- 7 weeks ago
This episode of News Today examines the fragility of the US-Iran ceasefire following Israeli strikes in Lebanon.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:01Good evening, you're watching News Today at 9pm. I'm Preeti Chaudhary.
00:04Our big talking points, the war on Iran, what did President Trump gain Israel, torpedoing
00:10U.S.-Iran talks, and then we shift focus to domestic politics.
00:14Modi, Mamata, in a battle of guarantees. All of that coming up, but right on the top,
00:20allow me to take you through the headlines.
00:26Amidst global condemnation, Israel vows more strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon.
00:32At least 203 Lebanese killed and 1,000 wounded in last Israeli strikes.
00:38Iran says we'll never abandon Lebanese brothers.
00:45Confusion prevails over inclusion of Lebanon in ceasefire deal.
00:49The U.S. state's agreement doesn't include Lebanon, but mediator Pakistan, along with Iran,
00:54continues to maintain that Lebanon was part of the deal.
01:04Is Iran pulling out of Islamabad talks?
01:07Iran ambassador deletes post on team reaching Pakistan tonight.
01:12First round of U.S.-Iran talks to be held in Islamabad on Saturday.
01:22Trump's ultimatum to NATO allies over Straits of Hormuz pressurizes its Europe to move fast on securing the Straits of
01:31Hormuz.
01:31Reports say Iran will allow only 15 ships through Hormuz per day.
01:40Polling ends in two states and one union territory with 85.43% record voter turnout in Assam.
01:4778.16% turnout in Keralam and Puducherry recording nearly 90% at 89.87%.
01:55Results to be declared on the 4th of May.
02:01Meanwhile, clashes did break out in Puducherry amidst voting.
02:04Cops resorted to lucky charge after a scuffle broke out between BJP Congress workers at a polling booth.
02:15Prime Minister Modi launches back-to-back attacks on Mamta from infiltrators to syndicate charge.
02:22PM Modi says no safety for women in Bengal under TMC.
02:26Mamta slams Prime Minister for misrepresenting facts.
02:34Also, Prime Minister Modi appeals to women across the nation to urge political parties to help pass amendments in the
02:40women's quota law.
02:41The bill will be tabled in Parliament during the special session next week.
02:49And India enters new nuclear era, indigenously designs and built prototype fast breeder reactor, marking a historic step in providing
02:58long-term energy security.
03:08Top Story viewers, in less than 24 hours of its announcement, the U.S.-Iranian truce is unravelling at the seams.
03:15Israeli strikes in Lebanon have revealed the hard truths of this fragile truce.
03:21While Tel Aviv and Washington say Lebanon was not part of the ceasefire conversations, Tehran sees Lebanon as an inseparable
03:28part of the ceasefire and has even threatened strong response.
03:31So the question now is, what next in this war?
03:34And will this uneasy truce hold until the talks in Islamabad on Saturday?
03:39Take a look.
03:42A truce on paper and tensions on the ground.
03:46The ceasefire is looking shaky.
03:49The West Asia war may have paused, but Lebanon has emerged as a critical fault line in the U.S.-Iran
03:55peace talks.
03:56Israel bombed several locations in Lebanon, claiming to have hit Hezbollah bases.
04:02Its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has affirmed that Israel will persist in its military operations against Hezbollah with force, precision
04:10and determination.
04:12In the last 24 hours, Israeli defense forces have intensified their operation against Hezbollah.
04:19Then, you know, in 10 minutes, around 100 terrorists or 100 locations have been targeted by the Israeli defense forces.
04:26You can see that rocket.
04:30It's another rocket fired from the Lebanese territory.
04:36Lebanon says over 200 people have been killed in Israeli strikes in a single day.
04:41Scenes in its capital show complete devastation.
04:45We are living in a nightmare.
04:46So I'm afraid today to sleep.
04:49Maybe it will happen this second time.
04:52Who's going to?
04:53I don't know.
04:54I will pray and then sleep.
04:56That's it.
04:57On the other hand, a sharp divergence has surfaced between U.S. and Pakistan over the scope of the ceasefire,
05:03raising fresh questions about what the agreement actually covers.
05:07While Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbar Sharif suggested the truce extends to Lebanon,
05:11the Donald Trump administration flatly denies it.
05:15Negotiation and a lot of bad faith, you know, propaganda going on.
05:19I think this comes from a legitimate misunderstanding.
05:21I think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon, and it just didn't.
05:27We never made that promise.
05:28We never indicated that was going to be the case.
05:30What we said is that the ceasefire would be focused on Iran,
05:33and the ceasefire would be focused on America's allies.
05:36The differences have emerged just two days before the crucial talks in Islamabad,
05:40which will be attended by U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff,
05:45and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
05:48Iranian President Masoud Paisashkian and Speaker M.B. Ghalibhaf,
05:52who is likely to lead the Iranian delegation, have issued warnings,
05:55calling the attacks on Lebanon a violation of the two-week ceasefire agreement,
05:59and that Tehran's hands will remain on the trigger.
06:03Iran has also closed the state of Hormuz again.
06:07We had no option just to respond to these new atrocities.
06:12Then there were a few back and forth and a few messages to Pakistanis,
06:16and we hope that, you know, Americans could control its ally
06:20and this time honor their words, actually,
06:25and being committed to what we agreed.
06:29The UAE has strongly condemned the Israeli attacks on Lebanon,
06:34expressing concerns over its repercussions on regional security and stability.
06:38Needless to say, the ceasefire remains fragile,
06:41and tensions in the region are still running high.
06:44The only question now is, will this uneasy truce hold
06:46until the talks in Islamabad on Saturday?
06:50We have a report, India Today.
06:54All right, so the big questions that we asked this evening,
06:57West Asia sees fire under threat, war in Iran.
06:59What did Trump crane?
07:02Israel torpedoing U.S.-Iran talks,
07:04and will Iran's Hormuz chokehold remain?
07:07Let's take all these questions to our guests this evening.
07:10Joining me, Mr. Larry C. Johnson,
07:12American blogger, political commentator,
07:15and former analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency.
07:19Thank you, sir, for taking the time out this evening
07:21and joining us, Mr. Johnson, with what we are witnessing.
07:24The last 24 hours has laid testimony
07:28to how uneasy and fragile this ceasefire in truce is.
07:33Do you see it unraveling,
07:34even before negotiations begin in Islamabad this Saturday?
07:38Well, I would argue it has already unraveled,
07:41at least publicly,
07:44because Iran has now closed the Strait of Hormuz
07:49and made it clear that the ceasefire must apply,
07:54not just to Lebanon, but to Yemen and to Iraq.
07:58I don't see Iran backing off from those demands.
08:02Now, J.D. Vance can claim it's a misunderstanding.
08:05What he's reacting to is the enormous pressure
08:09that's being brought to bear on the Trump administration
08:11by the Zionists,
08:13both American Zionists and the Israeli Zionists.
08:17They were, frankly, caught completely unaware
08:20when this agreement was first reached,
08:23and the role that Pakistan played in brokering this,
08:29really, it was Pakistan was fronting for China.
08:33So Iran was not seeking, you know,
08:36Iran was under no pressure or urgency to seek a ceasefire.
08:40It's the United States that's been pressuring for it
08:43because of the losses that the United States is incurring,
08:47the economic pressure from around the world,
08:51as well as the economic consequences,
08:55negative consequences that are taking place
08:57here in the United States.
08:59So right now, the positions, as stated,
09:02by Trump in public are diametrically opposed
09:05to those that Iran will accept.
09:08And Iran is, actually,
09:09I see Iran as in the dominant position right now.
09:13Where do you think,
09:14because there's something that's been lost
09:16in translation, Mr. Johnson.
09:18You have at one end Pakistan
09:19that's positioned itself as the mediator,
09:22explicitly said that Lebanon was part of the ceasefire.
09:26Then you have contrarian views coming in
09:28from America, from Iran.
09:30What really happened?
09:31Because it seems either it was Pakistan
09:34that presented a draft to Iran,
09:36which was different from the one
09:38that it presented to America.
09:40Well, no, no.
09:41I think the United States got the same draft.
09:44What happened was,
09:47whoever agreed to it on the U.S. side,
09:50and maybe they ran it by Trump
09:52and he didn't read it carefully.
09:54And he said,
09:54okay, fine, we can work with that.
09:56Fine.
09:57But then,
09:58when the Zionists,
10:00the Miriam Adelson's,
10:03the Mark Levin's,
10:05the Bill Ackman's,
10:07all these American Jews
10:09and Christian supporters of Zionism as well,
10:14once they heard about all this,
10:16they began attacking the White House.
10:18And then the White House,
10:19as is,
10:20you know,
10:20the cowards that they are,
10:22began reversing themselves and claiming,
10:24oh, we never said that.
10:25Oh, we never agreed to that.
10:26Oh, no.
10:26Just the opposite.
10:28So,
10:30Iran's position hasn't changed.
10:32And if the meeting comes off
10:35on Saturday,
10:36which I believe there's still a question
10:38of whether or not,
10:39though,
10:40we do have some,
10:42the only cause for optimism right now
10:44is that Israel has not carried out
10:47the same level of attacks
10:48that it did yesterday.
10:50So,
10:51and that may be because
10:52the United States finally told them,
10:54you got to stop this or else.
10:56Because the United States
10:57can't cut Israel off
10:59and Israel would be
10:59in a very difficult situation.
11:02You know,
11:02I'm going to come to that,
11:03Mr. Johnson,
11:04but there's an important point
11:05that you make.
11:06You're saying there was nothing
11:06that was lost in translation,
11:08you know,
11:08as what was at least publicly projected
11:11by the Vice President of America.
11:12You're saying in all probability
11:14America knew
11:15and then of course
11:16got cold feet
11:18and then reneged its position.
11:20Is that what you're saying?
11:21Yes,
11:22yes,
11:22exactly right.
11:24All right.
11:25And now coming to the part
11:26of Israel
11:27in all of this.
11:28Because the kind of strikes
11:30and the casualties
11:31that are coming in from Lebanon
11:32are being widely condemned
11:34even by allies of America.
11:36You have the UAE
11:37that's condemned it.
11:38You have other countries
11:39that have come in strongly.
11:40Do you see now
11:41President Trump
11:42at least publicly
11:43or at least
11:44with backdoor channels
11:45trying to pressurize
11:46his ally Israel
11:47and Prime Minister Netanyahu
11:48to stop the strikes
11:50on Lebanon?
11:52Yes,
11:53I think
11:55in the last,
11:56you know,
11:5724 hours
11:59after Israel
12:01struck out this way
12:02and they insisted
12:04that Lebanon
12:05is not part
12:06of the ceasefire agreement,
12:07the airstrikes
12:09have stopped.
12:10and the only thing
12:12I can conclude
12:13from that
12:13is that the United States
12:15has told them
12:15you're going to stop this
12:17and stop it now
12:18and so far
12:19Israel is complying.
12:22But,
12:22you know,
12:23these attacks
12:24on Lebanon,
12:26you know,
12:28you're too young
12:29to remember
12:29back in the 1980s
12:30this kind of nonsense
12:31was going on.
12:33Israel has been
12:35constantly
12:35for,
12:36you know,
12:3746 years
12:38carrying out
12:39these brutal attacks
12:40against the Lebanese people
12:42and participating
12:44in massacres
12:45and slaughter
12:46and the world
12:47has somehow tolerated it.
12:49I think we've gotten
12:50to the place
12:51that frankly
12:52Israel has lost
12:53its right
12:54to exist
12:55as a country
12:56in my view.
12:57That is,
12:58they are
12:59a lawless
13:00group
13:01of murdering thugs
13:03and you see it
13:04in the damage
13:04that they inflict
13:05upon Lebanese civilians
13:07killing women,
13:08killing children,
13:09killing families.
13:11I am disgusted
13:12by it
13:12and I'm outraged
13:13by it.
13:14Well,
13:14you know,
13:15those are your personal views,
13:16Mr. Johnson,
13:16and strong views at that.
13:18I'm going to ask you
13:18one quick question
13:19before we let you go
13:20and which is,
13:21stems from the fact
13:22of,
13:22you know,
13:23drawing a pattern now
13:24from previous ceasefires,
13:25all the misunderstandings
13:26that have happened
13:27between Iran
13:27and America
13:28on the negotiating table,
13:30America walking away
13:31from the negotiating table,
13:32launching this attack,
13:34in view of all of that,
13:36do you see
13:37this temporary,
13:38fragile ceasefire
13:39last or collapse?
13:41Collapse.
13:42It'll collapse.
13:44Because,
13:45you know,
13:47Iran is not going
13:48to back down
13:49from its demands.
13:52Donald Trump,
13:53if he accepts
13:54those demands,
13:55will be under attack
13:57and could potentially
13:58even be assassinated
14:00by the Zionists
14:01because they are insistent
14:03that Iran be destroyed.
14:06There's no negotiation
14:08over that.
14:09There's no common ground.
14:11You know,
14:12Mr. Johnson,
14:13taking off from,
14:13you know,
14:14what you were stating earlier,
14:15the latest that is also
14:16coming in is,
14:17suggests that
14:17Prime Minister Netanyahu
14:18has instructed
14:19the cabinet
14:20to begin
14:21direct negotiations
14:22with Lebanon
14:23as soon as possible.
14:24so in all probability
14:26with what we were
14:26actually discussing
14:27and speaking of
14:28that America
14:29through backdoor channels
14:30is trying to pressurize
14:31its ally
14:32to back off
14:33where Lebanon is concerned.
14:34The negotiations
14:35will focus on
14:36disarming Hezbollah
14:37and establishing
14:38peaceful relations
14:39between Israel
14:40and Lebanon.
14:41Israel appreciates
14:42the call today
14:42by the Prime Minister
14:44of Lebanon
14:44to demilitarize
14:46Beirut.
14:47So all of that
14:48is already happening,
14:49Mr. Johnson.
14:50Right.
14:50And they're not going
14:51to demilitarize Hezbollah.
14:53They tried.
14:54Remember,
14:54you know,
14:55two years ago,
14:55oh,
14:56they destroyed Hezbollah.
14:57They killed Nasrallah.
14:58They had the exploding
14:59phones and pagers.
15:01Hezbollah was done.
15:02Now look at what Hezbollah
15:03has done to the Israeli army
15:05in the course
15:05of the last three weeks.
15:07They destroyed
15:07over a hundred
15:08Merkava tanks.
15:09They're launching rockets
15:11at will
15:11into Israel.
15:13No, no.
15:14Israel,
15:14this is another case
15:16where Israel
15:16has overreached.
15:17They've tried to fight
15:19to destroy Hezbollah
15:20and this is an army.
15:22The army of Israel
15:24can't even defeat Hamas,
15:27which were,
15:28they've completely
15:29surrounded.
15:29So, Mr. Johnson,
15:30you know,
15:30you see Israel
15:32backing off
15:32on that front now.
15:35What do you mean
15:36backing off?
15:37Backing,
15:37where Lebanon is concerned.
15:39Well,
15:39they're going to retreat,
15:41yes.
15:41They are retreating.
15:43Well,
15:43they've already,
15:44the chief of staff
15:45of the Israeli Defense Force
15:47went in and told,
15:48told the cabinet,
15:49he says,
15:49the army's collapsing.
15:51We can't continue this.
15:53He said that last,
15:54just last week.
15:56Which,
15:56in a twisted manner,
15:58somewhere down the line,
15:59Mr. Johnson,
15:59will help
16:00the possible negotiation
16:01which is planned
16:02for this Saturday.
16:04Yeah,
16:05I doubt it.
16:06Simply because
16:07the,
16:08the,
16:08the Zionists
16:10that are running
16:10the government
16:11right now in Israel
16:12are unwilling.
16:14They,
16:14they don't have,
16:15I'm not sure
16:15they have a word
16:16in their language
16:17for compromise.
16:19They're not willing
16:20to compromise
16:20and coexist
16:21with the Palestinians
16:22and certainly not
16:24with the Shia population
16:25in southern Lebanon.
16:27So that is,
16:28you know,
16:29that will be an issue
16:30that will be unresolved.
16:31So,
16:32so basically what you,
16:33you know,
16:34net net,
16:34what you say
16:35is the temporary truce
16:37implausible
16:37to last it out
16:38and the negotiation
16:39might not come to,
16:40come to a knot,
16:42nothing there.
16:42But thank you,
16:43Mr. Johnson,
16:44thank you for taking
16:45the time out
16:45and joining us.
16:46A former CIA analyst there,
16:48Mr. Johnson,
16:49with us this evening.
16:50I want to cut across
16:51right now
16:51to our foreign affairs editor,
16:53Geeta Mohan,
16:54who's joining us
16:54live from the newsroom.
16:56Geeta,
16:56you know,
16:56while our guest
16:57on the show today
16:59doesn't seem as optimistic
17:00where the talks
17:02which are scheduled
17:03for Saturday
17:04and the negotiation
17:05in Islamabad
17:06are concerned,
17:07but the latest development
17:08do seem to suggest
17:09that America
17:09has been able
17:10to apply enough pressure
17:12on its ally Israel
17:13to possibly end
17:15the strikes in Lebanon.
17:16Well,
17:17I completely agree
17:18with Larry Johnson
17:19on the fact
17:20that Israel
17:22would try
17:22to derail the process
17:24because it is not
17:25in Netanyahu's
17:28advantage
17:28to have
17:30a ceasefire
17:31at a time
17:32when Israel
17:34has not met
17:36its military objectives
17:38or strategic objectives
17:39and the only objective
17:41it had
17:41was to completely
17:42decimate Iran.
17:43Having said that,
17:44Preeti,
17:45this is a very important
17:46development
17:46where Netanyahu
17:48is saying
17:48he's going to engage
17:49the Lebanese government.
17:51He's making
17:51the distinction
17:52after a lot of force
17:53from Washington
17:54to exercise restraint.
17:56He's making
17:57the distinction
17:57between the government
17:58and Hezbollah.
18:00When you engage
18:01the Lebanese government,
18:02you're asking
18:03the Lebanese government
18:04to contain
18:06Hezbollah
18:07and in his
18:08previous statements
18:09he said that
18:10we are doing
18:10the job
18:11of what
18:11the Lebanese government
18:13should have done.
18:14So while
18:14he might not want to,
18:17engaging the Lebanese government
18:18would mean
18:18he'll now ask
18:20Lebanon
18:20and the Lebanese administration
18:22to take care
18:23of Hezbollah
18:23and the threat
18:25that Hezbollah faces,
18:27that Hezbollah
18:28poses to Israel.
18:30But this is
18:31an important
18:33development
18:33ahead of the
18:34ceasefire conversations.
18:35The fact
18:36that there's pressure
18:37to retreat,
18:38they will retreat.
18:39Larry Johnson
18:40says it is because
18:41their army
18:43is in a very bad shape.
18:45But I'm looking at it
18:46from the perspective
18:46of pressure
18:47and then
18:48there could be action
18:50should
18:50Washington
18:51and Tehran
18:52come near a deal.
18:54Well, you know,
18:55like I said,
18:55in some
18:57twisted manner,
18:58all of this
18:58might just end up
18:59helping the negotiations
19:00that are planned.
19:01Talks in Islamabad
19:02come this Sunday.
19:03Important
19:04with what Larry Johnson
19:05also said
19:06is the sheer fact,
19:07Geeta,
19:08where he pointed out
19:09that there was nothing
19:10lost in translation.
19:11It's not that
19:12America got a different draft
19:13and Iran got a different draft
19:14than Pakistan.
19:15America got the right draft
19:16and then started
19:17getting cold feet.
19:19All of that
19:20laid out there.
19:21Thank you, Geeta,
19:21for joining us.
19:23The latest developments
19:23viewers that we are tracking,
19:25you have
19:26Prime Minister Netanyahu
19:28that has spoken
19:28to his cabinet
19:29to initiate talks
19:30with the Lebanese government.
19:32All right,
19:33let's talk some
19:33domestic politics now.
19:34The battle for Bengal
19:35only getting sharper
19:36and intense,
19:37more personal
19:38with every passing day.
19:39Bhabanipur
19:40has now emerged
19:41as a key flashpoint
19:42in this high-stakes battle
19:44with the Prime Minister
19:45today,
19:46taking on
19:46Mamata Banerjee
19:47and the TMC
19:48by the jugular
19:49and saying
19:49that
19:51Bhabanipur
19:51will script
19:52a Nandi Gram 2.0.
19:54Mamata Banerjee
19:55of course
19:56hit back
19:56over voter deletions.
19:58The political war
19:59intensifying
20:00the stakes
20:01haven't quite been
20:02this high.
20:23The battle for Bengal
20:25is hitting a fever pitch.
20:27Top guns are out,
20:29rallies are packed
20:30and the war of words
20:32and the war of words
20:32is sharper than ever.
20:37It was high voltage
20:39day on the campaign trail.
20:40Prime Minister Narendra Modi
20:42and Mamata Banerjee
20:43holding back-to-back rallies
20:45across Bengal.
20:48In a sharp escalation
20:50in the campaign,
20:51Prime Minister Modi
20:52for the first time
20:53named Mamata Banerjee
20:54directly.
20:55Putting Bhabanipur
20:57were at the center
20:57of the battle
20:58and predicting
20:59a Nandi Gram-style miracle.
21:01Backing Suvindu Adhikari
21:03in this high-stakes
21:04prestige fight.
21:25Mamata hit back
21:26just as hard,
21:27turning the spotlight
21:28on voter deletion.
21:48As the rhetoric speaks,
21:51the core battle
21:52is over vision.
21:53Both Modi and Mamata
21:55have unveiled
21:56their guarantees.
21:57Law and order focus
21:59versus jobs for youth.
22:01Accountability push
22:03versus Lakshmi Bhandar
22:04continuation.
22:06Corruption crackdown
22:07versus Paka homes
22:09for all.
22:10No infiltrators promise
22:11versus drinking water
22:13for every household.
22:157-pay commission rollout
22:16versus doorstep healthcare.
22:19But in Bengal,
22:20even fish has turned
22:21political.
22:23Modi claimed
22:23Bengal is missing out
22:24on a fisheries boom,
22:26blaming TMC
22:27for not implementing
22:28central schemes
22:29like Prime Minister
22:30Matsya Sampada.
22:34BJP and NDA
22:36Sermakar
22:36jahan jahan
22:37hai
22:39vaham
22:40mthlut padan
22:41tezhi
22:42se bada
22:43hai
22:43dèjsh
22:45mein
22:45fish
22:46production
22:47shrimp
22:48production
22:49itna
22:51bada
22:51so
22:52is
22:52bada
22:54bhoomi
22:55ka
22:55PM
22:57match
22:58sampada
22:58scheme
22:59ki hai
23:11Mamata fired back questioning BJP over alleged attacks on fish eaters in BJP ruled states.
23:37The stakes are massive. Bengal consumes over 8 lakh tons of fish annually, nearly twice the national average, with fish
23:45and meat making up nearly 20% of household food expenditure.
23:49From Nandia Gram echoes to Bhavanipur's prestige battle. From jobs to voters. From welfare to fish. This is not just
23:59an election anymore. It's a high-stakes showdown with legacy on the line.
24:05Bureau Report, India Today.
24:10All right, senior BJP leader, Mr. Dilip Ghosh, who is also in the fray, back fighting an election, has taken
24:16some time off, is joining us this evening.
24:18Thank you, Dilip Da, for joining us. My first question, Dilip Ghosh.
24:23It seems Narendra Modi has gone for the jugular, once again attacking Mamata Banuji, saying that there will be Nandia
24:29Gram 2.0 in Bhavanipur.
24:32He has their guarantee, Mamata Ji has their promises. What will he do this time, Dilip Ji?
24:41What will he say? What do you say? No one is a fray. 15 years ago, he had a lot
24:47of hope.
24:48People had a lot of hope with him, but people have no life, no job, no job, no life, no
24:55life.
25:04We have a lot of hope with him.
25:08We have a lot of hope with him.
25:39We have a lot of hope with him.
25:39Thank you very much.
26:28Thank you very much.
26:49Thank you very much.
36:22Avery.
36:31Yes,
36:46My opinion,
36:48from the mistakes, good luck to them, because what were the mistakes that they made in 2021
36:54and 2016? They ran a campaign which was negative, and then the guarantees that Mr. Modi has
37:03promised today are about fish, but it doesn't really say much about what a BGP government
37:12will actually do. It says it will be corruption-free. There will be better law and order.
37:18But those are general, very vague promises. It needs to be far more specific. There has
37:28to be some kind of a blueprint. If Mr. Modi is actually guaranteeing West Bengal's future
37:38transformation, he needs to make it a little more specific about exactly what it is, not
37:43about I'll bring Ayushman Bharat or I'll bring Matsya Sampada scheme or whatever it is.
37:52It needs to be far more specific. There are far more sectors which need to be addressed
37:59in terms of how the transformation will take place. And that, I think, is, by leaving
38:05it vague, Mr. Modi is losing an opportunity. Today was, you know, three or four meetings
38:10he held, and therefore that was a huge opportunity, because it cut across what is essentially West
38:17Bengal's rust belt and what is an emerging space, which is Haldia. So, I mean, he had lots of
38:24opportunities. All right. Well, there's enough time for opportunity and to avail of that opportunity.
38:30Maybe this is also all the part of game plan, which Dilip Ghosh says that there is a proper
38:33plan this time. But, Saurav Chandra, you had the Prime Minister also go for the jugular,
38:38where he went and said that Bhabanipur will script another Nandigram 2.0.
38:48Well, it's a democracy. Article 19 1A gives him the right to say whatever he feels like.
38:54Of course, it is subject to reasonable restrictions under Article 19 2. But he's entitled to believe
38:59that Bhabanipur is going to give us a befitting reply, whereas we strongly, resolutely believe
39:06that it's 4th of May, which is going to be a shocker for many people who align with the
39:11Honourable Prime Minister's views. All right. Okay. Sanju Verma, missed opportunity
39:18by the Prime Minister. He could have elucidated better the game plan if BJP does come to power,
39:23which you're confident of in Bengal. You know, Preeti, I completely agree to what
39:31the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi said.
39:38And I just want to have no personal acts to grind against Shikha Mukherjee. But those journalists
39:45who sit on primetime debates and ask Narendra Modi, Suvendu Abhikari, the BJP for a blueprint
39:53for West Bengal. I want to ask Shikha Mukherjee, have you ever asked Mamata Banerjee why the pendency
40:02for sexual assault cases in West Bengal is 98.7 percent? Have you ever bothered to ask Mamata Banerjee
40:09why crimes against women in West Bengal has a conviction rate of 1.2 percent? Have you ever
40:16bothered to ask Mamata Banerjee? The Modi government gave her more than 5,000 crores.
40:21She did not set up any functional fast track court or POXO court. Why? Have you bothered
40:27to ask Mamata Banerjee why did 40 lakh youth migrate from West Bengal because they could
40:34not get jobs? Have you bothered to ask Mamata Banerjee why close to 7,000 corporates have
40:40left West Bengal in the last three years alone? Have you ever bothered to ask Mamata Banerjee
40:46why was she quiet during the Park Street gang rape? She was quiet during the Hamsat Pali
40:52gang rape? She was quiet during the South Kolkata law college gang rape? She was quiet during
40:58the Durgaapur horror? She was quiet during the RGK rape and murder? Have you Shikha Mukherjee
41:04ever bothered to ask what was the need, pressing need on Mamata Banerjee's part to nominate to the
41:11Rajya Sabha Menaka Guruswami who actually defended the West Bengal government against
41:17the victim? That is the RGK student who was brutally murdered by a civilian who was hired
41:27by Mamata Banerjee and was using police uniform to commit this heinous crime? Have you bothered
41:33to ask Mamata Banerjee, Shikha Mukherjee why Purulia, Bardhwan, Birbhum and Bankura have
41:39the highest child under management rates? Have you bothered to ask Mamata Banerjee?
41:45Okay, come on. Okay.
41:46Seventh Pay Commission recommendations are not being implemented in West Bengal?
41:51I mean, don't ask Mamata Banerjee, all the questions are for Narendra Modi. Who's the
41:56Chief Minister of West Bengal, Shikha Mukherjee?
41:59You know, but like Sanju Verma, I'm sure you'll agree with me that I must recommend Rajdeep
42:03Sardisai to use the timer that I use on my show. It will really, like, for all of you,
42:07it would be a big help. But I'll, you know, go in for one final round of questioning. And
42:11it does seem that Sanju Verma, for a brief while, has mistook Shikha Mukherjee for Saurav
42:18Chandra for Shikha Mukherjee because the questions are directed less on the TMC spokesperson and
42:24more towards Ms. Mukherjee. But Shikha Mukherjee, possibly all of this is a game plan because they
42:28got it wrong in 2021, directly attacking Mamata with a very, you know, loud, abrasive campaign.
42:35They're tempering it down. Even if you saw today, you had the RGCOR victims' mother campaigning
42:40with Smithi Irani. You know, there was, the campaign was largely in Bengali, understated,
42:46tepid, and not over the top.
42:50Well, you know, it's sensible not to make it a personal campaign against Mamata
42:56Radhaji. That kind of increases her popularity because people then rally around the person,
43:04rather the individual. But having said that, it's not true that
43:10Mamata Radhaji is not the central figure of this election campaign. Mr. Modi makes it very clear.
43:20Mr. Dilip Ghosh, of course, is all over the place talking about bandaged heads and plastered feet.
43:31So, it's not that the attacks are not personal.
43:34So, Windu Dhikari also has made enough personal comments for it not to be a personal thing. But
43:40what is interesting is that the whole campaign, whether it is Mr. Modi or it is anybody else,
43:48it is a very, very subdued campaign in terms of the, it's not, it's not, it's not nearly as
43:59aggressive as it was in 2021. It's not, there seems to be less attempt to score the kind of
44:13tick for tap verbal exchanges. True. But that's also learning.
44:18That's very colorful. True. But that's also learning. Yeah. That's what even Dilip Ghosh said is
44:23something that we picked from the last election, which didn't quite work. And we were trying to
44:26tone it down this time around. I'm short of time. So, I want to just take final comments,
44:30Arav Chandra, to bring you in. The BJP will have us believe you raking up the SIR, building a ground
44:37for a
44:37defeat on the 4th of May. And on the other hand, raking up a Humayu Kabir tape where he's allegedly
44:44leveling charges on the BJP, suggesting that he took a bribe from the BJP and is acting like a team
44:51B of the party. Well, these could be just fanciful musings of Humayu Kabir. There is no proof to prove
44:58that indeed any of the BJP leaders that he's speaking of are involved.
45:05You see, he was given Z category security. The moment he left, he was removed from the Trinamore.
45:12Central government gave him Z category security. That's a different story. But he has said on
45:19camera today in the press meet that he wants to, he's calling the video doctor. He's calling this
45:26an AI-generated video. And he has threatened to go to court. He's welcome to go to court. Let him
45:32prove
45:33that this is AI-generated because he has not commented on the contents of the video, right?
45:39He's merely said that this video is doctored, AI-generated. So that's one aspect. The other
45:45aspect is one lady is fighting the system alone. The AD, the CBI, the income tax, the central agencies,
45:54the prime minister, the honorable home minister, the cabinet ministers, chief ministers of several
46:00states. They're all flying down to Calcutta, flying down to Delhi. And trust you me, once again,
46:07at the cost of repetition on 4th of May, you'll see that she has people with her while they have
46:13agencies with them. All right. Okay. Sanju Verma, quickly. Yes. Preeti, the entire campaign of
46:20energy is based on Bengali identity and Bengali pride. And I know I've said this before,
46:25but at the cost of sounding repetitive. Kirti Azad is not from Bengal. He's from Bihar. He's a TMC MP.
46:32Shatrugan Sina is a TMC MP. He belongs to Bihar. Saaket Gokhale, who was a Rajya Sabha MP till very
46:37recently, is from Maharashtra, not from Bengal. And also, let me tell you, Sushmita Dev, who's again a
46:43Rajya Sabha MP of Trinambul Congress, is from Assam, not from West Bengal. So my limited point is,
46:49don't play this insider versus outsider politics, because people can see through the charade of
46:55Mahata Banerjee. But my final point is only this, Preeti. Mahata Banerjee says that I stand for the
47:02underprivileged. Draupadi Murmu belongs to the Santhal tribal community. Forget for a moment that
47:10she's the honourable president. Mamata Banerjee has the audacity to even stop the honourable
47:17president from giving an address at Bidhan Nagar. Why? And also, I want to ask the TMC another
47:24question. You keep saying that these elections are rigged. What does Kirti Azad call the election
47:30commissioner? Ye toh dakat hai. What does Derek O'Brien say? He says, Gyanesh Kumar is shameless.
47:35What does Mahua Boetra say? She says, this election commissioner is a BJP agent. He's a mafia
47:47don. He belongs to a criminal syndicate. This is the respectable language used by Gyanesh Kumar
47:53by the TMC. And you expect that the election commission will take your party's hand.
47:59Okay, all right. Okay, all right. Okay, but Sanju Varma, come on,
48:04the election commission also came out with a tweet, which is unprecedented, where a constitutional
48:08body is attacking a political party. It's the job of a political party to indulge in politics.
48:13That's their bread and butter, but not of a constitutional body.
48:17Preeti, tell me honestly, any self-respecting individual, much more a constitutional body.
48:23But that's the point. Sanju Varma, the election commission is not an individual. No,
48:27it's a constitutional body. No, ma'am. Ma'am, nobody's... No, no, no, one second. Ma'am,
48:34no, it's not an individual. It's not about self-respecting individual. The constitution,
48:38a constitutional body of this country is over and above all of this.
48:42It's the job of political parties to play politics. They have to get down dirty. The TMC,
48:48the Congress, the opposition, it's their job. They will go after the EC, but it's not the EC's job
48:53to personally attack a political party. They are above that, no?
48:56I want to ask you one question. Preeti, you are a seasoned anchor and one of my favorites.
49:02Tell me honestly, Keerthi Azhar, sitting on your show, calling the chief election commissioner,
49:08Riju Datta was there with me yesterday, calling Gyanesh Kumar a criminal, calling Gyanesh Kumar
49:14a pittu of Amit Shah. Madam, you know, when you talk about parliamentary, unparliamentary language,
49:19that's an entirely different debate and we can have it. I disagree with all of that. I don't think
49:23one should get into name-calling at all. You asked me to, tell you honestly, I agree with you.
49:28I agree with you. It is despicable to name-call anyone. But it's also, yes, but there is also,
49:36but then you can't, you know, but then what happens is if it's good for the gander, it's good for
49:39the
49:39ghouls. That's what happens. Because then... No, election commission has never abused.
49:43Election commission has never abused Preeti. But thank God, ma'am, it hasn't abused. Okay,
49:47it's not about you and I. Sanjeev Verma, it's not about you and I. I need to quickly cut out
49:51of this. Okay,
49:51thank you. Thank you, Shikha Mukherjee. Thank you, Saurav. Thank you, Ms. Verma, for joining us. We are
49:56sure we're going to have you back on the show. We are going to also quickly dip in. Today was
50:00elections in two states and one union territory and they've broken records where it comes down to
50:06the voting percentage. Assembly elections were held in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry today. All three
50:10states saw utterly disbelieving high turnout. Assam saw an 85.3% turnout, highest ever. Kerala saw 78.3%
50:20and Puducherry recorded nearly 90%, 89.83%. You can add a percentage or two to that because
50:27this is not the final figure. So, the union territory and the state of Assam recording their
50:32highest ever turnouts there. We're going to leave it at that. Thank you.
50:36After all the politics and war news, good news today. At 86, Anuswaya Bhai Wadikar has achieved
50:43something truly remarkable. From never having gone to school to now learning to read and write,
50:48she recently appeared for a literacy test under the Ulhas Nav Bharat program in Maharashtra's
50:54Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar. Here's her good news story.
51:06Anuswaya Bhai Wadikar recently appeared for the most important exam in her life.
51:13The 86-year-old from Marsavali village in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar
51:18district attended a test held under the ULLAS Nav Bharat literacy program.
51:28Anuswaya Bhai was one of the 3,742 people in the district identified as illiterate.
51:36Anuswaya Bhai Wadikar's Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar.
51:37For the 9th class, those who were examin, we were examin,
51:42which was done by our Fulumbri Taisil, the Mahaarashtra's Chhatrapati name,
51:46by the name of Anuswaya Bhai Wadikar, his name 86-year-old,
51:51which had been examined of the examin, and it is an amazing idea that
51:56that we are taken to earn. It's a very good view in our life.
51:57In our life, we also have a great view of the term of the age of the age and age
51:58of the age of the age of the age.
52:14Teachers gave Anusayya Bhai home tutions when they saw her interest in studies.
52:49Anusayya Bhai got support from her family in her endeavour, especially her grandson who became her teacher.
53:23Anusayya Bhai.
53:31Anusayya Bhai's enthusiasm inspired many others to join the literacy drive.
53:38353 people, including 242 women and 111 men, took part in the exams in Fulham Brir Taluk.
53:46Bureau Report, India Today.
54:16Help is being provided to upgrade elephant health care.
54:19Give rest days, nutrition and support for caretakers.
54:23In Arunachal Pradesh and the Deepak Nabham living home in Itanagar, the initiatives extend to some of the most vulnerable
54:30sections, including the elderly mentally challenged and abandoned.
54:33With provisions ranging from ration, bedding, medical supplies, assistive devices to entertainment and rehabilitative support.
54:41A nationwide outreach focused on animal welfare, humanitarian aid and community services is turning a personal milestone into a broader
54:50mission of care, service and responsibility.
Comments