretaries,
20:30or even the absolute booth-level carder are not willing to accept him as a leader.
20:35And Mr. Adhapadi Palmi Chami is only reflecting the mood of the carder and the people of Tamil Nadu.
20:41Dhani Dhanan, you know, is this ultimately, the AIA-DMK says, a last resort for OPS?
20:46That he didn't have a choice but to go ahead and join your party?
20:49So you can claim that, look, this is a victory. Optics-wise, 100%.
20:52Electorally, we'll have to see maybe in a month from now what happens.
20:56But is this ultimately OPS running to the DMK with no other option?
21:00Because like you said, ideologically, there isn't much of a difference.
21:04I wouldn't say because the NDA was trying their level best.
21:07Rather, even the BJP was trying their level best to bring OPS in.
21:10He was not interested for that matter. Even TTV.
21:13Earlier, EPS was not inclined to include him.
21:16But after pressure from the BJP, he has to be included.
21:19Which means that OPS also, if he was willing to join the NDA,
21:25the...
21:25No, that is not factual.
21:27They would have happily taken him.
21:27No, no, let me not be interested.
21:29That is not factual.
21:29They would have definitely taken him.
21:30Same thing with practical also.
21:31Mr. OPS has given an interview.
21:33Mr. OPS has given an interview saying,
21:35I would urge the BJP and Mr. TTV and Mr. Edapari
21:39to please take me back.
21:40It was all over the press.
21:42I don't think...
21:42I think it was two weeks ago.
21:43It was two weeks ago.
21:45I don't think you're factually correct there.
21:48No, no, no.
21:49I think he can say whatever he wants to.
21:51If TTV could be taken in, why not OPS?
21:55So, the fact that TTV...
21:56That is the call of the ADMT, not for DMK to decide that.
21:58Now that you've taken him, you have to suffer him.
22:02No, we don't have to suffer him.
22:03He's a good person.
22:04I think he will do good for the party.
22:06Why should we suffer him?
22:07It depends on the people to decide.
22:09No, he has support of the people.
22:10He electorally is very strong in South Tamil Nadu.
22:13He has a great support from the Deva community.
22:15And I think that will continue.
22:17But I can't...
22:18I don't like to be interrupted, Akshita.
22:19But the whole point is...
22:20Go ahead.
22:22Because, you know, I am outside and I can't be loud.
22:24So, the whole point is very simple.
22:26This...
22:27Politics is perception and BJP wanted to build that perception.
22:30If OPS was willing to join, they would have taken him.
22:33Including Sassikira.
22:34Including even the other faction of PMK.
22:37The whole point is they are not willing to join because they know that they are going to lose.
22:40So, Jailalitha photo in hand, MGR tattoo in arm.
22:45None of that matters, Darni Dharan.
22:47But the whole point here is broadly the simple fact that the ADMK has deviated from Jailalitha and MGR's ADMK.
22:53It's a point that many senior leaders are saying.
22:55It's not just OPS.
22:55Even Singhotian went to TVK.
22:57Many senior leaders who are ideologically came, have left ADMK.
23:01And many senior leaders who are still a part of ADMK are not happy with how the party is being
23:06run.
23:07They have told me in privacy, which I don't want to disclose the names now.
23:10The whole point is the problem is that the ideology of Anna or MGR or Jailalitha has not followed in
23:16ADMK.
23:16The biggest problem now for them.
23:19That's something you have to do.
23:21That is why ADMK is losing elections badly 2019, 2021, 2024.
23:26In fact, ADMK has never done this bad.
23:28Yeah.
23:28Anyways, I'm going to be leaving now.
23:30So, I think you can respond.
23:31Yeah.
23:32Okay.
23:32Darni Dharan has a flight to catch.
23:34So, Darni Dharan, we'll let you go.
23:36But Akshra already quickly responded.
23:37Then I'll bring in Mr. Shekhar.
23:38No, I mean, he's talking about people within ADMK being upset about the ADMK leadership.
23:43What about their own former finance minister who said the son-in-law of the chief minister
23:48and the son of the chief minister have 30,000 crores.
23:51They've usurped out 30,000 crores of public money.
23:53I mean, all this is going to play out in the election campaigns now.
23:57And we will wait and watch how the elections play out.
24:00Shekhar Iyer, your opening comments and my apologies for coming to you so late.
24:03But what do you make of what's happening right now?
24:05The AIADMK says this is a non-factor.
24:08Doesn't matter.
24:08He's not a player in the current election scenario.
24:11Do you think so, Shekhar Iyer?
24:13That this doesn't dent the AIADMK in any way?
24:16I would not think this is a great earth-shaking political event in Tamil Nadu.
24:21Because he has been meeting Stalin since last August.
24:25August of 2025.
24:26That's the first time he met Stalin.
24:28And this is the third meeting and finally he was left with no offshoot.
24:33Even a day ago he was saying that he's not forming a party.
24:36And this has come after Shita, after Shashikala said she's floating a party.
24:42In fact, she appealed to TTV Dhanakaran and OPS to join her.
24:45Now, OPS appeal for the DMK or the utility for DMK is very limited.
24:51Especially in terms of garnering the Mukulatur vote.
24:54Because beyond the Tanjavur Kaveri Delta, DMK is in a weak position as far as that community is concerned.
25:00No, but that's exactly the point, Mr. Shekhar Iyer.
25:02That you've got this now division.
25:05A very clear split.
25:06Sashikala with her own party.
25:08OPS now joining the DMK.
25:10They managed to get TTV Dhanakaran on board.
25:12But if you look at this very community and the representatives of the Mukulatur community,
25:16you've already got that split.
25:18No, but OPS has stopped being the only representative of that community.
25:25Because today that community is largely represented by TTV Dhanakaran.
25:30That's why it was very keen that TTV Dhanakaran was brought in.
25:34And the fact that EPS and TTV Dhanakaran have patched up, that's very politically important.
25:40And the other point, Akshita, you see the problem came because BJP was trying hard to see that OPS is
25:46brought back into NDA.
25:48But OPS set a condition that he would not be a part of NDA, but he has to get into
25:55the AADMK.
25:58And that consistently EPS, and particularly after EPS even took in TTV Dhanakaran,
26:04he was very consistent and said no to OPS.
26:08So OPS said, because BJP was…
26:10No, but will you concede, Mr. Shekhar Iyer, that optics-wise,
26:13it's not the best look that someone who was, you know, Jay Lalita's go-to man at every point when
26:17she was in a crisis,
26:18he'd step up because he was considered to be one of her most loyal aides, is today on the other
26:23side.
26:24So those are chronological details when you talk about OPS.
26:28But in today, you know, EPS is in full command of the party, you know, that has long been settled.
26:34And for OPS, he has been limited to his own circle and to his very close followers and more about
26:40his sons and himself.
26:42See, that is why even that BJP formula of letting him form a party and come in.
26:48And by the way, Akshita, he had gone with the same proposal to Stalin,
26:52that his party should be included into a DMK alliance.
26:55It is Stalin who made credit to OPS. He says, no, we don't want your party to come in.
27:00He said, you can come in and your supporters, whoever they are, we will try to give them.
27:06But they have to contest under DMK symbol that was made very clear to OPS.
27:11And OPS came back disappointed in the second meeting, which was just a week ago.
27:16And finally, when he realized that he is getting nowhere, in fact, it is a sign of desperation of OPS.
27:22And for EPS, EPS is very clear. I mean, this is something that BJP could not help OPS because OPS
27:29was not willing to get into NDA as a separate unit.
27:33Rather, he wanted to get into AIDMK.
27:36And EPS said, a man who has already said DMK is coming back to power.
27:39Because OPS said this six months ago that it is DMK who are favorite to win.
27:45Okay, Apsar Reddy, I see your hand up. So quickly your view before I wrap this up, please.
27:48Now, if anything, if you're talking about optics, if anything, it looks really bad and desperate on Mr. OPS's part.
27:54Because the person he called Amma, which literally means mother, and Tamil Nadu has a large chunk of women voters.
28:01Amma was assaulted by DMK on the floor of the house.
28:04And he's aligned with the people who assaulted Amma.
28:07It's not going to augur well for him or for the DMK.
28:10Okay, I'll just give out a reminder again that in Indian politics particularly, there are no permanent friends or enemies.
28:18And I think this is another fitting example of that.
28:21Apsar Reddy, Mr. Shekhar Ayal, thank you very much for your time, for joining us here on India Today.
28:26O Paneer Salman, once a top staunch loyalist of Jai Lalita, has now joined the DMK.
28:34What's happened over the last many years that's now led to this stunning twist?
28:39Remember that he was made the interim chief minister after Jai Lalita's passing.
28:43He rebelled against Sashikala.
28:45He then went and joined hands with EPS, then was expelled from the AIA DMK.
28:49And now finally, the mother of all twists has joined the DMK.
29:03The Amma legacy splintered into three factions after Jai Lalita's passing.
29:08From the Teni heartland, O Paneer Salman emerged as a key leader.
29:13Starting his career in Periyakulam municipality in 1996, he rose to prominence as an MLA from Bodhi Nayakunur in 2001.
29:24Eventually becoming a three-time interim chief minister and a minister in Jai Lalita's cabinet.
29:30With a strong Tewar base, OPS's influence in southern Tamil Nadu.
29:36A trusted Jai Lalita confidant, he was handpicked to be CM when she was in legal trouble.
29:42But post her demise, while OPS was chief minister again, he faced his biggest test, clearly at the command of
29:50VK Sashikala.
29:52And then the moment of rebellion.
29:54In 2017, OPS staged a dramatic dharma yudham, rebelling against Sashikala at Marina Beach, at Jai Lalita's grave, portraying himself
30:04as an Amma loyalist.
30:08Twist after twist, finally, OPS joined hands with Edapadi Parniswamy, becoming the deputy chief minister.
30:17But only years later, to be expelled from AIADMK in 2022 over a face-off with EPS for the party
30:25chief's post.
30:27After his expulsion, OPS contested the 2024 Ramanathapuram Lok Sabai elections independently, but didn't win the polls.
30:35His symbol, the jackfruit, known as the Palaparam in Tamil, became a signature of his campaign.
30:57Now, as the 2026 Assembly polls approach, OPS has joined the DMK.
31:15OPS is the first time, OPS.
31:17OPS is the first time, OPS is the first time.
31:34O Paneer Selvam may not be a potent electoral force, but the optics definitely damaged the
31:40AIA-DMK.
31:41An Amma loyalist to now Stalin ally.
31:45Bureau Report, India Today.
31:55Let's get you the latest updates on DMK and Congress's seat-sharing talks.
31:59There's been a whole lot of back and forth between the DMK and Congress, and we understand
32:03that there is going to be some dialogue that takes place tomorrow in Chennai.
32:08The Tamil Nadu Congress in charge, Girish Chorankar, is arriving in Chennai today, and there is
32:13going to be a conversation that happens tomorrow.
32:15Remember that there has been a lot of friction over power-sharing, over seats as well of how
32:21many seats the Congress will get to contest.
32:23Will all of these issues be ironed out at a time when Chief Minister Stalin made it very,
32:28very clear at India Today's Tamil Nadu Roundtable that there is no question of power-sharing?
32:33Is that something the Congress is okay with?
32:36We'll know perhaps tomorrow if there is some progress in seat-sharing talks.
32:41Pramod Madhav is joining us live with more details on this.
32:44Pramod, does it look like there will be forward movement?
32:46There's been a stalemate assault between the DMK and Congress, courtesy of a whole lot
32:51of very public statements from Congress leaders against the alliance.
32:56One thing is very certain, Lakshita, what the DMK wants to show is that they always have
33:00the upper hand when it comes to the India alliance in the state of Tamil Nadu.
33:03And that's what we've been seeing so far, and just like you mentioned, in our India Today
33:06Roundtable, the Chief Minister made it very clear, power-sharing is not a concept for the
33:10state of Tamil Nadu.
33:11So, it will not suit Tamil Nadu, and he says that we know that, they know that, as well,
33:14it's GMK and Congress knows it.
33:16Girish Chodak is expected back in Tamil Nadu, Chennai, by 8.45pm.
33:20For now, there is a quite a possibility for them to call Congress, I know it was expected
33:24today itself, but for now, it is expected that tomorrow, maybe they can go ahead with
33:28the seat-sharing talks.
33:29It will begin with 25, it has gone all the way up to 45 for Congress, but what is going
33:33to be the middle number is only the kind of thing, and very clearly, there is not going
33:37to be any talks of power-sharing over here, only seat-sharing, Akshita.
33:42So, no power-sharing, only seat-sharing.
33:45The Congress has been also getting rather cosy with Vijay.
33:49Is that going to be a factor that leads to the Congress being more bold in their demands?
33:53There has been some talk that they want beyond 25 seats this time.
33:57Is that something that the DMK will be willing to concede or not?
34:00We'll wait and see.
34:01Tomorrow, in all likelihood, there will be a conversation on that.
34:04Pramod, I'm going to request you to stay with me, because as we stick to stories coming
34:08in from Tamil Nadu, another dramatic development that's come in is that actor Vijay's wife,
34:14Sangeeta, has filed a petition for divorce, seeking to end their 27 years of marriage.
34:20Now, normally, this is, of course, an extremely private affair, but with Vijay entering politics
34:25and the kind of allegations put forth by his wife, Sangeeta, this has now been thrown into
34:31the public spotlight.
34:32The couple got married in August 1999.
34:35They have two children as well.
34:36And she's now filed a divorce petition in which she's gone ahead and given details saying
34:43that Vijay was having an affair and that's what's led to her taking this particular decision.
34:48I'm going to also read out for you exactly what she said in this divorce petition that's
34:53been filed.
34:54She says that in April 2021, the petitioner herself discovered that he was involved in
35:00an adulterous relationship with an actress.
35:03She then goes on to say that he initially assured that he would end the relationship, but he continued
35:09the adulterous association between September 21st and February 2022.
35:15There were attempts to resolve the issue amicably.
35:19Notices were exchanged.
35:21No resolution was reached.
35:22And she has said in this particular petition that she was neglected emotionally, mentally
35:28and physically.
35:30Now, in this particular statement, she also goes on to say that he continued his open association
35:35with the actress, which caused emotional agony to her.
35:39Now, this particular petition that's now out of the public for everyone to see is going
35:44to lead to a whole lot of trouble for Vijay because at a time that he's entered politics,
35:49there is going to be a spotlight on his private life as well.
35:53Pramod Madhav and Apoorva Jayachandran joining us live with more details on this.
35:57Pramod, I just read out some excerpts of what this petition would say.
36:01And I'd like to again reiterate that, you know, it's nobody's business what's happening
36:05in someone's private life, but that's the price you pay when you enter public life,
36:09when you enter politics.
36:10And this, no doubt, is something that will be up for grabs, essentially, for political
36:14rivals who will try to suggest that Vijay is someone who resorted to infidelity.
36:20Well, it absolutely is, Akshita.
36:22And that's the reason we are constantly calling them as respondents and petitioners.
36:24And the important aspect here is that, like, now the petitioner has gone ahead and fined
36:28this particular case under the Special Marriages Act section of 27.1.A.B.D., along with
36:3536 and 37 of the Special Marriages Act.
36:37And also, in that particular 12-page, you know, the end of, like, document, there is
36:42another part where she's very clearly mentioned that she was undergoing a lot of mental pain
36:46and agony.
36:47And when she also found out that, like, the respondent was apparently, she actually openly
36:52blames that he is in a kind of an adulterous relationship with an actress.
36:56And she, he had been taking her to various places abroad.
36:59And this is what caused more agony to her.
37:01And the main reason she says that she was quiet all this time, it's just to make sure that
37:05their children will have a good future.
37:08But the important aspect, she claims that at one point, as she confronted him, he apparently
37:12went ahead and the respondent, as per the petitioner, the respondent actually stopped providing
37:16economic support and also tried to, you know, curb her movements.
37:21And this is when she claims that she had to go ahead and bring it to the court and file
37:24the petition right now, Akshita.
37:25I'll bring in Apoorva also on this, because what Pramod has referred to Apoorva is the
37:30timing of this petition.
37:31We're just about a month away from an election.
37:34We know Vijay is, of course, making his political plunge right now, has been focusing fully on
37:39his campaign.
37:40There have already been a whole lot of personal attacks on him about, you know, his relationships
37:45with certain actors that he's been previously associated with in his films.
37:49And so with this divorce petition, all of that comes right back into the spotlight, which
37:54is what's led to some of his fans questioning what's with the timing, why the divorce petition
37:58now?
38:02Well, in fact, Akshita, if you do see this timing of the divorce petition now coming out,
38:08definitely does draw a lot of eyebrows.
38:10Earlier on, we had seen the kind of mudslinging that had been happening in politics, be it here
38:15in Tamil Nadu or otherwise as well.
38:17Anywhere a politician is on the ground, their personal life is irrevocably dragged into
38:23in this kind of mudslinging that happens.
38:25And in Tamil Nadu, it was none other than, you know, other political parties.
38:28We've seen time and again, you know, just recently as well, one of the top BJP leaders
38:33had made comments on TVK chief Vijay there, bringing his, you know, personal life into question
38:39as well.
38:40You know, the divorce petition now coming at a time when there is already enough mudslinging
38:45on TVK chief there, Vijay, when he has just announced that he wants to bring a corrupt
38:50free, a problem free Tamil Nadu for the people of Tamil Nadu.
38:53That's the image that he is, you know, portraying.
38:56And to see that this divorce petition coming out and very serious allegations that have been
39:00brought out by the petitioner there definitely does raise eyebrows on the credibility.
39:07And that if this was a separation that was happening, it would be something that's not
39:12up for discussion whatsoever in any public platform.
39:16But one, he's now a politician.
39:18Second is the serious allegations against him, Pramod.
39:21And again, I'll put the spotlight on that of what exactly has been mentioned in the divorce
39:25petition.
39:26Can you read that out for us?
39:27Except what happened, as she says, in 2021 and then years later?
39:32Well, it certainly is, Akshita.
39:34There are like two important pages in the particular 12-page petition, and that's what
39:37is very important.
39:38And the thing is that like the first one is very clearly, she says, that in April 2021,
39:44the petitioner discovered that the respondent was involved in an adulterous relationship
39:48with an actress.
39:49This caused her deep emotional pain and mental suffering.
39:52Though the respondent initially assured that he would end the relationship, he continued
39:57the adulterous association without remorse, subjecting the petitioner to prolonged mental
40:02cruelty.
40:02Between September 2021 and February 2022, the council, the petitioner, attempted to resolve
40:07this issue amicably.
40:09Notices were exchanged, but no resolution was reached.
40:12The matter was deferred concerning the children's studies and emotional well-being.
40:15The petitioner at no point condoned the respondent.
40:18This is the first page, but the second one is much more serious, actually.
40:22She says that the respondent continued to travel abroad and attend public events with the
40:27said actress.
40:28The actress regularly posted photographs of these outings on social media.
40:32The respondent neither denied nor objected to these posts, thereby tacitly endorsing them.
40:37The line, tacitly endorsing them, these are the important words, Sakshita.
40:40And he says, these posts, widely circulated, caused repeated humiliation to the petitioner
40:45and the children.
40:46And apparently, this seems to be the reason behind the petitioner going ahead and filing
40:50this particular case, Sakshita.
40:52I'm afraid, and Vijay is perhaps going to see this the hard way, that in politics, nothing
40:58is sacrosanct.
40:59And so, his private life, his personal life is going to be dragged right through public
41:04scrutiny.
41:04Vijay is going to be seeing that in the next few days as well.
41:07We're already seeing a whole lot of comments coming in from political leaders suggesting
41:11that he's an infidel, suggesting that he wasn't loyal or faithful in this marriage.
41:16Thanks, Pramod.
41:16Thanks, Apoorva, for joining us with those details.
41:18Let's cut across to another news break coming in.
41:28The contentious film, The Kerala Story 2, will be released.
41:32Huge relief that's coming for the makers from the Kerala High Court.
41:35Remember, a single-judge bench yesterday had stayed the release for 15 days.
41:39Today, a division bench has stayed that particular verdict and has given the go-ahead, the green
41:43signal for the film to release.
41:45This Kerala Story 2 was supposed to release today, but because of the legal fight that
41:50had taken place, it wasn't able to do that.
41:52In all likelihood, now, the film will be released tomorrow.
41:56This particular film has been in massive controversy, particularly in Kerala, with suggestions that
42:01there was an attempt to malign the image of the state.
42:05Shibimol is joining us with more details on this.
42:07Shibimol, the makers, of course, had immediately rushed to a different bench, a division bench
42:12of the Kerala High Court seeking relief.
42:14They've got that now.
42:15So, are we going to be seeing, you know, other attempts being made to block the film's release?
42:20Will the government step in, the state government?
42:26Well, the state government, as of now, has no plans to file, you know, a petition against
42:31the film, is what we're understanding, because the state cannot be treated in a way that,
42:36you know, the state cannot argue that a state's, a state government's, a state's reputation
42:40is being affected, unlike an individual.
42:42So, in that case, individuals can approach court and say that, you know, their reputation
42:46is being attacked or their reputation is being damaged through this film, but the state cannot
42:51is what we're learning.
42:52So, state government, as of now, has no plans.
42:56But, major relief, like you were mentioning, for the filmmakers, because we saw, you know,
43:00we've rarely seen the Kerala High Court doing an extra hour sitting after the working
43:04hours.
43:05An urgent hearing was conducted yesterday, one and a half hours, long hearing went on from
43:10both the petitioners and the filmmakers side, the court heard both the sides and reserved
43:14the judgment.
43:15Today, the main observation that the court made while granting relief to the filmmakers
43:19is that, when the CBFC is granting certificate to a film, all the guidelines is taken into
43:25account.
43:26That includes maintaining public order.
43:27So, after the release, if there's any issue of public order, then that is the maintainable,
43:31that should be maintained by the state.
43:33It's the responsibility of the state to maintain public order, if there are any issues regarding
43:37communal riots or any of those concerns.
43:39So, that is not the responsibility of CBFC.
43:41In that case, the film has the right to get released.
43:44Whatever happens, post-release, is the responsibility of the state.
43:46That's an important observation there by the court, putting the honours on the state
43:50to ensure law and order.
43:56I'm at the Afghanistan-Pakistan war.
43:59The US government has now issued a security alert over the escalation that we've been seeing.
44:05The US has said, we are aware of the recent escalation in tensions and outbreak of fighting
44:09between Taliban and Pakistan.
44:11We continue to monitor the situation closely.
44:14The US has underscored extreme risk in Afghanistan and an advisory has been issued not to travel
44:20to Afghanistan.
44:21This, even as there's been a whole lot of strikes and border attacks that have taken
44:26place from both sides.
44:27A Pakistan military spokesperson has confirmed that at least 12 Pakistani soldiers have died.
44:32They've claimed to have hit military targets in 22 locations and airstrikes in Afghanistan.
44:38So, unfortunately, the conflict is only escalating, which is what's led to this warning from America.
44:43We're going to continue tracking that story very, very closely and getting you the latest
44:46updates.
44:47I'm wrapping up this edition of Super 6.
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