Global energy crisis sparks as US blockades Strait of Hormuz

12 hours ago

This action counters Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, threatening global energy supplies and oil exports. Naval forces are deployed to navigate mined waters as Israel prepares for renewed conflict.

Transcript

00:00Good evening, you're watching To The Point. I'm Preeti Jodhuri.

00:03We come to you from election-bound West Bengal, gauging the political temperatures in Karempur.

00:09We'll be filing reports through our election dispatch over the course of the next 15 days.

00:15Before we get to the latest, first up, allow me to take you to the podcast.

00:25Talks fail Trump to block Iranian ports.

00:28U.S. forces to block Iran ports from 7.30 p.m. today.

00:32Trump says port blockage to stop Iran oil sale claims Iran is in very bad shape.

00:40After talks fail, Israel planning for return to war.

00:44Trump mull strikes on Iran.

00:45Israel media says Israel gears up for renewed conflict with Iran.

00:53Trump versus Pope.

00:55War awards over West Asia war.

00:57Pope says we'll continue to speak out against war.

01:01Bats for dialogue and diplomacy.

01:03Trump says don't think Pope can is doing a good job.

01:08Says he isn't a big fan of the Pope.

01:12I will continue to speak out loud.

01:15Against war, looking to come up with peace.

01:18Promoting dialogue and multilateral relationships among the states.

01:22To look for just solutions and problems.

01:24Too many people are suffering in the world today.

01:26Too many innocent people are being killed.

01:28Prime Minister Modi's big Nari Shakti outreach.

01:31Growing role of women in development says efforts aimed at empowering women.

01:36Big reach out to opposition on women quota.

01:40Says opposition made efforts to empower women.

02:02End of an era, but legacy remains.

02:04Asha Bhusle passes away at 9 feet 2.

02:07Last rites held with state honours at Shivaji Park Crematorium.

02:31All right, the latest news break coming in right on top.

02:35The latest news break filtering in right on top of this news bulletin.

02:397.30pm India Standard Time is the official deadline that President Trump, a new deadline that has set Iran.

02:47Well, the latest that is coming in is that as the Hormuz deadline looms, the countdown has begun.

02:54Trump vows to block all Iranian ports at 7.30pm.

03:00U.S. blockade to cover all Iran ports and coasts.

03:03U.S. blockade only for ships to and from Iran.

03:07A counter-blockade of sorts that President Trump is mulling on at the time where he's put a deadline of

03:137.30pm to Iran to return to the talking table.

03:16And if that doesn't quite happen, he's decided to block the streets of Hormuz of ships going to and from

03:23Iran.

03:24But senior journalist Sandeep Unithan joins us live for more.

03:28Sandeep, what do you suspect is at play right now?

03:33And what do you make of the latest developments?

03:37Well, Preeti, this is a, you know, it's a very bizarre state of play.

03:42It's basically like a Mexican standoff.

03:45You know, a Mexican standoff is when two people point guns at each other.

03:48You know, neither side wanting to pull the trigger.

03:51Now, Iran, as we know, has blockaded the Strait of Hormuz from the 28th of February to all ships except

03:57the ones that can move through areas that it has demarcated as safe.

04:02Now, this is an area between the islands of Keshim and Larak, which is closer to the Iranian territorial waters.

04:10Iran says we have no idea where all we have deployed the mines.

04:13So, if you want to stay safe, come through this channel.

04:16Now, after the peace talks in Islamabad collapsed, the 21-hour peace talks, Trump has said that they will now

04:23blockade all Iranian ships coming out of and entering Iranian ports.

04:29The U.S. CENTCOM has clarified, of course, that this applies only to Iranian ports, that ships entering and leaving

04:35Iranian ports will be interdicted.

04:37Now, you know, maritime blockade, it's one of the oldest strategies in maritime warfare.

04:43Now, you know, where countries basically, you know, put a blockade out at sea, prevent anything from entering or leaving

04:50enemy ports.

04:52Of course, the Indian Navy has done that, of course, in the 1971 war with Pakistan.

04:56The United States did that very recently with Venezuela.

04:59And now they are trying to do this with Iran in a way to try and either get Iran to

05:05open the Strait of Hormuz,

05:07allow shipping to go to and fro, or to get Iran back to the negotiating table.

05:17You know, stay on with me, Sandeep, I'm going to come right back to you.

05:20Let's listen in to the Iranian ambassador to India, and I'm coming, I'm going right back to Sandeep.

05:25Listen in.

05:28Our high-ranking officials believe that we, as Iran and India, have a common interest.

05:35And, God willing, we have a good relation in the future.

05:40And now, in these difficult times, we have a good relation.

05:45And I said to you, that I mentioned that Prime Minister, His Excellency Prime Minister of Modi,

05:52two times talked with Mr. Pazeshkian.

05:55We believe that Iran and India are common interest and common faith.

06:03All right, so that's the Iranian ambassador speaking to the Indian media.

06:06I want to go back to my colleague, Sandeep Unitan.

06:08Sandeep, what does this really mean?

06:09With this deadline now looming larger, it only adds to the chaos that prevails in West Asia and the Strait

06:15of Hormuz.

06:16What does it really mean for India also?

06:18You know, Priti, it clearly means that we cannot import oil from Iran the way we were over the last

06:24couple of days.

06:25And here's a dichotomy.

06:26When the war began, the United States allowed Iran to export its oil.

06:31for the first time in many months.

06:33And that was basically a way to stabilize the world oil prices.

06:38Now, with this new blockade, that is out of the window.

06:41No country now can import oil from Iran or export anything to Iran.

06:48So Iran effectively, if you look at the text of this U.S. statement,

06:52it means that Iran has become a landlocked state.

06:55It cannot use the oceans to either export its energy or to import essentials.

07:00Now, the energy part is the most important part because Iran was earning a lot through the oil and gas

07:07that it was exporting.

07:08It prevented the other GCC countries from exporting that, but Iranian exports were going on and the biggest countries that

07:15are dependent on this,

07:16of course, of course, are India and China and, of course, the countries of East Asia.

07:21So this is an unprecedented situation.

07:23This is clearly Trump escalating, telling Iran that if you think you can blockade the Strait of Hormuz, I can

07:29do the same to you, Priti.

07:33But, you know, localize it.

07:35Look at the micro picture, Sandeep, and explain to our viewers how this makes life way more difficult for India

07:41and also, like you pointed out, countries in the East Asia because when it comes down to gas, it comes

07:46down to oil.

07:47Now, it's only going to get more tumultuous in days to come.

07:51You know, it's going to be very difficult for us to obtain Iranian energy supplies because while Iran controls the

07:57waters around its territorial waters,

08:00I mean, close to the Strait of Hormuz, it has gun boards, it has Iranian Revolutionary Guards, the Islamic Revolutionary

08:06Guard Corps there,

08:07it does not have the means to protect shipping, you know, at some distance into the Arabian Sea,

08:13which is where the United States is deployed in strength.

08:15There is one carrier strike group there, the Abraham Lincoln, a second one, the Ronald Reagan is going to be

08:20reaching there.

08:20You're looking at a very large gathering of U.S. warships.

08:25The U.S. of course is the most powerful navy in the world and can enforce a blockade, a maritime

08:30blockade, quite easily.

08:31Now, where it complicates things is for countries like India, like China, with South Korea, Japan, which are caught at

08:39the crossfire,

08:40which will then have to rely on other sources of oil except Iran, of course.

08:45We probably have to increase our imports from, say, Russia or from the United States, even other sources except Iran.

08:54So, Iran is basically off the table when it comes to energy.

08:58Stay on with me. Just stay on with me. You know, hold that thought. We're going to come right back

09:02to it.

09:02I want to quickly dip into the latest set of news break that is also coming in because what does

09:07this really mean with the counter-blockade

09:10that America is mulling if the deadline expires and there's only now, what, 20 minutes to go where it wants

09:16Iran back on the talking table?

09:18And if not, then the United States of America and President Trump has decided to place their own blockade on

09:24ships going to and from Iran,

09:26where Iran comes into question.

09:27What it really also means is not too good, where India's supply of oil and energy comes into question.

09:34Let's quickly cut into the latest news break.

09:37Now, what does this blockade mean? The Hormuz will be free for non-Iran-bound ships.

09:42Hormuz free for humanitarian shipment can search neutral vessels for banned cargo.

09:49U.S. ships with no transit north can be captured.

09:52U.S. blockade in Gulf of Oman, east of Hormuz.

09:56You know, as I bring in my colleague Pranay into this conversation as well, who's been reporting from Israel over

10:02the course of the last few weeks.

10:04Sandeep, what does this really mean?

10:06Because at one end, you'll have America that is blocking ships that are to and coming in to and fro

10:11from Iran,

10:12while the other end, Iran in itself has imposed a blockade.

10:16What really goes through other than possibly humanitarian shipment?

10:20It's very difficult for any shipments to go through, Priti, because, you know, while there is that danger of mines,

10:26which Iran has already planted in those international waters,

10:29the main shipping channel is mined, according to Iran.

10:33And Iran now claims that it doesn't even know where the mines it planted are.

10:36So, that is a danger that no country will want to take.

10:41You know, irrespective of nationality, nobody would want to transit through that.

10:45So, what the United States is doing is a two-pronged strategy.

10:49The first prong is, of course, for U.S. warships to go through the international channels, which are mined, and

10:55try demining operations.

10:56Now, we just saw that about 24 hours back, where two U.S. warships entered the Strait of Hormuz.

11:02This is the first time that U.S. warships have crossed into the Strait and entered the Persian Gulf since

11:07the 28th of February.

11:08Now, the U.S. will deploy all its technology, all its warships to demine the area.

11:13Now, there are a lot of unmanned surface vessels that they have.

11:17They have drones, they have helicopters.

11:19They will try and clear the mines from the shipping channel, make it safe for ships of other nationalities to

11:25pass through,

11:26even as they blockade ships that are going in and out of Iranian ports in the Gulf of Oman.

11:33That's a little away from the Strait of Hormuz.

11:35The Strait of Hormuz is actually between these two gulfs.

11:38It is the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, and you have the Strait of Hormuz in the middle.

11:43It's a small strait of water.

11:45It's just about 30 kilometers wide.

11:48It's just, it's one of the narrowest parts of the Persian Gulf.

11:51So, the United States has these two tasks looming before it.

11:54It has to clear, sanitize the international shipping channels, and it has to interdict Iranian shipping,

12:02which is what they're doing now.

12:03They don't have enough forces to escort all of the shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

12:10They probably would need a much larger force because the number of ships that are there,

12:15they are in their hundreds, there are hundreds of merchant ships that are stuck there on the other,

12:20the eastern end of the Persian Gulf.

12:22The U.S. simply does not have the forces required to escort all of these ships.

12:27One other thing, very quickly.

12:29One possibility is that they could put all of these ships, these merchant ships into convoys

12:34and escort them one after the other.

12:37You could have a smaller group of U.S. ships escorting a larger group of merchant ships

12:42as was done during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s.

12:49All right, Sandeep, stay on with me.

12:51I'm joined right now by my colleague Prane Upadhyay,

12:53who's been reporting from Israel for many weeks now.

12:56Prane, in midst of all of this, you have Israel, which is looking to renew the conflict.

13:06I would say that not renewing the conflict, but certainly there are certain issues

13:09with which, you know, Israel launched this operation.

13:12And as far as the northern territories of Israel are concerned,

13:14because I'm currently in the northern part of Israel.

13:17And in fact, in these areas, the sirens are still blaring,

13:21the Hezbollah missiles and rockets are still being fired.

13:25And in fact, people are still running to shelters.

13:26And this remains a reality.

13:27And that is the reason why IDF is still continuing its operation against Hezbollah,

13:32which is a banned outfit and banned by the Lebanese government.

13:37Now, this is a very complicated situation where that how a truce can be worked out,

13:42you know, and can Lebanese government assure that they would be in a position to disarm Hezbollah?

13:48It's remained a point of contention in this region.

13:54And that's why we have seen that at multiple locations,

13:58Israel have launched, you know, the operations in these areas.

14:01And still, they are operating with five divisions in southern Lebanon.

14:05And recently, in Ben-Jabel and all, and in fact,

14:07Prime Minister of Israel also went to that territory to meet his soldiers.

14:12And so, certainly, you know, people in Lebanon have their own anger,

14:15their own complaints about that.

14:16And they term it, they see it as an occupation and as an aggression.

14:21But this remains an issue.

14:23So, it's not that simple.

14:24But, you know, adding to what Sandeep said,

14:27that, you know, President Donald Trump might have said that,

14:29you know, there will be a selective permission for the ships sailing through the state of Hormuz.

14:34While on the other side, Iran has also made state of Hormuz selectively permeable

14:39and, you know, sail level for a certain set of ships,

14:42which was obviously with the permission of IRGC

14:46and also with the, you know, also ships from the friendly countries.

14:52But having said that, you know, Preeti, in this situation as well,

14:55be it U.S. Navy's imposed blockade

14:59or the blockade, you know, imposed by the Iranian side,

15:02the state of Hormuz is largely disrupted

15:05and it is likely to remain disrupted for long.

15:22Prane, we are having a bit of a problem with your audio.

15:28We're going to try and reconnect to my colleague Prane Upadhyay

15:30who's joining us right now from Israel.

15:33He's been reporting from the conflict zone over the past couple of weeks.

15:38You know, Sandeep, I want to bring you in very quickly

15:40before we cut across for a wider report that our colleague Prane had filed.

15:44What does it look like from here on?

15:46Because it doesn't seem Iran's coming back to the talking table soon.

15:50America will go ahead and impose this counter blockade.

15:54What are we looking at?

15:55Well, you know, Preeti, we are actually heading into uncharted waters,

16:01literally and figuratively, because now, while the peace talks are on,

16:06I mean, the ceasefire still holds.

16:08The two sides are not shooting each other.

16:10That's one fortunate part.

16:12The other one, of course, is that now the conflict seems to have moved entirely

16:16into the maritime dimension.

16:17Now, one doesn't know how Iran is going to respond to this.

16:21Iran has, of course, possibly war-gamed this situation,

16:25the fact that the United States could blockade.

16:28And then, in that case, what would Iran do?

16:30So, there are a number of options before Iran.

16:33They could possibly ask their allies, the Houthis, to blockade the Bab el-Manda,

16:38which is at the other end, at the Red Sea Corridor.

16:41That could be blockaded.

16:42They could probably look at ways of attacking U.S. warships.

16:47It seems unlikely, because Iran does not have the ability to strike at U.S. warships,

16:52which are standing some distance away.

16:54So, we are actually headed into very dangerous territory now,

16:57because if Iran feels that it is, you know,

17:00it is going to be completely cut off from the sea,

17:02if it cannot export its oil and gas, or it can't import anything,

17:06then it will resort to some very, very, you know, dangerous moves.

17:10Like, they have hinted in the past, Triti,

17:12that they could consider, you know, unleashing floating mines

17:16into the Strait of Hormuz.

17:18Now, floating mines are the most dangerous kind of sea mines,

17:22because they are not tethered, they are not anchored anywhere,

17:24they are very difficult to detect.

17:26They are basically floating in the water,

17:28and they indiscriminately target all warships passing through a certain area.

17:32And they are actually banned.

17:33There are a number of conventions that prohibit countries from deploying these mines,

17:37because they are so dangerous for maritime traffic.

17:40So, Iran could resort to several such, you know, tactics.

17:43The IRGC particularly, which is the hard line,

17:45which is actually leading this fight against the U.S. and Israel.

17:49They could resort to a number of things.

17:50So, we are actually headed into uncharted waters, Priti.

17:56Well, yeah, literally.

17:57So, Sandeep, stay on with me.

17:59You know, as this fragile truce has collapsed, a deadline looms,

18:03what does it really mean for West Asia?

18:06Not too good.

18:07Take a look at this report.

18:21A ticking deadline, a global oil choke point,

18:24and a barrage of threats from Washington.

18:32The Strait of Hormuz is now at the center of a fast, escalating crisis

18:36after diplomacy collapses and military pressure kicks in.

18:42The Islamabad talks have failed,

18:45snapping the fragile calm of a two-week ceasefire.

18:48Why?

18:48Washington's key demands and Tehran's outright rejection.

18:52From halting uranium enrichment,

18:55dismantling nuclear facilities,

18:57and giving up enriched stockpiles

18:59to reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

19:01Ending support to groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis,

19:05and accepting limits on its missile program.

19:08Across the board, Iran said no.

19:11A deadlock now pushing the conflict from negotiation to escalation.

19:17And President Donald Trump has moved fast,

19:20announcing that U.S. forces will begin blocking ships linked to Iran,

19:24tightening control over one of the world's most critical energy corridors.

19:28Washington says vessels paying tolls to Tehran could be intercepted,

19:32calling those charges illegal,

19:34and has ordered Iran to clear the Strait,

19:36accusing it of laying mines and choking global trade.

19:40The U.S. Central Command has declared a blockade

19:43on ships entering or leaving Iranian ports,

19:46while stopping short of halting global transit through Hormuz.

19:49But Tehran is not backing down.

19:53Iran's leadership has warned it cannot be blockaded by threats,

19:57and signaled that it has the means to retaliate.

20:01Meanwhile, in Washington, escalation is the new normal.

20:05Trump has warned that a full-scale bombing campaign remains an option,

20:09even as sources say limited targeted strikes are back on the table.

20:14And the pressure is not just military.

20:16It's economic.

20:19Trump has warned China of a 50% tariff if it arms Iran,

20:23citing missile transfer reports,

20:25even as he says he doubts Beijing would go that far.

20:30From failed talks to fresh threats,

20:32the playbook is shifting fast.

20:34The full-blown war may not have resumed yet,

20:37but the line between pressure and provocation is now dangerously thin.

20:42The Strait of Hormuz is no longer just an oil route.

20:45It's the front line of a high-stakes global standoff.

20:49Bureau Report, India Today.

21:01Well, the pages in the playbook might be shifting,

21:03but the crisis remains as intense.

21:06Let's quickly cut across to the next set of news break that's coming in.

21:10This after talks failed in Islamabad.

21:13Islamabad has now piped up,

21:15saying they're trying to renew the talks between Iran and America.

21:19Want both of them to come to the talking table

21:22after Islamabad's peace talks failed.

21:24Pakistan now pushing diplomacy in U.S.-Iran tensions.

21:28The Pakistan Prime Minister says

21:30working to defuse U.S.-Iran crisis efforts

21:33made to ease U.S.-Iran conflict.

21:37What does this really mean, Sandeep,

21:39at a time where Pakistan was practically nothing

21:41but a go-between of sorts and a messenger

21:46where even the draft that Pakistan had posted,

21:50the Pakistan Prime Minister seemed to be a copy-paste job.

21:53Pakistan really has nothing in its hands.

22:01It's amazing that they could have even achieved this much, 21 hours,

22:05that they got the two sides to sit down and talk for 21 hours

22:08after nearly half a century,

22:11Iran and the United States coming together.

22:13But that said, there are just too many inconsistencies,

22:16too many issues, unresolved issues,

22:19which led to a collapse of the peace talks.

22:22We're hearing that these talks could be moved to another venue.

22:25It will continue because there is no other way.

22:27Both sides, in a sense, are exhausted.

22:30Iran has been at the receiving end of a very intense bombardment for 40 days

22:35and now it's got a blockade.

22:37It's looking at a maritime blockade of a kind that few countries have faced.

22:42And the United States, of course, wants to extricate itself from this

22:45with a win, of course, knowing President Trump

22:48because he's got several important things in the months ahead.

22:53The meeting with Xi Jinping, the 250th anniversary of the United States

22:57and, of course, the most critical part this year,

22:59the U.S. midterm elections in November of 2026.

23:04So, both sides want to extricate themselves from this.

23:07Sandeep, continue.

23:09Fair point.

23:11Stay with me.

23:12Sandeep, let's quickly dip into Khwaja Asif,

23:15the Defense Minister of Pakistan.

23:16Let's listen in to what Pakistan is trying to say in midst of all of this.

23:21I have said that Allah is ready for us.

23:53Allah has said that Allah is ready for us.

23:55And we are ready for all of this.

23:56So what do you understand this?

23:58What do you understand?

23:58Is it going to be ready for us?

23:59It's coming to me.

24:00My understanding is that there are no chances that are now.

24:07Even again, we have the initiatives that are given to the experience of the United States.

24:12We are apparently doing so.

24:15So, I shall pass you to Allah.

24:24News break coming in.

24:25You had Shashi Tharoor who is also weighing in to Pakistan playing the go between U.S. and Iran even

24:32though the talks failed in Islamabad.

24:34You have Shashi Tharoor who has now come out and tweeted, no one knows what will happen next.

24:38Well, he's correct on that account.

24:39Congress MP mocking deep trust deficit.

24:44Neither the U.S. nor Iran is willing to agree.

24:48Tharoor, of course, wondering, taking to social media, stating that only God knows what's going to happen.

24:56And I would reckon, you know, that's what most people now are thinking.

25:00But an imminent, a ramp-off should be imminent like Sandeep Unyathan was also pointing out.

25:06Both sides are wary.

25:07Both sides are looking for a way out, a plausible exit and things will only get more tough now.

25:14So that's the latest that we are getting in.

25:17We're going to cut across to our reporters on the ground, Prane Upadhyay, Sandeep Unyathan, who continue to get us

25:22more.

25:23But fair amount of politics also swirling around it.

25:29All right, let's cut across to Sandeep Unyathan, who continues to be with us on this.

25:33Sandeep, you know, it's interesting, lots of political commentary coming in.

25:37But ultimately, a ramp-off is, an off-ramp is imminent, Sandeep.

25:45It will need to happen in time.

25:47Both sides, like you pointed out, deeply, you know, tired, wary.

25:51And now with the new blockade, things are only going to get more difficult.

25:55Absolutely.

25:56You know, as I was saying, Prithi, Iran has been, you know, battered for the last 40 days.

26:02It doesn't want to continue fighting.

26:04But the fact is that it wants an off-ramp, but it wants an assurance that the U.S. will

26:09not come back again.

26:11You know, it has seen a pattern that whenever it was at the negotiating table, the talks break up, the

26:17U.S. strikes back.

26:19It happened in 2025, it happened in 2026.

26:21They're looking at some kind of cast-iron guarantees that this will not repeat,

26:26that there will not be a fresh wave of U.S. and Israel strikes on Iran.

26:30Now, for the United States, it's very clear Trump wants to exit with a win,

26:34something very big that he can show that he's cut a very big deal.

26:37He's achieved victory in a way that no U.S. president has before him.

26:42There have been six U.S. presidents before him, Prithi, that have wrestled with this Iran problem since 1979.

26:50Trump is the seventh and he clearly has got himself into an impasse.

26:56He thought that the 2026 would be a 1979 moment where the Iranian regime would be overthrown.

27:03That didn't clearly happen.

27:04Iran continued to fight and now he wants to extricate from this West Asia quagmire with some kind of a

27:12win,

27:12something which will, you know, take him down into history as being the first American president since 1979

27:18to do what, you know, Presidents Carter and Ronald Reagan and definitely Obama and Biden couldn't do.

27:25So, that's what Trump is looking for, a big win, an honorable exit so that he can continue with the

27:31other engagements on his appointment calendar, Prithi.

27:36Right.

27:38Well, I don't know if that honorable exit is on the cards right now, but we're going to leave it

27:43at that.

27:43Thank you, Sadie, for joining us.

27:45Lots of news break coming in on that front.

27:48The deadline loans large.

27:50In the next 10 minutes, it expires and that would effectively mean that America is going to put forth a

27:56counter-blockade

27:57where the Straits of Hormuz is concerned for ships going to and from Iran.

28:02Let's focus to some politics right in the thick of elections.

28:06There was elections in West Bengal, elections in Tamil Nadu.

28:09The government had decided to call a three-day special session to discuss the implementation on the women reservation quota.

28:18Well, the opposition has now raised certain red flags as the government wants to push through with the implementation of

28:25this quota.

28:26The opposition has called out of what they deem are constitutional red flags.

28:40A political showdown is brewing over women's reservation in legislative bodies as a centre pushes to fast-track it

28:48and the opposition raises constitutional red flags.

28:52With a special parliament session ahead, battle lines are drawn.

28:56Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called the move a defining moment, saying India is on the brink of scripting history.

29:03Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called the political competition, saying India is on the front of the government.

29:39The law passed in 2023 mandates 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies,

29:48but remains stalled, linked to censors and delimitation.

29:54Now, the government plans two bills in the April 16 Special Session,

29:59a constitutional amendment to tweak the law and make changes to the Delimitation Act.

30:05The Centre wants to delink implementation from the 2026 Census

30:10and fast-track it through structural changes.

30:14Key proposals include 50% expansion in Lok Sabha seats

30:19from the existing 543 to 816, with the 273-seat increase set aside for women.

30:27No state loses its current proportion of seats, rotation of seats reserved for women, fixed for the first three terms.

30:3533% quota within SCST seats, and 2011 Census as the base for allocation.

30:44If implemented Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh could go from 80 to 120,

30:49Maharashtra 48 to 72, West Bengal 42 to 63, Bihar 40 to 60, Tamil Nadu 39 to 59,

31:00with similar increases for Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh.

31:06But the opposition has hit back with Sonia Gandhi leading the charge.

31:12In an article, she argues that delimitation, not women's quota, is the real issue,

31:18accusing the government of attempting to bulldoze the bill and skew the federal balance.

31:23She has also questioned the timing, asking why the rush without an updated census.

31:28She wrote that this is a move to delay and derail caste census,

31:33and accused Prime Minister Modi of being economical with truth.

31:37She called the move an assault on the constitution.

31:40She said,

31:43She said,

31:54She said,

31:56She said,

31:58She said,

32:01She said,

32:02Let's why she ruled it every day and that,

32:05Orills she decided to order all of thesereatств,

32:08self-contained thatnity work doesn't make up.

32:13With stakes high,

32:14both BJP and Congress have issued whips,

32:17asking MPs to be present,

32:19setting up a high-voltage showdown.

32:22As the government pushes a historic reform and the opposition flags deeper Concern,

32:28the women's quota debate is back at the centre of India's political battlefield.

32:33Bureau Report, India Today.

32:58She has turned around and called it out as being economical with the truth.

33:04She says this will skew the federal balance and ultimately what you are looking for is

33:09not reservation but delimitation.

33:20Ms. Sarangi, can you hear me?

33:23Yes, please.

33:24Yes, I can hear you.

33:25Once again, ma'am, my question is what you call a historic reform today.

33:35The opposition, Sonia Gandhi, who says that this is being economical with the truth.

33:42She says this is the skewing of the federal structure and your ultimate aim is not really

33:47representation but delimitation.

33:51This is so very ridiculous and I must tell you that this is called shifting of goalposts.

33:58In September 1996, the then Prime Minister, Sri Dev Gauraji, had actually brought in the

34:05Women Reservations Bill to the Lok Sabha.

34:08And then thereafter, successive governments under different Prime Ministers tried to

34:13actually get this bill passed.

34:15So, we don't question the intention of the opposition parties and even the party of our

34:22party, Bharati Janata party under Atal Bihari Bajpeji.

34:26But the fact remains that the bill could not be passed.

34:31See, as far as governance is concerned, there are only two words, yes or no.

34:35Whether you do a thing or whether you don't do a thing.

34:37There is absolutely no third response.

34:40Now, here, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, we brought the bill to the Lok Sabha

34:46and I remember, I'm a party to it.

34:49In the midnight of one of the days of September 2023, the bill was passed in the Lok Sabha

34:56and then thereafter in the Rajya Sabha.

34:58This is three years back.

35:00Don't you think the time has come to actually go for the implementation of the bill?

35:05That's the question.

35:06And at that point of time, I remember when the debates were on, in the Lok Sabha and

35:10the Rajya Sabha, these were the people, Sonia Gandhiji and others, very vociferous about

35:16getting the bill implemented very soon.

35:19You know, that time they had told on the floor of the House that why are you talking about

35:24census and delimitation?

35:25I'm sure it would not be implemented in 2029.

35:30So, they had their own apprehensions at that point of time.

35:32So, now, they are turning, entire thing, they are turning the table, saying that, you know,

35:40we want to wait.

35:41Why do we want to wait?

35:42Can the women wait?

35:42Can the 50% population wait?

35:45We all want it to be implemented from 2029.

35:48So, I think this shows how very responsible they are to the cause of the women.

35:54And this is extremely unfortunate.

35:57Our Prime Minister has definitely made an outreach.

36:00He has written a letter to them requesting them to kind of, you know, give their support

36:07in this special session.

36:08And all of us desire that it is passed.

36:11And the two bills that come, whether it is amendment of the Constitution Bill or the delimitation,

36:17revisiting the delimitation part, we will definitely have a dialogue and we'll see how it goes.

36:24Yeah.

36:24Okay.

36:26But, Ms. Sarangi, you said there are only two ways of doing a thing, which is not, which is doing

36:30it and not doing it.

36:31But, Ms. Sarangi, there is another way of doing it, which is, the question which comes is, how will you

36:35do it?

36:36Either you do it, either you don't do it.

36:38And the other question is, how you do it?

36:39How you are doing it is being questioned today.

36:42The opposition says they have no problem.

36:44They want women reservation.

36:46It is how you are doing it.

36:47They feel that, A, going back to the 2011 census makes zero sense.

36:53We are in 2026.

36:55And your ultimate aim is delimitation to suit yourself.

36:58And representation is not what you are looking at.

37:02I will take you back, Priti, to some pages of history.

37:05Please allow me some time.

37:07See, in 1971, the first census took place in the country.

37:12And then thereafter, in 1976, the delimitation based on that census took place.

37:17Then in 2001, when we came, it was decided through the 84th Amendment that the same delimitation thing would continue

37:26till 2026.

37:27So, now it is time for delimitation.

37:29And it is time for census because census precedes delimitation.

37:33Now, let me tell you, the thing is that the delimitation process will definitely take not less than three to

37:42five years.

37:44Now, can we wait?

37:46Can we wait till 2034?

37:48That's the question.

37:49Fifty percent of the population, can the Prime Minister or his government keep this population waiting?

37:56So, we have to find a way out.

37:58Now, as far as options are concerned, see, we would be going, rather the government would be going to the

38:05Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha with certain set of options.

38:08There would be deliberations.

38:10But, you know, you come, before the start of the session, you come with a negative mind, saying that, you

38:18know, we want to wait.

38:19Now, why do you want to wait?

38:21Can women wait?

38:22I mean, aren't you committed to the cause of the women?

38:25Subhasya Sigram.

38:26We want it to be done fast.

38:28And we are all with the thoughts of the Honorable Prime Minister when he wants to be implemented from 2029.

38:35Yeah.

38:38Well, Ms. Sarangi, thank you for taking the time out.

38:41You've made a vociferous pitch for implementing the bill.

38:46And I think a lot of women stand by that, where the implementation of this bill, of this law is

38:51concerned.

38:52How you implement it remains in question in Parliament.

38:54But nobody once is denying that it should be implemented.

38:59It very well should be.

39:00It was a historic moment when the bill was made a law.

39:03You were right there.

39:04Thank you for joining us.

39:05I am now joined by Ms. Praniti Shinde.

39:08She is an MP, Congress, Parliament.

39:10Joining us live, Ms. Shinde.

39:13One would think that the Congress would be the biggest supporter of the implementation of the women quota, Ms. Shinde.

39:19It's been, as what the Congress calls it, the dream of even Sonia Gandhi that women reservation be implemented.

39:26Suddenly, why a spoke in the wheel?

39:31We have always been in support of the bill.

39:33In fact, I'd like to take you back to 1993.

39:37It was the Congress party that moved the 73rd and the 74th Amendment, which guaranteed 50% reservation to women

39:45in the local self-government, in the panchayats and the Mahanagar palikas.

39:49So, obviously, we've been the pioneers to have started with women reservation.

39:54Now, we are totally in support of the bill.

39:57When it was introduced in 2023, when the Constitutional Amendment Act 334A was introduced by the ruling party, by the

40:06BJP in 2023, it came with a condition.

40:09It said that 50% of the seats in the Lok Sabha and the state legislative assemblies would be reserved

40:16for women.

40:17No period.

40:18It came with a condition.

40:19The condition, what that was, that there would be a census and there would be a delimitation exercise, only after

40:26which the reservation would be guaranteed.

40:28At that point in time, whether it was the CPP chairperson, Mrs. Gandhi, whether it was the leader of opposition,

40:33the Rajya Sabha, Mr. Karge, they all raised, and Mr. Rahul Gandhi raised a question saying,

40:39Why do you want to make this amendment conditional? Why can't you just, in 2024 elections, give reservations to 50

40:46% women in the parliament and the state legislative seats?

40:49But there was silence on it.

40:50It took 30 months for the government to wake up.

40:54It took 30 months.

40:55The government was sleeping over this amendment.

40:57The government has suddenly woken up.

40:59And look at the timing.

41:00It's the timing that is questionable.

41:01It is the timing that is doubtful.

41:03It is the timing that is politically motivated.

41:06Because we're into Tamil Nadu and West Bengal elections, which are due on, which are, these two states going to

41:12vote on the 23rd.

41:14All we had asked them to do is the opposition, the India Alliance, had written to the ruling party, not

41:19once, but three times.

41:20And even Mrs. Gandhi's article today, three times, saying that all we want to do is have a proper debate,

41:26have proper discussion about this.

41:28Just wait till the 29th.

41:30Let's convene an all-party meeting on the 29th or after the 29th.

41:34We can go into the discussion.

41:36What is the urgency when half of your MPs are not going to be able to attend parliament?

41:40So is this a deliberate attempt to bulldoze your way through for delimitation, maybe, and not so much women's reservation?

41:47Because if the government was serious about women's reservation, they would have done it back in 2023.

41:52But they don't seem to be.

41:53There's so much ambiguity about this.

41:55We don't have a formal notice.

41:58We don't have formal proposals about what's going to happen in parliament on the 16th, 17th, 18th.

42:03And what is the rush?

42:05All you have to do is wait for a week more, maybe 10 days more, to convene an all-party

42:09meeting, have a discussion, have deliberations throughout the country,

42:13exactly what was done during the 73rd, 74th Amendment.

42:17But the government is not interested in doing that because obviously this is politically motivated and un-democratic.

42:22But, Ms. Shinde, I understand that you're saying the timing is suspect because of elections.

42:26Why?

42:27What?

42:27You know, but why is it suspect because it's coming in the middle of elections?

42:32You know, you have three days.

42:33You can debate.

42:34You can deliberate.

42:35And you can come up with a plausible.

42:38Make your point.

42:39Make your point.

42:40We just got done with a budget session, right?

42:43Not even 16 days ago, we got done with the budget session, which was indeed curtailed because of the election.

42:49And now suddenly to make an announcement, to have these proposals, to have a constitutional amendment during an election procedure

42:57in our country is absolute violation of code of conduct.

43:00But, number one, right, we're only asking you to wait a couple of days.

43:06So, obviously, what is the reason?

43:08Is it Tamil Nadu?

43:09Is it West Bengal?

43:10We just got done.

43:11You could have done it when the session was in order, the budget session was happening about 15 days ago.

43:17Or you could do it, bring it up in the morning.

43:19So, is that, okay.

43:20Praniti Shinde, can I ask you one question?

43:22You're saying the sticking point is only the timing.

43:26It's not about the caste census.

43:28It's not about delimitation.

43:30Your only point is the timing.

43:32Is that it?

43:33You know, the women's reservation is not linked to delimitation and caste census.

43:39That's a totally different issue.

43:41Caste census should have been done in 21, which was not done.

43:44Censes should have done.

43:45The Dili Dalling about that as well.

43:48Delimitation, there needs to be certain clarifications.

43:50Southern states are going to be at a disadvantage.

43:54Women's reservation is not linked in any way to the census.

43:59Or to delimitation.

44:00And that is questionable.

44:01Why was it linked to that in 2023?

44:05You should have cleared it in 2023.

44:08So, you're questioning multiple facets.

44:10Okay.

44:11Yes.

44:13Okay.

44:14So, you have multiple facets to it where your opposition to what you really wanted eventually comes into question.

44:21Thank you, Praniti Shinde, for joining us.

44:23Let's quickly shift focus to the state of Bihar.

44:25Well, Bihar is finally getting a new chief minister because the incumbent has moved to the Rajya Sabha, Nitish Kumar.

44:31Well, lots of speculations at play on who will be Bihar's next chief minister.

44:37One thing is so clear that the chief minister will come from the Bharatiya Janta Party.

44:42NDA legislature party meeting is scheduled for tomorrow at 4 p.m.

44:47where the crucial decision on the next CM is expected.

44:50According to information, the announcement of the chief minister could happen within the next 24 hours,

44:55setting the stage for the formal swearing-in.

45:08All right.

45:10With that, we're going to head into a quick break,

45:12but we cannot do it without paying tribute to the legend who took her final curtain call at the age

45:19of 92, Asha Bhonsleji.

45:21We leave you with this.

45:24Up next, Kwarasawa.

45:50The voice that did not just sing,

45:53but mesmerized generations into feeling every note has now fallen silent.

46:05Asha Bhonsle, the name that defined versatility, rebellion, and sheer magic in Indian music, is no more.

46:15She passed away at Breach Candy Hospital due to multiple organ failure, leaving behind a void that words can barely

46:23capture.

46:27And with her, an era of timeless melodies, bold experimentations, and unforgettable emotions comes to a heartbreaking pause.

46:40From cabaret beats to classical notes, from heartbreak anthems to peppy chartbusters, she wasn't just a singer, she was a

46:51soundscape of India's changing times.

46:53But how do you say goodbye to a voice that never aged?

47:01Born into the legendary Mangeshkar family, Asha Bhonsle carved her own path, fearlessly independent, unapologetically experimental, and always ahead of