- 4 hours ago
The conflict in West Asia has escalated as US military strikes under Operation Epic Fury destroyed the B1 bridge in Karaj, Iran, with President Donald Trump warning that electric power plants are the next targets.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Hello and welcome. You're watching Five Live. I'm Sonal Merothra Kapoor.
00:04The West Asia war has entered Day 35.
00:08It is witnessing a sharp and rather dangerous escalation,
00:12with the conflict now expanding across multiple domains,
00:15from critical infrastructure and military bases to energy networks and even cyberspace.
00:22Apart from that, there are a host of developments happening in the country on the political front as well.
00:27We'll take you through all of that over the next one hour.
00:29But let's start by bringing you the top 10 updates when it comes to the West Asia war.
00:35First, we look at US and Israel, which carried out a coordinated strike on Iran's key B-1 bridge in
00:42Karaj,
00:42a vital link between Tehran and its northern corridor.
00:46The bridge was hit by twin strikes early Thursday, leading to a major structural collapse.
00:51Even casualties, the pictures really tell the story there.
00:54The attack is now being seen as a significant blow, not just to civilian connectivity,
00:59but also to Iran's strategic logistics.
01:06Then there is Sehran, which has vowed retaliation.
01:09Iranian media has published a list of major bridges across Gulf and the wider regions as potential targets,
01:16including key links in Kuwait and UAE, the Saudi-Bahrain corridor and Jordan.
01:22The message is unambiguous.
01:26Critical infrastructure could not be hit now or earlier, but now it's pretty much on the hit list.
01:35Iran's also Islamic Revolutionary Guard has claimed that it has launched scale,
01:40a large-scale attack under Operation True Promise 4.
01:44What is this all about?
01:46Because Iran claims it shot down another F-35 fighter jet and also another US personnel in the UAE were
01:54targeted.
01:55The USS Abraham Lincoln was attacked and the drone bases in Kuwait were hit as well.
02:00These claims, however, have neither been confirmed nor denied by the United States.
02:07Let's come to number four.
02:09The conflict is now entering the digital domain and this is where it starts to get really dangerous.
02:15Iran has claimed that it has targeted the infrastructure linked to Amazon in Bahrain,
02:22including the cloud systems indicating a shift towards hybrid warfare beyond just conventional battlefield.
02:34No. 5, then a drone strike has hit Kuwait's Meena al-Ammadi Raif, the rifinery there.
02:41The refinery, beg your pardon, with fires reported at key units.
02:45This has raised fresh concerns over the security of critical energy infrastructure
02:50and also the potential impact on global oil supplies.
02:56And while all of this goes on, more than 40 countries have now come together under UK leadership
03:01to push for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
03:05The coalition has warned that the disruption poses a serious threat to global supply chains
03:09and is considering options ranging from diplomatic pressure to even coordinated action.
03:18India, meanwhile, represented by Foreign Secretary Vikram Masri, raised serious concerns,
03:24noting that India remains the only country to have lost marineries in the conflict so far.
03:30He has called for safe navigation and urgent de-escalation.
03:37United Nations Security Council is set to vote on a proposal that could allow the use of all necessary defensive
03:46measures
03:47to secure the Strait of Hormuz, potentially paving the way for a multinational naval deployment.
03:55That's an important meeting.
03:58And the human cost continues to mount, with over 1,900 people reported deaths so far
04:03as the conflict spreads across multiple fronts and civilians remain caught in the crossfire.
04:09And finally, in a significant development from Washington,
04:12U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hexford has removed the top army leadership,
04:16including the General Randy George, while the Pentagon has not provided a reason.
04:21U.S. media reports suggest that the move is aimed at sort of aligning military leadership
04:27more closely with President Donald Trump's strategic vision from infrastructure.
04:33Then, as we conclude those 10 top headlines for you,
04:38from infrastructure to international waters and now into cyberspace,
04:42there is no longer a contained conflict.
04:44It is a widening regional war with global implications.
04:50We told you about the escalation ladder.
04:52It either goes up horizontally or expands, you know,
04:56glows up vertically or expands horizontally.
04:59This one is serious horizontal escalation.
05:02Meanwhile, here in the country, what else is making news?
05:05Let's look at the top 10, or in fact, the top 5 headlines at 5.
05:09Amadi Party MP Raghav Chadha has reacted for the first time
05:13after being removed from his key party role as its deputy leader in the Rajasabha.
05:17Striking a defiant tone, Chadha said that he has been silenced, not defeated,
05:23and insists that he raised public issues whenever he got the opportunity.
05:27But the Amadi Party leadership has hit back pretty sharply with Bharatwaj saying,
05:38Then there is the AIMIM leader who has been arrested from Bhaktogra following a crackdown
05:45on those linked to the violence in Malta.
05:47Investigations say Islam paid a key role in instigating the mob there,
05:54allegedly inciting crowds and fueling tensions on the ground during the violence.
05:59Meanwhile, the BJP has announced 27 candidates for the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly polls
06:04as part of its alliance with the AIA-DMK-led NDA.
06:08In a surprise move, former state chief there, K. Annamalai, has not been fielded.
06:15Key names include several those coming from Malapur,
06:19also Vanathi Shrivasan from Coimbatore North and Union Minister L. Murugan from Avinasiya.
06:28Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi has waded into battleground Puducherry.
06:33He is, as we speak, holding a mega roadshow along with the NDA leaders.
06:39Puducherry chief minister also accompanied Prime Minister Modi in his roadshow.
06:42Remember, Union Territory Puducherry goes to polls on the 9th of April
06:45and results will be declared on the 4th of May.
06:49Neen Wild Defence Minister Rajnath Singh commissioned advanced stealth frigid INS Taragiri
06:55in Visakhapatnam.
06:57INS Taragiri is part of Navy's ambitious Project 17A programme,
07:02a series of next-generation stealth frigids
07:04designed with advanced features to operate in high-threat pre-time environments.
07:16Let's start with the top story we have for you at this hour.
07:20West Asia is witnessing a massive and dangerous escalation,
07:24with the war now entering a new phase,
07:26where civilian infrastructure is directly in the line of fire.
07:30In a major development, U.S.-Israel strikes have hit Iran's key B-1 bridge in Karaj,
07:36a critical infrastructure project linked to Tehran and also linking it in a way to its northern corridors.
07:44The bridge, considered one of Iran's tallest and most strategic,
07:47has been severely damaged, as those visuals tell you at the moment.
07:52Large sections collapsing after the strikes and the attack
07:54then marks a sharp shift in the conflict, if you'll notice.
07:58The U.S. forces now are targeting Iran's, what Iran calls a civilian infrastructure.
08:04U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a stark warning as well,
08:08signalling that this may only be the beginning.
08:11Bridges now, power plants next.
08:14Tehran has responded with an equally strong message,
08:19wowing a tit-for-tat retaliation across the Gulf.
08:22Iran has now escalated its response dramatically with a chilling warning.
08:27It is ready to burn bridges across the Gulf.
08:31After the U.S.-Israel strikes on its B-1 bridge in Karaj,
08:35Tehran has identified key infrastructure targets across the region.
08:40First is in UAE, the iconic Sheikh Zayed bridge in Abu Dhabi,
08:45now marked by Iran as a potential target.
08:48Also in Abu Dhabi, there is the Sheikh Khalifa bridge,
08:51another critical connector, now again on Iran's radar.
08:55Saudi Arabia, the King Fahad Causeway linking Saudi Arabia to Bahrain,
09:01a vital economic and transport lifeline across the Gulf,
09:04also flagged as a possible strike point over there.
09:07And then in Jordan, the King Hussain bridge,
09:10the key crossing in the region,
09:12now included on Tehran's potential hit list, their target list.
09:18And at the same time, Iran claims it has launched strikes on U.S.-linked assets across the region,
09:26including targeting an F-35 fighter jet, U.S. personnel, also in UAE.
09:33The USS Bram Lincoln is in at the moment at the Northern Indian Ocean,
09:38as well as bases in Kuwait, infrastructure in Bahrain,
09:42and a logistics hub in Iraq.
09:45Now, like we told you, while these claims remain unverified,
09:49they point to a widening conflict, spanning land, sea, air,
09:53and now critical infrastructure used by civilians and also for business.
10:00Here's a report. One more.
10:11The war is escalating fast.
10:14Direct threat to critical bridges and global choke points.
10:21The trigger?
10:22A joint U.S.-Israel strike on B-1 bridge in Karaj in Iran.
10:29Hit twice, sections of the bridge collapsed on impact.
10:34A key link between Tehran and Karaj reduced to rubble in precision strikes.
10:38Media reports say this was no ordinary bridge.
10:42It was being used to move ballistic missiles westward, closer to Israel.
10:46U.S. President Donald Trump has upped the ante following the attack.
10:50In a social media post, he warns,
10:52first the bridge, up next power plants.
10:55Iran's energy infrastructure could be next.
10:59Iran hits back, strong and defiant.
11:02Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Arachi called the U.S. strikes moral decay.
11:07Now, Tehran is signalling retaliation.
11:10Iran in media published a target list.
11:12Sheikh Zayed Bridge in Abu Dhabi.
11:14Sheikh Khalifa Bridge in Abu Dhabi.
11:16King Fahad Khozwein's Saudi Kobar.
11:19And King Hossein Bridge in Jordan.
11:23As we have said before, we tell the American Zionist enemies,
11:27your information about our military capabilities, power and equipment is incomplete.
11:32You know nothing of our vast strategic capacities.
11:34Do not hope that you have destroyed our strategic missile production centres,
11:38long-range offensive drones, modern air defence systems,
11:41electronic warfare and our special equipment.
11:44With such an assumption, you will only deepen the quagmire in which you have trapped yourselves.
11:52And that is not all.
11:53The Iranian armed forces have claimed massive strikes in the Gulf,
11:57including attacks on the U.S. personnel in UAE.
12:00USS Abraham Lincoln, an American drone bases.
12:04Tehran claimed that another F-35 stealth fighter has been downed.
12:08Iran also claimed attacks on Amazon's facility in Bahrain, along with other sites.
12:15From bridges to power grids to digital networks,
12:19West Asia is now staring at full-spectrum escalation,
12:23with civilians and critical systems in the line of fire.
12:28Bureau Report, India Today.
12:32All right, Iran and Hezbollah continue to target Israel,
12:36with fresh missile attacks causing damage in the Israeli city of Pertan Tikwa.
12:41So far, the missile attacks from Iran and Hezbollah have killed 19 people in Israel,
12:45while 10 Israeli soldiers have died in fighting in the southern Lebanon region as well.
12:51Now, our colleague Pranay Upadhyay is in the region.
12:55He brings you this exclusive ground report from Pertan Tikwa,
12:58where a factory has been damaged in missile strikes,
13:01and surrounding areas bear the impact of interception debris.
13:06Take a look.
13:10This is an impact site of an Iranian missile hit in Pertan Tikwa, central Israel.
13:15And behind me, you can see the devastation, the destruction caused by the Iranian missile.
13:21Supersonic missile was fired, and see the kind of destruction it has led to.
13:26An entire factory is burned down, like, into tatters.
13:31And in fact, this factory is believed to be an establishment serving for the drone technology of Israel,
13:38serving and catering the drone technology for the Israeli defense forces.
13:42But behind me, you can see that the emergency response teams are working around the clock to fill this crater
13:49here.
13:49There was a crater by the impact of that missile, and they have filled that crater by now, within a
13:54few hours.
13:55But behind me, you can also see these residential apartments, these high-rise buildings.
14:00And if that missile would have missed by a few meters, that could have led to a disaster,
14:07that could have resulted into massive casualties, because here, this missile landed in this open area,
14:15and therefore, the destruction, the damage could be minimized.
14:19But you can very well see the damage that missile impact has caused.
14:23That entire facade of this factory is broken, as you can show you from the other angle as well.
14:32You can see the big picture here, that how the entire missile impact has caused, how much damage here.
14:40Many of these, you know, factory rooms, those establishments, all these, you know, structure is destroyed.
14:48You can very well see that the impact of that missile, all these units, all these machines are completely destroyed,
14:57burnt down.
14:57And in fact, all these AC units, all these wire rings, insulations have come out.
15:04And you can see that how much damage, what must have been the impact of that missile strike here in
15:11Israel, in Peta Tekua.
15:12And you have seen the missile hit, that despite all efforts, despite all, you know, efforts to stop that missile,
15:23the Israeli missile defense system couldn't stop that missile from landing to this place.
15:30And in fact, you can see the vehicles here, you can see the other part of this building.
15:35This is believed to be a factory, working for technology, and especially the drone technology.
15:41And you can see the impact of this factory.
15:46And this is the scene.
15:48This is yet another site.
15:49We are trying to collect all these stories from ground, that how Iranian missile hits are still able to penetrate
15:56the Israeli missile defense system,
16:00despite all claims of robustness.
16:02This remains a question that how these missiles are able to penetrate,
16:06how these missiles are able to manage and navigate through the Israeli missile defense system.
16:14While that war continues to unfold on the ground, what's happening back in United States?
16:19Well, the political heat is certainly rising in Washington,
16:22with signs of stress emerging within the team Trump, both on the war front and also at home.
16:28Let's start with the numbers, all right?
16:31Now, U.S. President Donald Trump's approval ratings are witnessing a sharp slide.
16:35We reported on that earlier as well.
16:36But let's look at the latest numbers.
16:38From a positive 5.63% in January of 2025 to a steep minus 22.72% by 30th of
16:47March.
16:48All of this according to The Economist, remember.
16:51A dramatic dip reflecting growing public unease.
16:54And much of that unease is tied, of course, to the Iran war.
16:59Poll data shows a clear majority of Americans are against the escalation.
17:0462% oppose sending U.S. troops on the ground into Iran, and 59% oppose the war itself.
17:12Support remains limited, indicating a widening gap between policy and public sentiment.
17:19And at the same time, a major shakeup has happened inside the Pentagon.
17:24U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hexet has removed Army Chief, the General there, Randy George, with immediate effect.
17:33The official line is retirement, but the timing, right in the middle of a war, raises some serious questions.
17:40And it doesn't stop there.
17:41Reports suggest churn within Team Trump is deepening, with high-profile names either already out or under pressure.
17:50Attorney General Pam Bondi also reportedly fired.
17:54Army Chief there, Randy George, out.
17:57FBI Director Cash Patel, position under scrutiny, we are told, and learning from sources.
18:02Labor Secretary Laurie Chavez also under pressure there.
18:07Adding to that controversy now.
18:10U.S. media reports now allege that Hexet's decision may be driven by ideology more than just the war,
18:17with claims of targeting officers based on race and gender, and even perceived political alignment.
18:25What do we mean by that?
18:26From falling approval ratings to public opposition of the war,
18:31to turbulence within the top leadership over there,
18:35the question now being asked is,
18:37is Team Trump staring at a crisis, even as the war abroad is only intensified?
18:45Here's the report.
18:50Amid a raging, escalating and seemingly endless war,
18:54Donald Trump has decided to go after his own senior officials.
18:59U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hexet has sacked Army Chief of Staff Randy George.
19:05A statement issued by Hexet's office said that General Randy George
19:09will be retiring from his post immediately and thanked him for his service.
19:14General Christopher Lenev, the Army's Vice Chief of Staff, will replace him.
19:20There were four Army generals that were up for promotion,
19:25and Pete Hexet did not want to promote them.
19:28Army, U.S. Army Chief, a former, I should say, Randy George, and Pete Hexet,
19:33I think he wanted to promote them.
19:35I think he was trying to get a meeting with Secretary of Defense Pete Hexet,
19:38and that did not go well.
19:41And then he was asked to basically submit his resignation and has been removed.
19:47NBC News citing sources claim that Hexet is allegedly targeting black and female officers.
19:53Its report added that Hexet is allegedly targeting officers based on their race and gender.
19:59Officers perceived to be pro-Biden are also being punished.
20:03Not just Randy George, other top U.S. officials are also facing the heat.
20:09U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has been fired by Trump,
20:12reportedly over the handling of the Epstein files.
20:16Pam Bondi, you know, I think he wanted her to go forcefully after some of the people that
20:21President Trump preferred, that Justice Department probe.
20:24And by just going by the truth social post, I think he, you know, Pam Bondi was not delivering
20:30on President's agenda, and hence she has been removed.
20:33There's also speculation about FBI Director Kash Patel, Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll,
20:39and Labor Secretary Laurie Chavez de Rameau leaving the Trump administration.
20:44There have been so many names discussed during the day.
20:47I mean, there's a whole list of people that the media has been speculating on.
20:51And so, yes, you know, somebody, again, mentioned the name of Kash Patel.
20:56But there's nothing, you know, that we've learned that he's on the chopping block.
21:01Trump, as everyone knows, is hard to predict.
21:04Who faces the axe next is anyone's guess.
21:08With Rohit Sharma, Bureau Report, India Today.
21:15Hard to predict, that's one way to put it, really.
21:17But let's talk about how the war has actually gone and the impact that we're feeling back home as well.
21:23As the Iran war disrupts global trade routes and drives up energy prices,
21:27the riffle effects are now hitting factory floors worldwide.
21:31India is no different.
21:33India's manufacturing growth has slipped to a four-year low.
21:37But the government is stepping in with aggressive tax cuts and currency controls
21:41to sort of cushion and absorb that blow a little bit.
21:44Here's a report now on the distant war,
21:47how it's actually reshaping global and also the Indian economic engine.
22:03As the Iran war continues to disrupt world commerce,
22:07its shockwaves are rippling through the veins of global manufacturing.
22:12Forcing input costs to soar at multi-year highs,
22:16unseen since the brutal pandemic disruptions of 2022.
22:22As shipping lanes turn into bottlenecks and energy prices soar,
22:27factories around the world are staring at new challenges.
22:31Input costs are at 44 months high.
22:35Shipping delays are at a 42-month high.
22:39Global crude oil prices are hovering around the $110 level.
22:44But while every major world economy is reporting punishing input cost spikes,
22:51output is also surging across the globe.
22:56Manufacturing in South Korea surged to a four-year high in March,
23:00fuelled by semiconductor demand and new product launches.
23:04Over in Germany, factories are surging, but for a weird reason.
23:09Front loading.
23:11They are stockpiling every bolt and chip they can find today
23:15because they have no idea what tomorrow looks like.
23:18It's not a boom.
23:19It's bunker mentality.
23:22While Japan and the Eurozone are barely hanging on,
23:25walking a tightrope of rising costs,
23:28the UK is falling off.
23:30British manufacturing is officially shrinking.
23:33The combination of expensive power and shipping delays
23:37is finally dragging them into the red.
23:41In India, the latest data is in and it's a wake-up call.
23:46Manufacturing growth just hit a four-year low this March,
23:49with PMI shrinking to 53.9 from 56.9 in February.
23:55It's the lowest in 45 months.
23:58The fire is literally going out in many factories
24:02with gas supplies rationed,
24:04cut by 20% to keep the kitchens in the homes running.
24:09It's a domino effect.
24:11The war in West Asia drives up gas prices
24:14and suddenly, a worker in Uttar Pradesh in Maharashtra
24:18is out of a job.
24:19But here's where the story takes a turn.
24:23While the world burns,
24:25New Delhi is building a fiscal wall
24:27to protect the common man.
24:31To keep your wallet from catching fire,
24:33the government is slashing taxes.
24:35From critical petrochem products
24:37to keep the industry humming to ammonium nitrate
24:40and irreplaceable ingredient in fertilisers.
24:44Exporters have been allowed to sell in the domestic market,
24:47even as the central government takes a massive revenue hit
24:50by slashing duties on petrol and diesel by 10 rupees.
24:56The government is also absorbing the massive losses on jet fuel
25:00just to keep domestic flyers in the air.
25:04The RBI has also tightened Forex arbitrage
25:07and trading rules to rein in the volatility in the rupee.
25:12It's a garrison economy strategy.
25:14The Indian government and the industry
25:16are acting as a giant sponge.
25:18They're paying way more for aluminium and fuel,
25:21but they aren't passing that cost to you yet.
25:25The industry prices are low
25:27just to stay in the game.
25:30The lesson is clear, West Asia is on fire
25:33and the smoke is clogging every chimney on the planet.
25:37Shipping rates to Europe are up 60%
25:41and the pressure is real.
25:44But for now, India is doing whatever it takes,
25:47stabilising the currency and cutting taxes
25:50to ensure that even if the global engines stall,
25:54the lights stay on at homes.
25:57Bureau Report, Business Today TV.
26:04So that was on business and manufacturing.
26:06Another aspect that has been terribly hit by the war
26:09has been the LPG,
26:10and especially in the commercial section.
26:12We have already talked about
26:13how commercial LPG gas prices have gone up,
26:16availability is an issue in several areas.
26:18And as LPG crisis is hitting businesses
26:20across and parts of the country,
26:22in Prayagraj,
26:24one small shop has found a big solution.
26:27With gas cylinders running dry and cost-soaring,
26:30a jalebi seller has turned
26:32to pure desi innovation
26:34to keep the kitchen running.
26:36He's using scrap, engine oil,
26:39and a makeshift setup.
26:41That's right,
26:41that's the one you're seeing on your screen right now.
26:43This unique workaround
26:45is not just saving his business,
26:47it's now drawing in crowds as well.
26:50Look at the story
26:50to get your desi jugar at its best.
27:01As the LPG crisis disrupts businesses
27:03across the country,
27:04one shopkeeper in Prayagraj
27:06has turned Aapda into Aafsar.
27:13With a desi workaround
27:15that's now drawing crowds.
27:19At this busy jalebi shop
27:21near Atrasuya market in Prayagraj,
27:24business is booming.
27:28It is being powered
27:29by a unique homemade stove.
27:34Built using scrap,
27:36used engine oil,
27:37discarded bottles and iron pipes,
27:39this desi jugar at stove
27:41burns without LPG,
27:43keeping the kitchen running
27:44even during gas shortage.
27:57The result,
27:59hot jalebis,
28:00steady business
28:01and curious customers
28:02gathering not just for the taste.
28:26With commercial gas
28:27still scarce,
28:28this small innovation
28:29has survived
28:30a family business
28:31and is now inspiring
28:32others to follow suit.
28:54In the middle of a fuel crisis,
28:56this Prayagraj shop
28:58is proving
28:59that survival
29:00sometimes runs
29:00not on gas
29:01but on ingenuity.
29:03With Anand Raj
29:04and Prayagraj,
29:06we're a report
29:06India today.
29:26The differences
29:28between Raghav Chadha
29:30and the Amati Party
29:31have been speculated
29:32for months now,
29:33now it's out in the open
29:35for everybody to see.
29:36How did it happen?
29:37Yesterday,
29:38Amati Party
29:39took a very decisive stand
29:40removing him
29:40as a position
29:41of a deputy leader
29:43in the Rajya Sabha,
29:44even signaling
29:45that he should not
29:46be given time
29:46to speak
29:47on the floor
29:47of the house at all.
29:48And as the news broke,
29:50so did the knives
29:52which came out
29:53first from
29:54Raghav Chadha himself
29:55and then
29:56from his party.
29:57Take a look.
30:24I want to say
30:27I am the one who has a good time for me.
30:38All parties wanted to impeach the CEC.
30:44You have sign them.
30:46Whenever you have a good position on who goes on,
30:52you don't have a good position.
30:54ुपिछले कई अर्से से मैंने देखा आपने कोई भी मुद्दा सदन में नहीं उठाया जिसमें आपने प्रधान
31:00मंत्री या भारती जंता पार्टी की सरकार से प्रशन किया ऐसे डर के राजनीती कैसे चलेगी हम लोगों को पंजाब
31:08के मुद्दे
31:09उठाने जहां से आप चुन के आते हैं आप वो मुद्दे भी उठाने से घबराते हैं अर्विंद केजरिवाल जी को
31:16बतौर चीफ मिनिस्टर सरकार ने एक जूटे मुकदमे में गिरफतार कर लिया आप उस समय भी जो है देश में
31:23नहीं थे आप कहीं जाके छिप गए मेरा मा
31:38पड़ेंगे वरना देखिए आपकी जो सॉफ्ट पुद्धे हैं उनसे उनको कोई फरक नहीं पड़ता बल्कि भारती जनता पार्टी तो कल
31:45से आपको सोचल मीडिया पर सपोर्ट कर रही है आप इसके बारे में सोचेगा और देखिएगा कि आप कहां से
31:51चले थे और कहां आ
32:09तो पहले एक benefit of the doubt दिया जाता है हो सकता है कि वास्तविक तोर पे उनकी आँख में
32:14समस्या थी और वास्तविक तोर में उसका इलाज कराने के लिए लंडन गए थे हो सकता है कि भाग नहीं
32:21रहे थे डर नहीं रहे थे actually समस्या थी
32:25लगता है कि शायद जिस दिन T.M.C. साइं करवारी ही हो सकता है कि actually उस दिन परलिमेंट
32:29में नहीं थे
32:30तो जब कुछ घटनाएं होती हैं तो इनसान शुरू शुरू में benefit of the doubt देता है क्योंकि वो एक
32:37हमारे पुराने साथी है
32:39लेकिन जब ये साफ हो जाता है कि हर मुद्दे पर जहां पर मोदी जी की आँख में आँख डाल
32:47कर जहां पर BJP के खिलाफ बोलने की जरूरत है आम आदमी की आवाज बनने की जरूरत है अगर बार
32:54बार हर उस ऐसे मुद्दे से रागव चड़ा जी भाग रहे हैं तो ये सा
32:59हो जाता है कि वो मोदी जी की गोद में जाकर बैठ गए हैं
33:05Hmm, but let's step back and tell you what actually led to this divide because this was not one incident
33:10as Atishi rightly pointed out, this has been years in the making.
33:14Between 2022 and 2024, as the liquor policy controversy put Amati Party under pressure, the party was battling one of
33:21its biggest political crisis.
33:23Where was Raghav Chadha? Where to be seen?
33:25In March 2024, Arvind Kejriwal was arrested. At that critical moment as well, Raghav Chadha was in London, citing an
33:33eye surgery.
33:34A key crisis and a key leader away.
33:37Then came 2025, Delhi Assembly Elections, a critical electoral test for Amati Party.
33:43But Raghav Chadha again visibly was strikingly low, the campaigning sort of sparringly there and was seen in just one
33:51or two press conferences.
33:52That actually was not his doing entirely. We'll come to that.
33:57For the leader once projected as the party's national face, the blue-eyed boy, the absence did not go unnoticed.
34:03Then let's cut to January 13, 2026.
34:06Chadha publicly thanked the centre and backed the removal of the 10-minute delivery branding position that appeared to sort
34:13of diverge from the party position as well.
34:15Then on the 27th of February, this is where ties are getting more and more strained.
34:212026, we are here when Kejriwal and Manisha Sodhya got a clean chit in the excise case.
34:26Where is Raghav Chadha? Nobody knows. He's silent.
34:29Around the same time as the opposition moved on the impeachment motion against Gyanesh Kumar, Raghav Chadha again chose not
34:37to sign that.
34:37Then, March of 2026, when Amathi Party released its star campaigners, Chadha was obviously not there. Nobody was surprised by
34:45then.
34:45And then, on the 2nd of April, actually, 2026, came the cleanest signal yet.
34:50He was removed as the Rajasabha deputy leader.
34:54So, if you connect the dots, this is a clear pattern.
34:57From absence, to divergence, to exclusion.
35:02The question is simple. Is Raghav Chadha stepping away from Amathi Party or is Amathi Party stepping away from him?
35:09What exactly is happening?
35:11On that note, let me bring you another layer to this story.
35:15Because while his political graph may be under question, his public profile has only grown.
35:21He has, guess how many followers on Instagram?
35:2312.8 million.
35:25He has slick thumbnails, viral clips.
35:28Raghav Chadha has built a formidable social media presence.
35:32He's probably hired professionals to sort of go through all of this as well.
35:35His people-centric speeches and focus on everyday issues has made him especially popular amongst young audiences
35:41to the point where he often feels as influential as a digital creator.
35:47And there is a celebrity crossover.
35:50Let's go back to those pictures.
35:51September of 2023, he married a Bollywood actor, Pariniti Chopra.
35:54A high-profile ceremony at the Leela Palace in Udaipur, quite contrary to the Amathi Party avatar and image he
36:01or his party has been projecting.
36:02In 2025, the couple made a joint appearance at the couple Sharma show.
36:06From politics to pop culture, the visibility expanding.
36:10But with visibility came the scrutiny as well.
36:14Recent social media chatter has zoomed in on his personal style.
36:18Luxury sunglasses from Gucci high-end watch with reports mentioning models from Rolex to, you know, so many others valued
36:27at several lakhs if not crores.
36:29Because for a party, again, that has built its identity around simplicity and anti-VIP culture, these optics, they don't
36:37go unnoticed.
36:38So even as questions grow above, you know, all that has been happening about everything that's going on between Raghav
36:47Chadha and the Amadmi Party,
36:48Raghav Chadha, the politician, may be under pressure, but Raghav Chadha, the public figure, remains very much in the spotlight.
36:57And that last post of his, where he's sitting in his library, has got a lot of people thinking.
37:03So, having understood all of this, let me cut across to Pooja Shelly, our colleague who has, like me, covered
37:11the Amadmi Party for several years.
37:13Pooja, let's cut the chase here.
37:14Nobody's surprised that this has happened.
37:16I'm asking you a very point-black question.
37:18Is he joining the BJP?
37:20Is he not joining the BJP?
37:21Well, all sorts of conspiracy theories are out, and in fact, we would wait for an update on his social
37:26media, especially Instagram,
37:28like you've been mentioning, with 12 million followers, of what the next route or detour could be.
37:33Now, Sonal, if someone had asked us this, perhaps about 14 years ago, when we had started reporting on the
37:38Amadmi Party,
37:39that this blue-eyed boy, a young chartered accountant, could actually be seen as being removed as the deputy leader
37:45of the Rajasaba,
37:46at that point, it seemed he was definitely in the close circles of Arvind Kejriwal.
37:50But over the years, we have seen, especially from 2024, the images of him being at the Wimbledon, at the
37:56London Economic Forum.
37:59He had been clearly away at a time when the party was going through a turbulent journey,
38:05especially when Kejriwal was arrested, even when they were released, even when they got a clean chit,
38:09there was not a presence to be noticed from Raghav Chadha.
38:13But the issue here is not as much about what his next step is going to be.
38:17Raghav Chadha's response to the removal is very important.
38:21He's still the Amadmi Party member of parliament, like Swati Malewal.
38:24And his response with the video was,
38:26I'm silenced, not defeated.
38:28That's when Saurabh Bhardwaj said,
38:30you've been doing your own soft PR, you've been doing cowardly politics,
38:33not taking on Prime Minister Modi.
38:35But the fact is, there is clearly one fact on the table,
38:38and that is, he hasn't really attacked Prime Minister Modi,
38:40or even top BJP leaders in the past few years.
38:43So perhaps it's reflective of, if not joining the BJP,
38:46taking a more cautious turn vis-a-vis political career,
38:50to show though, I am speaking about people,
38:53but the delivery partners, the paternity leave,
38:56and perhaps other issues like the airport expensive food.
39:01So maybe it's an exit strategy of some sort,
39:04but where will this exit lead?
39:05What other doors will open after this?
39:07We don't really know.
39:08But let's leave our viewers with the picture.
39:09The last post that he has made, very sitting in his library,
39:12perhaps the C.A.'s Raghav Chadha is seen again,
39:16perhaps hinting, I don't know,
39:17we are just trying to decode over here,
39:19perhaps hinting that he might be going back to that position as well.
39:23So let's wait and watch.
39:24This chapter is clearly not over.
39:26Puja, thanks so much for joining us.
39:32All right, let's move from that to the city of Nawabs.
39:36Now, city of Nawabs is known for its
39:39Pehle Aap, Pehle Aap, Tehzeep, you know that?
39:41But not when it comes to their biryani,
39:44at least not in this case.
39:46Sure, biryani has its royal fans,
39:48but a brawl over missing mutton pieces,
39:51well, you don't really expect that,
39:53but that's exactly what happened in Lucknow.
39:56From Lucknow's biryani brawl
39:58to Bakpat's viral chat
40:00or sort of clash that happened over some chaat over there,
40:04food fights are becoming headline makers.
40:07Tempers are flaring faster than the heat in the kitchen
40:10or perhaps the price of the LPG.
40:12Tempers are taking over Tehzeep.
40:15And this report will tell you just how.
40:30Move over the battle of Bakpat.
40:32We have a new infamous food fight in town.
40:40Lucknow's brawl over biryani
40:42is now going viral on social media.
40:47At Abad Hotel near Lucknow's engineering college, Chok,
40:51what started as a polite request
40:53for a replacement piece of meat
40:55quickly turned into a full-on food fight
40:58with punches flying faster than biryani grains.
41:03The biryani-boti fight in Lucknow
41:06reminds of 2021 Bakpat culinary kiosk
41:10where the red-haired cha-cha
41:12and shopkeepers of two chaat stalls fought.
41:15So whether it's Bakpat's chaat wars
41:17or Lucknow's biryani brawls,
41:19one thing is clear,
41:20food isn't just for eating.
41:31It is for epic storytelling,
41:33viral fame
41:34and apparently minor legal troubles.
41:38Bureau Report, India Today.
41:44It's Friday, we got you some biryani,
41:46so we have to end with some meatha
41:48and this report will clearly tickle you up,
41:50if not make you real wanting to reach out for one.
41:53So what began as a routine shipment
41:55has become one of the most talked about
41:58thefts online.
42:00A truck full of KitKat
42:02vanished en route across Italy
42:04and the internet then took this
42:07as a bigger, sort of highest
42:08than any, you know, bank robberies
42:11that we have spoken about
42:12or even witnessed.
42:13A truckload of KitKat
42:15triggered global amusement
42:17through viral memes.
42:19So what exactly was this unusual cargo theft?
42:22Where did it begin?
42:24Who made it disappear?
42:27And why nobody is talking about the money
42:29but it's all about the chocolate?
42:32Leave you with that.
42:38You have heard of bank robberies.
42:41Diamonds, cash.
42:44Maybe even a safe heist or two.
42:46But have you ever heard of a KitKat robbery?
42:50That's right.
42:51Over 400,000 KitKat bars
42:53weighing 12 tons
42:55disappeared while the truck was on its way
42:57from a Nestle factory in Italy to Poland.
42:59Now that's enough chocolate
43:01to make every sweet tooth in Europe panic.
43:05And of course,
43:06the internet went into full meme mode.
43:11From jokes about KitKat's missing fingers
43:14to who stole my break.
43:17Gifs of chocolate bars running for cover,
43:20social media is having a feeling.
43:30One thing's for sure,
43:32the world is more heartbroken
43:34over missing chocolate
43:35than the actual heist.
43:46With Simran Sarova,
43:47Bureau Report, India Today.
Comments