- 4 months ago
In a big setback to Arvind Kejriwal, Raghav Chadha and six other Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MPs quit the party to join the BJP.
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00:00Good evening, hello and welcome. You're with the news today. This is your prime time destination news, newsmakers, talking points,
00:06news without the noise.
00:07Friday night, ahead of the weekend, let's tell you what we have on the show.
00:11Ahmad B. Parties, Raghav Chadda scripts a coup in his party, defects and merges with the BJP.
00:20Can Ahmad B. Parties survive the exodus? Is this the end of the road for Armin K. Jival's party?
00:25Also, Donald Trump shares and India is a hellhole jibe. Is it time to draw a red line with Donald
00:34Trump when he targets India?
00:36All that and more on the show tonight. But first, as always, it's time for the Nine Headlines at Nine.
00:43A mini political quake in the national capital as Raghav Chadda and six other Ahmad B. Parties, Rajya Sabha, MPs
00:51quit the party and merge with the BJP.
00:54AAP vows action against the MPs who've jumped ship.
01:01Opposition brings another impeachment motion to remove the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar.
01:07Motion signed by 73 Rajya Sabha opposition MPs.
01:11Congress claims his continuation is an assault on the constitution of the country.
01:21Prime Minister Modi campaigns for the RG car, victim's mother in North 24 Porganas, lashes out at Mamata Banerjee, claims
01:29her mother lost her beti under TMC's Jangal Raj.
01:34Mamata Banerjee hits back, says the Prime Minister has no clue of West Bengal.
01:42Set back to Congress's Pawan Khera in the Assam Passport Rao.
01:47Gauhati court rejects his anticipatory bail plea, says Khera dragged an innocent lady into controversy.
01:58Explosive revelations in the Delhi rape and murder case.
02:01A probe suggests that accused Rahul Meena is a psychopath and a gambling addict.
02:09RBI cancels the banking license of Paytm Payments Bank Ltd.
02:13The central bank will also move the high court for widening up of the bank.
02:19Amid suspense over the next round of West Asia peace talks, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi departs for Pakistan.
02:26U.S. warns Tehran, says it would be wise for them to strike a deal first and soon.
02:34Amidst the continuing havoc in the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Secretary of War Hexit doubles down on NATO allies,
02:41says being an ally is a two-way street and this should not be America's fight alone.
02:48And markets continue to fall rapidly amidst escalating tensions in West Asia.
02:53Sensex and Nifty fall for a third day in a row. Oil prices surge.
03:03Okay, but let's start today with our top story and it's a big political shake-up that we are leading
03:08with.
03:09Prominent Aam Admi Party MP Raghav Chadda, along with six other of his colleagues in the Rajya Sabha, has quit
03:17ARP and merged the party with the BJP,
03:21dealing a major blow to Arvind Kejriwal ahead of the Punjab poll scheduled for early next year.
03:28Of the seven, only three Raghav Chadda, Ashok Mittal, Sandeep Pathak visited the BJP office to join them.
03:35Chadda said today that he was the right man in the wrong party, while the Aam Admi Party alleges that
03:43the BJP has executed Operation Lotus using central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate.
03:51Arvind Kejriwal himself has declared the turncourts have betrayed the people of Punjab.
03:57It's the latest political battle that we are seeing playing out.
04:02India Today with our top story.
04:10From being the poster boy of the Aam Admi Party, to scripting its biggest shock exit.
04:17Raghav Chadda has quit the Aam Admi Party and joined the BJP.
04:22But this exit did not come out of nowhere.
04:25It follows days of internal friction.
04:27Aam Admi Party today has been destroyed by its own beliefs, by its own beliefs, by its core morals and
04:35values.
04:37And now this party is not for the country, not for the country, but for its own personal benefits.
04:46This is the last few years I was feeling that I am the right man in the wrong party.
04:51I announce that I am the right man in the wrong party.
04:56I am the right man in the wrong party.
04:56And I am the right man in the wrong party.
04:59But this isn't a lone defection.
05:01It's a coordinated political shift.
05:05Ashok Mittal, Sandeep Pathak, Harbhajan Singh, Rajendra Gupta, Vikramjit Sahane, Swati Malival, all dumped up.
05:15Seven out of ten Rajya Sabha MPs inside up anger and accusations.
05:21The Bharti Janta Party, Narendra Modi and Amish Shah's Operation Lotus, Ghatya Rajniti's game, and the Bhagwantmaan government's good work
05:42has begun to stop the good work.
05:42The Bharti Janta, O Bharti Jindah, Jamal, all the rebels, entire population has begun to stop the good work.
05:50The Bharti Jinder, thank you for the good work.
05:59You have been seated.
06:00You do not want to ask that you will be seated.
06:03You have to be seated.
06:05You will have to be seated.
06:08I will be seated.
06:16But politically and personally, this cuts deep.
06:21Raghav Chadda, once Kejriwal's most trusted aide, was part of AAP's journey from the beginning
06:27and given top positions at a relatively young age, but now leads the rebellion.
06:33Sandeep Pathak, AAP's organizational backbone in Punjab,
06:37fiercely defended Kejriwal and AAP during the liquor scam case.
06:42Ashok Mittal, whose elevation triggered much criticism within the party.
06:47The BGP caused this AAP's internal collapse.
07:09From a demotion drama to a mass crossover, AAP's crisis has unfolded in fast forward.
07:17Punjab elections looming, leadership shaken and loyalties fractured.
07:23A setback for Aravind Kejriwal, a boost for the BGP.
07:27And a reminder that in politics, today's insider can become tomorrow's challenger.
07:33Biarra Report, India Today.
07:37Okay, let me go to my first guest tonight.
07:39Joining me now on that big story is Yogendra Yadav, the co-founder of Swaraj India,
07:44but also one of the original founders of the Ahmad Mee party.
07:47Appreciate your joining us, Mr. Yadav.
07:50You are among those, of course, the founders of Ahmad Mee party.
07:53Left it now with the Swaraj Abhyan.
07:56On your first reaction, when you heard that the AAP had broken in the Rajya Sabha,
08:01Raghav Chadda, six other MPs leaving it and merging with the BJP.
08:09I'm very sad, deeply disturbed, deeply disappointed.
08:14Yes, I'm not with Ahmad Mee party anymore.
08:17I have no reasons to be particularly friendly with its leadership.
08:22I have never spoken even once to any of my colleagues in the last 12 years.
08:27But, Rajdeep, what has happened today is just very sad for democracy.
08:33You know, people leaving a party for whatever happened inside the party,
08:36I can understand all kinds of reasons, some of which may be good reasons.
08:39But going and joining the BJP at this time, lock, stock and barrel,
08:46this is not an ordinary thing.
08:48This is part of an overall attempt at demolishing the opposition.
08:54And that is what should worry every Indian.
08:58I could say that Ahmad Mee party deserved it.
09:02It is true that initially the exodus was on principal lines.
09:07But once you make a party into an entrepreneurship,
09:11once the mission is over and it becomes just an entrepreneurship,
09:15then when entrepreneurs do look for opportunities.
09:19But that is not all that has happened today.
09:21What has happened, as I said, is part of a mission demolished in the opposition.
09:28And no Indian, whether we have sympathy with the Ahmad Mee party
09:31or we have no sympathy with the Ahmad Mee party,
09:34no Indian should support something of the kind that has happened.
09:37You're making Yogendra Yadav an important distinction.
09:41You're saying the Raghav Chaddas, the Sandeep Parthaks,
09:44the Ashok Mittals have every right to leave the Ahmad Mee party,
09:47the Swati Maliwals.
09:48But by now becoming, by merging with the BJP,
09:51they can no longer claim any moral high ground.
09:56Where is morality here, Razdeep?
09:59Look, your party gave you ticket.
10:02You don't like the party.
10:03Party ill-treated you, maybe.
10:05You want to leave, leave it, go out, leave the house.
10:10You have a very good example from Bengal of Mr. Sarkar leaving the TMC,
10:19also then quitting the Rajya Sabha and saying,
10:22OK, I'm not part of the game.
10:23That's dignified.
10:24That's decent.
10:25You have very decent reasons to leave your party.
10:28That's understandable.
10:29But this is a devious, diabolic plan.
10:32I want to leave my party, yet I want to circumvent the anti-defection law.
10:38And the way to circumvent the anti-defection law is to, therefore,
10:44is to take two-thirds people with me.
10:45So, I leave my party, I retain the membership of the House, and I basically contribute to
10:56the ruling party, controlling and consolidating its hegemon.
11:01It speaks very poorly of the person's concern.
11:04I say this with sadness because Raghav, in some ways, Raghav Chadha started with me.
11:10He assisted me in the beginning when I was in the Ahmad Nipati.
11:14Normally, one should be very happy to see a younger colleague go up.
11:18But if this is the way to go up, I must say, I feel ashamed of the fact that he
11:24had any association.
11:25You know, you're using very strong words today, Yogendra Yadha, but at the same time,
11:30doesn't this also raise questions over Arvind K. Jeeval's style of leadership?
11:34The BJP will turn around and say today, look, the Aam Admi Party is imploding.
11:38Why blame us?
11:41Rajdeep, I hold no brief for Aam Admi Party.
11:44As you know, and as I've said, I've not spoken ever to any of these colleagues.
11:49I have no desire.
11:52I mean, I've never defended Aam Admi Party.
11:54There's no reason.
11:55And as I said, they've converted the party into a shop where you simply come in for the
12:01sake of power.
12:02And yes, when you get people who are there simply as political entrepreneurs, political
12:07entrepreneurs look for opportunities, that's exactly what has happened today.
12:11So, yes, I hold no brief for Aam Admi Party.
12:14However, what has happened today is not merely some people quitting the party because the
12:20party ill-treated them.
12:22Maybe Raghav Chatta may have a genuine grievance, but then 100 other people may have a grievance
12:27against Raghav Chatta.
12:28So, maybe, let's say, let's say, in principle, he has a legitimate grievance.
12:33All right, step out, contest election, come back.
12:37If you can, why are you?
12:40This simply destroys the spirit of the anti-defection law, goes against the spirit of the constitution,
12:49goes against the spirit of democracy.
12:51So, no matter what I think of Aam Admi Party, and I think very poorly of the Aam Admi Party
12:56today, but how can I, just because I happen to be a grievance by Aam Admi Party, I think
13:03I may have better reasons to be unhappy with Aam Admi Party than Raghav Chatta or anyone
13:07else, but how can then I give up all norms, all basics, everything, and go and join the
13:15BJP?
13:16How is that possible?
13:17How can there be different?
13:19Will this, in conclusion, do you believe this will further demoralize the opposition, send
13:24out the message, there is only one party in the country that the BJP, we are in a one-party
13:28dominant era.
13:29We've seen Shiv Sena being broken, NCP being broken, Congress splitting apart in states.
13:36Are we seeing the Aam Admi Party next?
13:40So, it's one nation, one election, one party, one leader.
13:47This is the model being imposed on the country today.
13:50And it should be the duty of every Indian who believes in democracy.
13:55I may like this party, I may dislike this party, but it's the duty of every Indian who believes
14:01in democracy to stand up against this one nation, one election, one party, one leader model.
14:08Right.
14:09Because this stands against everything that democracy is.
14:12That is where we stand.
14:15I want to just ask you in conclusion then, what is that one piece of advice you'd give to
14:21someone who started off as a junior associate of yours, Raghav Chatta, an otherwise talented
14:27politician?
14:27What would you tell him today?
14:33Having said that I feel ashamed of my association with Raghav Chatta, do I have a moral right
14:40to advise him?
14:42Maybe Raghav Chatta is very fond of Shero Shairi.
14:47And the Raghav Chatta that I knew used to occasionally quote Mahatma Gandhi as well.
14:54I am nobody to ask him to go back and read Mahatma Gandhi again.
14:59Maybe he should simply look at in the mirror once again.
15:05Let's leave it there, Yogendra Yadav.
15:07I think in your words, you've already sent out a strong message to Raghav Chatta, who saw
15:12himself as a rising star of politics.
15:15There will be questions that will be raised also over the manner in which this decision
15:20has been taken and its timing.
15:22Thank you very much for joining me there.
15:25Okay, let's widen the debate and raise the big questions.
15:28Is the Aamadmi party imploding?
15:30Has Arvind Kejriwal lost his grip over the party?
15:34Can the ARP survive this exodus in Punjab and beyond?
15:39Is this BJP's Operation Lotus once again, especially in Punjab?
15:45Let's join our guests.
15:47I'm joined by Ashutosh, former ARP member.
15:50And now, of course, back to his calling in journalism.
15:55Also joining us is Sanju Verma of the Bharatiya Janata Party after a long time on the show
16:00and Priyanka Kakkar of the Aamadmi Party.
16:04Let's raise that question with all of you.
16:06And I want to come to you first, Priyanka Kakkar, because are you willing to concede
16:11that this is a major setback to your party?
16:15Seven of the ten members of the Rajya Sabha leaving and merging with the BJP.
16:20It comes just ahead of the Punjab election.
16:22Many of them prominent faces.
16:24Do you accept huge setback?
16:30Rajdeep ji, I don't think so because, you know, Aamadmi Party is made up of several of volunteers
16:35such as Raghav Chhandha and several of volunteers such as Sandeep Pathak.
16:38And these people such as them were promoted by Arvind Kejriwalji.
16:44They don't come from political backgrounds.
16:46They don't have a janadhar.
16:47They don't have an individual janadhar.
16:49They are not, you know, politicians like we see in BJP or Congress.
16:55So if Arvind Kejriwalji could pick these people out...
16:58Raghav Chhandha was your face.
16:59Sandeep Pathak was your organizing secretary.
17:03They were very, very prominent faces.
17:05True that.
17:07I'm not...
17:09True that.
17:09I'm not denying that.
17:10And at a personal level, I also don't like it.
17:15But at the same time, a party is not dependent on any one single individual.
17:18I am very clear about that.
17:20Also, I will say that, you know, there is also one more factor...
17:23One more fact, that today is the last day of campaigning in the local body elections in Gujarat.
17:29And I am telling you, you can please hold me to my word later, that we are doing exceptionally well.
17:34Congress is completely wiped out in Gujarat.
17:36And we are making great inroads in Gujarat.
17:38And this is one way of sending a message...
17:46No political party is dependent on any individual.
17:50For that matter, you know, 220 leaders of Congress went to BJP, but it still survives.
17:54Also, I think today, the last update that I have personally is that only three of the seven reached the
18:02BJP office.
18:03Perhaps the other four read the 10th schedule, the proviso 3 that was deleted and read the proviso 4 to
18:10it and understood that they will probably now be disqualified easily.
18:15Okay.
18:16Because, you know, interestingly, I was at lunch today with Harbhajan Singh because Sachin Tindulkar's birthday was being celebrated.
18:23Not a word was mentioned about this.
18:24But that aside, before I come to you, Sanjuji, I want to come to Ashutosh just to understand.
18:30Ashutosh, you know, Priyanka Kakkar is trying to play this down.
18:35Do you believe that this is a major setback and this once again reveals just how vulnerable the Ahmadi Party
18:42has become in recent times to potential splits and breakaways of many of those who are with, like Raghav, with
18:49Arvind Khejriwal, right from India against corruption?
18:54See, Rajdeep, in my opinion, this is the biggest loss of, biggest setback for the Ahmadi Party after the losing
19:00daily elections.
19:02Because till now the Ahmadi Party has been breaking and saying and shouting from the rooftop that people have left
19:10the Ahmadi Party,
19:11people have been sacked from the Ahmadi Party, but the Ahmadi Party has never broken.
19:14This is the first time the Ahmadi Party has broken, and not only the local MLAs, not only the Legislative
19:21Party has broken, but the Radhisattva members,
19:24seven out of ten, they left Ahmadi Party and joined BJP.
19:27It is really something which is shocking, and this will have impact in the near future too.
19:35Probably also because the party has to think about that, is there any conflict resolution mechanism in the party?
19:42Is there any team-building process in the Ahmadi Party?
19:45Or is it because you, the kind of people you are sending to the Rajasabha, that also has to contribute?
19:51Because I am not saying that the BJP is above board, for a simple reason, because a week back,
19:56the two of the Ahmadi Party's prominent leaders were raided by ED, Ashok Mittal, ten locations were raided on 15th
20:05of April.
20:06And three days, that raid continued.
20:09Sanjeev Arola, another prominent leader of the Ahmadi Party in Punjab, he was also raided a week back.
20:16So obviously they are also feeling the heat, and they also realize that if you are with the BJP, you
20:21are safe in that sense.
20:22So obviously when Raghav Chadda and Sandeep Pathak and Swati Malewal, these three, their leaving Ahmadi Party has really shocked
20:31me,
20:31because all three at one point of time have been very, very close to Kejriwal, their eyes and ears of
20:36Kejriwal.
20:37So if Sandeep Pathak is leaving, if Raghav Chadda is leaving, and Swati Malewal is leaving,
20:41then Ahmadi Party has to really think that what is going wrong with the party.
20:45You nurture talent, you make them big, and then suddenly they leave.
20:49So what's the reason behind it?
20:52You know, the fact is that you mentioned that they are not just leaving, but they are joining the BJP.
20:57I wonder, Sanju Verma, should we rename the BJP instead of Bharatiya Janata Party, Bharati Janata Party?
21:04You are ready to recruit.
21:06You are ready to take anyone, including people who have been your fierce critics.
21:10Those who used to day and night, Raghav Chatta used to target you, today you are happy to take it.
21:15What happened to your party with the difference?
21:17You seem to be now ready to take anyone and everyone, Sam, Dam, Dhandabhed, Operation Lotus,
21:23Washing Machine, call it what you will.
21:27Rajdeep, whether you call the BJP, you know, washing machine, or you say Operation Lotus is at work,
21:34Today I am not going to be rattled.
21:37Today I will answer Rajdeep ji, I am always, you know, balanced in my approach, but today more so.
21:44Let me just say one thing, Rajdeep ji.
21:47If you cannot hold your flock together, don't blame the BJP.
21:52The divorce between Raghav Chatta and Arvind Kejriwal.
22:13You know, I was going through some interesting statistics on divorce cases before coming on your show.
22:20And in most cases, the judges have said that the rot has already set in much earlier
22:26before the husband and the wife start blaming the third party.
22:31Wahi hal Kejriwal ke saath hai.
22:33You look at Ashutosh, you know, me and Ashutosh have disagreed on many occasions,
22:38beat the likes of, you know, Kiran Bedi, who at one time was a staunch supporter of Arvind Kejriwal,
22:45beat a Kumar Vishwas, a Kapil Mishra, beat the likes of an Anjali Damania,
22:51beat even Yogendra Yadav, who I simply don't, you know, endorse in terms of his viewpoint,
22:58or a Prashant Bhushan, who I detest, or a Shanti Bhushan, who I detest.
23:03Aisa kaise hai that such a young party has lost its key founding members.
23:09I'll take your point. Madam, you make a compulsive point, but you will also have to accept that
23:15if you are seen to raid Ashok Mittal 10 days ago, the ED raids him, and 10 days later,
23:21he's happily shaking hands with Nitin Nabeen, your party president, and taking a guldasta from him.
23:27Just as there is a pattern of people leaving Arvind Kejriwal, there's also a pattern.
23:31ED ka raid karvao? And then they immediately join you over.
23:35For Raghav Chadda also, there are questions of a Delhi Jalboard scam.
23:39Your own leaders of the Delhi BJP had accused Raghav Chadda when he was vice chairperson of Delhi Jalboard of
23:45corruption.
23:46And now they're happily in your party.
23:49You know, Rajdeep, what I love most about coming on your shows is,
23:53when Raghav Chadda was with Aam Admi party,
23:57for you, Raghav Chadda was the next best thing after brown bread and spaghetti.
24:01Now that Raghav Chadda is with BJP, Raghav Chadda becomes persona non grata for Rajdeep.
24:08Rajdeep's visceral hatred for BJP is so endemic.
24:12What have I got to do? You're not answering my question.
24:15I want to end by saying one thing, Rajdeep.
24:19You know, let's get one thing very clear.
24:22Why did the 52nd Amendment of 1985 and why did the 91st Amendment of 2003,
24:29the 10th schedule of the Indian constitution, also loosely called the anti-defection law,
24:35clearly says if two-thirds members as a group, be it MLAs or MPs, leave a party and merge themselves
24:43with another party,
24:44then the disqualification process comes to an end and they get suo-moto protection.
24:52So Raghav Chadda will not be disqualified.
24:55Harbajan Singh will not be disqualified.
24:56But that's not my question.
24:57Swati Kaliwan will not be disqualified.
24:58That's not my question.
24:59My question is, you say, my question is the same people you accuse of corruption one day,
25:04the moment they join you, they are doot ka dhula.
25:06Raghav Chadda, you are like, it almost seems as if the BJP is then a washing machine.
25:14Simple jawaab.
25:15Rajdeep, you're a very seasoned anchor.
25:17And despite my, you know, power was with you on air, I think you know your stuff.
25:21Tell me honestly, who coined the term pappu?
25:25Who coined the term pappu?
25:27Please answer.
25:28You know it.
25:29Just name the man who coined the term pappu for down in Kandee.
25:33Sorry?
25:34What is the connection?
25:35Why is the term pappu?
25:36Sorry?
25:38No, what is the connection?
25:40I'm telling you the connection.
25:43A man called Navjot Singh Sidhu coined the moniker pappu for Rahul Gandhi.
25:48And within a few months, Rahul Gandhi and Navjot Singh Sidhu were giving jadu ki jhappi to each other.
25:54Priyanka Vadra and Navjot Singh Sidhu, they both are close buddies.
26:00So, Rajneeti meh, there are no permanent friends, no permanent enemies.
26:05Ah, okay.
26:06That's a good line.
26:07Okay.
26:08No permanent friends or enemies.
26:10I've taken your point.
26:11Ma'am.
26:11Final point.
26:12Ma'am, I've heard you now.
26:13Let me.
26:14Yes.
26:15Yes.
26:16Final point.
26:18Very quickly, 10 seconds.
26:19Do you remember the year 2021, the state was Meghalaya.
26:2412 out of 17 Congress, MLA's joined which party?
26:29They joined a party called TMC very close to your heart.
26:34Yes.
26:34They joined a party called TMC very close to your heart.
26:37They joined a party called TMC.
26:41You are now saying we are not a party with the difference.
26:46Others do it.
26:47We do it.
26:47But Priyanka Kakkar, just a minute now.
26:49I've heard you.
26:50I've heard you with patience, ma'am.
26:52I've heard you with patience.
26:53You can't monopolize the show.
26:54Priyanka Kakkar, there is a point in what Sanju Verma says.
26:58She said, look at the number of leaders.
27:00One of them, Ashutosh.
27:01You deny him a Rajya Sabha ticket, you give it to industrialists.
27:05Ashok Mittal had nothing to do with the Aam Armani party.
27:07You gave him Rajya Sabha.
27:08If you give tickets and the accusation is tickets were being sold,
27:12then a day like this will come.
27:14There is no loyalty.
27:15Why is it that so many leaders over the years have left your party?
27:19Will there be any introspection?
27:21So many leaders, top leaders over the years.
27:25No, that, that, that, many people have joined also.
27:29No, that argument is, won't hold water because, you know,
27:31they have a, Sindhya, that is not a BJP ka product,
27:35nor is Himan Armani.
27:36No, no, how many leaders, why have so many leaders
27:38left the Aam Armani party over the years?
27:44I want, I will come to that.
27:46Just let me ask one question to Sanju Verma ji.
27:49That she, is she ensuring ki Swati Malewaal ke upar,
27:53joo case chal raha tha, wo chalta rahe ga.
27:54Raghat Chadda ke upar, joo case chal raha tha,
27:56us mein conviction ho gi, aur jo case abhi Ashok Mithal ji ke upar
27:59apne ED raid ki thi, us ka kya ho ga?
28:02Aap dekhiye ga Rajdeep ji, answer us mein chupaye.
28:04Now, coming to your question, Rajdeepdi,
28:06we are a party, we are a 10-year-old party.
28:09And we have expanded in three states practically.
28:13You will see the results coming from Gujarat shortly also.
28:15Now, what is happening is that in, in, in,
28:17in this formative years, there will be,
28:20there will be people who come join us,
28:22there will be people who leave us,
28:23and it is just the nature of politics,
28:24it happens in other parties also,
28:26but specifically what is happening with Amati party
28:28is that BJP has been attempting, you know, you'll,
28:31so many including founder members and close associates,
28:35Sandeep Pathak was seen as the brains
28:36behind your party's victory in Punjab.
28:42220 leaders of Congress, including the founder partners,
28:46left and went to BJP.
28:48Because the BJP uses Sam, Dam, Dandbhed,
28:51including ED, CBI and Alag Tala Ke Pralobans.
28:54Because possibly, you know, it, it, it can happen that,
28:59that say for example, Raghav Chadda,
29:01he was not content with just being a Rajya Sabha member
29:04and wanted more.
29:05Maybe he wanted to, from what we read on social media,
29:09maybe he wanted to become the Prime Minister,
29:10maybe Mehetwa Khan Shaheen zada hurdi.
29:13There's so many answers, so many, so many things to that.
29:15Okay, I, I, I've heard you Priyanka.
29:17Today there are coming in defense of those people.
29:19I know both of you have not answered directly.
29:20So, just a minute.
29:21No, no, put, okay, put the audio down
29:23of both Sanju and, and Priyanka for a moment
29:26because neither of them have answered my question directly.
29:29Ashutosh, maybe you can.
29:30And is it true that you believe that because,
29:33for example, you were passed over
29:34and there were those who given the ticket
29:37for Rajya Sabha were industrialists.
29:39We've seen this now even with Punjab.
29:41Do you believe the part of the problem is
29:42Aam Admi Party has strayed away from what it wanted
29:45to be an anti-corruption alternative.
29:47And once you do that, there is no ideology
29:50holding this party together.
29:52That's what the problem is.
29:53The problem is not just the BJP
29:55and the Bharti Janata Party,
29:57but also with the Aam Admi Party itself.
30:00See, Rajya, we have to understand
30:02that the Aam Admi Party is not like,
30:03was not like any other political party.
30:05Aam Admi Party was not there to grab power or to,
30:10but from the day one, they have been saying,
30:12and they said it, that they are here to,
30:14they are in politics, not to do politics,
30:16but to change politics.
30:17I think that grammar has completely changed.
30:19Now the party is in politics to do politics
30:23and to remain in politics.
30:24That's also one of the reasons
30:25that the many senior people of the Aam Admi Party
30:27who were originally associated
30:29and thought that this is a revolutionary party
30:31and let's go and change the party,
30:33that disillusioned many of them
30:34and they left the party.
30:35And after that, the kind of people
30:37who joined Aam Admi Party,
30:38many of them were turned out to be careerists.
30:41They were out to make career
30:42because the Aam Admi Party
30:43was no longer a moral force.
30:45Aam Admi Party became a indulged
30:48into the power of politics.
30:49Obviously, people like them,
30:51if they think that they have been,
30:52and another thing which is important is
30:54that Arvind Kejriwal believes
30:56into the politics of transaction.
30:57So as long as you are useful to the party,
31:00you are there.
31:00If you are not useful to the party,
31:01you are thrown out
31:02or you become marginalized in the party itself.
31:05I can understand and I can tell you
31:06that many of these people
31:07who became a Raj Sabha member
31:09or given ticket for the Lok Sabha
31:11or the MLA,
31:12many senior people in the party,
31:15they were very, very upset because of it
31:18because they thought
31:19that when the party,
31:20but nobody was coming to the party,
31:21then they were in the party,
31:22they volunteered,
31:23they did all good and dirty things,
31:24but they were ignored
31:25and because these people
31:26were more useful
31:27in the eyes of the top leadership.
31:29So I think there is a lot of other reasons
31:31which is important
31:34to switching up these people to the BJP.
31:38Okay, I'm going to leave it there.
31:39Sanjuji, I have completely run out of time.
31:41I know when you put up your finger,
31:43I get very worried.
31:44Let me end with some Hindi court.
31:47Ten seconds.
31:48Hindi court, ten seconds.
31:49Oh my God.
32:01I am going to leave it
32:10in the painting.
32:10I am going to do
32:11I have today
32:13I have today been embraced.
32:30No, no, one minute. Please show me one abuse I have given the BJP and I will accept what
32:36you have said. Please do not mislead the audience. My job is to ask the question that none of
32:41your audience because they are scared of alienating you. I ask you tough questions, you don't
32:46like it. Thank you, madam. I don't need certificates. I am now 61 in one month. I do not need
32:54certificates
32:54from any of you. Thank you very much for joining us. I will ask questions of whoever is in
33:02power. Thank you very much, Sanju Verma, Ashutosh and Priyanka Kakkar. Thank you. Okay, let's
33:09turn to our other big story that I want to focus on because remember, U.S. President
33:13Donald Trump has sparked yet another diplomatic row, this time involving New Delhi. He shared
33:19a podcast last night that used offensive language for India and China, calling the two countries
33:25hellholes while attacking birthright citizenship. New Delhi hit back, calling the remarks inappropriate
33:32and in poor taste, even as the U.S. Embassy attempted damage control. The opposition wanted
33:38a much stronger response. All of this raises question that even as the West Asia war continues,
33:45are Indo-U.S. relations entering an on-off turbulent phase? Take a look.
33:53Donald Trump is at it once again. The U.S. President on Thursday shared the transcript of a podcast by
33:59an
34:00American political commentator, criticizing citizenship by birth, using offensive terms
34:05for India and China. The podcast said a baby here becomes an instant citizen and then they bring the
34:12entire family in from China or India or some other hellhole on the planet. The podcaster went on to say
34:19that American Civil Liberties Union was pushing to destroy their national identity, turning the United
34:24States into a colony of China and India. He added that for a tech high job in California,
34:29one has to be from India or China because of almost all the internal mechanisms that are set up
34:34to run by Indians and Chinese. The U.S. Embassy in India rushed to control the damage.
34:40The embassy spokesperson said that President Trump has said that India is a great country
34:45with a good friend of mine at the top. The spokesperson did not specify where and when
34:50Trump made these remarks. Trump's endorsement of Savage's podcast did not go down very well in India.
34:57The MEA said the remarks are obviously uninformed, inappropriate and in poor taste and they certainly
35:02do not reflect the reality of India-U.S. relationship which has long been based on mutual respect and
35:07shared interests. But Trump's blow-hot-blow-cold attitude to diplomacy is creating a frost in
35:14Indo-U.S. ties and is proving to be an irritant. RSS ideologue Rav Madhav, responding to a query
35:20from the audience at the Hudson Institute in Washington, stressed that India has walked the
35:24extra mile to keep the ties on track.
35:27We agreed to stop buying oil from Iran. We agreed to stop buying oil from Russia, facing so much
35:36criticism from our Indian opposition. We agreed for 50 percent tariffs. Agreed means we did not say
35:43anything. We maintained our patience. 50 percent tariffs we agreed. So where is India lagging behind
35:50in that? What are those issues that where India is not doing enough? Later, Ram Madhav, in a message
35:56posted on X, claimed that he was factually incorrect but was trying to make a counterpoint.
36:01The opposition is urging the Narendra Modi government to take a stern stand on Trump.
36:06As President Donald Trump has claimed by endorsing that completely malicious and racial
36:15diatribe of Michael Savage, then why doesn't the political leadership stand up and call it out?
36:22Why are the ministers of this government, including the prime minister, silent?
36:29When you cover before a bully, you only embolden him. This is about the self-respect and the pride of
36:38India.
36:39Even the Iranian consulate has waded in with a tongue-in-cheek post urging Trump to visit India for a
36:44detox. Is it time for the government then to draw a red line for Donald Trump?
36:51Bureau Report, India Today.
36:55Okay, let's raise a few big questions tonight. Is it time to draw red lines for India with
37:01Donald Trump and what he says about India? What is the best way to tackle Donald Trump? Stay silent
37:06for hit back. Are Trump's repeated flip-flops and targeting of India at times a threat to Indo-U.S.
37:14ties? Joining me now, David K. Johnston Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, someone who is the author of
37:20the making of Donald Trump, Kamal Simbal, former foreign secretary joins us. Good to have both of you
37:25on the show tonight. I want to come to you first, Mr. Simbal, because for the U.S. president to
37:31call
37:32India a hellhole or at least retweet what was said about India and China being hellholes, should India
37:38have responded more strongly than what the MEA did, calling it inappropriate and not a reflection of the
37:45reality. And do you believe that we should have gone much further in condemning it?
37:52I don't think so. I think the initial reaction was no reaction at all. And it's good that the
38:02subsequent reaction has been a little more forceful, but we should leave it at that because this is not
38:08the first time that Trump has insulted or humiliated India. He has humiliated these very close allies.
38:15I mean, the manner in which he speaks about the French president is embarrassing. And,
38:21of course, the European leaders in general, they humiliated the Japanese prime minister
38:27while sitting next to her in the oral office. So all these people know what Trump is, what his
38:33character is. He's absolutely… So you're saying ignore him? Mr. Simbal, you're saying ignore him?
38:40Not entirely ignore him, but react in a measured way, as we have done. Let's not go beyond that,
38:47because you're not going to be able to correct him. And if India was the only country being singled out,
38:53then I would say we should hit back much more forcefully. But this is his character. He's hitting
38:57at everybody. Therefore, we have to give a measured response. And what we have done,
39:02I think, is reasonable. But this is not going to be the end of the story. He's going to continue
39:07to do that.
39:10Okay. I want to bring you in, David K. Johnston. What is it about Donald Trump that he seems to
39:14target
39:15allies, friends, whether it's Europe one day, whether it's India the next? This is someone
39:21who seems to upend Indo-U.S. relations that have been built over the years. The prime minister said,
39:27apki baar Trump sarkar. India was seen to have a good relation with Donald Trump. And yet he keeps
39:33every now and then targeting India. Explain what goes in his mind that he doesn't seem to even
39:39appreciate friends. Donald has been the subject of formal judicial proceedings that have established
39:47that he's a racist. And it's not just Indians. Anybody he doesn't see as a Northern Western
39:53European white person is inferior in his view. And yes, this is not the first time that he has gone
40:01out of his way to insult India, in this case, by repeating the comments of a prominent American
40:06racist who goes by the name Michael Savage. But Donald's father in 1927 was arrested in a pitched battle
40:14with New York police, where his father was on the side of the KKK, the Ku Klux Klan. Donald has
40:22throughout his life made terrible disparaging and racist remarks about people of a variety of different
40:31backgrounds. It's who he is. And I think that the former foreign minister is exactly correct. The Indian
40:38government should treat this carefully because you're not going to change Donald. On the other hand,
40:44people like you, Rajdeep, newspaper, editorial writers, politicians who are not in power at the
40:51moment, they should be really calling him out and denouncing this. But it's not going to change
40:59Donald. He's not going to change. You're saying something important. You're saying he is racist.
41:07I mean, as an example, there is a racism streak to him. I've followed that in my books, and I've
41:12known
41:12it for 40 years. No, because at one level, he says India is a great country. Next day,
41:18he says India is a hellhole. So is this someone who's totally bipolar? Is this someone who deliberately
41:24just wants to create the headlines? Or are you saying he's basically a racist?
41:29Oh, no. He is basically a racist. And this has been, since I met him in 1988, one of the
41:34key
41:34things that I've learned about him, seen. I've spent hundreds of hours with Donald over the years.
41:40Donald will say something nice, particularly if you're putting money in his pocket in one way or
41:44another. Remember, Donald has some buildings in India with his name on them. He's not an owner,
41:50for which he collects money. So when you're thinking about that, oh, that's wonderful.
41:55He'll speak well to your face. But that's not unusual about racists, that they will
42:00have contradictory viewpoints. But at his core, Donald firmly absolutely believes that anyone who
42:07doesn't look like him, a Northwestern European, he's basically Germanic, is inferior. And he calls
42:15people all the time stupid. He called a bunch of countries in Africa asshole countries. He said Somalia
42:22is not really a country. He's referred to Mexicans as rapists and terrorists and murderers. And then
42:28he says, oh, some of them I'm sure are good, because he wants to muddy the waters. But his whole
42:33administration is built on racism. They are going through museums and other government buildings
42:38and removing the names and images of Black soldiers who won Congressional Medal of Honor and other high
42:46honors for their conduct in battle. And they're removing them from these museums because Donald
42:54is a white supremacist. He always has been. It's been in his family going back to at least 1927.
43:01Right. White supremacists. Given what we've heard in very strong words in a background to Donald Trump,
43:09by David Johnston, Kaval Sibyl, I must ask you this in conclusion. Did we get Donald Trump horribly wrong?
43:15When the Prime Minister went a few years ago to Houston and said,
43:19ap ki baar, Trump sarkar, did we not recognize that we were dealing with a white supremacist when
43:25right-wing groups ahead of the 2022 elections, 2024 elections last time seemed to cheer Donald Trump
43:32on? Did we not recognize that this is a white supremacist? Well, you know, I agree with what has been
43:39said
43:39just now about the roots of racism. But on the other hand, he has appointed a lot of Indians to
43:46his cabinet and given them very important positions, including the head of the FBI.
43:51So it's not as if his racism goes to the extent of excluding any person with a non-white face
43:58from
43:59the administration. And look at the way he's targeted Indian immigrants and H-1B visa holders,
44:06sir. There is something where Donald Trump either is playing to his constituency in America.
44:10Did we get Donald Trump wrong? No, we didn't. Look, if he got Donald Trump wrong,
44:16everybody got Donald Trump wrong. Now, name one country, maybe barring Argentina, which sort of
44:22the Millet thinks well of him? Otherwise, which country has read him right? In fact,
44:28he's insulting them right and center. Look at the way he treated the Europeans when they came to see
44:33him in the White House and what he says subsequently about them and other countries. So it is in his
44:40character. He's an egomaniac. He only thinks about himself. He has no finesse at all. He doesn't
44:46understand that he's the president of the United States. And when he says these things,
44:51those things have an impact on the world. And they will carry it in their understanding
44:57of where America is headed. It's not going to fade away. So he's doing great harm to America
45:03and his position in the world. But he doesn't realize. He thinks that he's immune from all this.
45:09He believes America is so strong and can do exactly what it wants. We have to humor him and somehow
45:15died over these two and a half years or whatever remains of his presidency.
45:21Why? You know, that's an interesting point. You're saying we should humor him. But David
45:25Johnson, should we humor him or call him out? I mean, should Americans call him out
45:29and should Indians call him out? Enough is enough.
45:32Well, I think the Indian government needs to treat him a different way than the Indian population.
45:39The Indian government needs to recognize that it has strategic and economic interests with the U.S.
45:44and you don't want to unnecessarily poke the bear, as we say in America.
45:49On the other hand, the minister is exactly right. Donald has no finesse. He does totally
45:55contradictory things. He's a man filled with hate and rage. He's a man who's never known a day of joy
46:03or love or contentment or pleasure because of what an empty person he is inside. But in his head,
46:09Donald lives in this fictional world where everyone in the world is saying, what a great president.
46:14It's the greatest president in American history. Well, this is the greatest thing that's ever
46:17happened, attacking Iran. It's brilliant. Because he lives in this fictional world in his head. And
46:23because it's fictional, he's like a novelist. If something puts him in a corner, he rewrites the
46:30narrative and denies what he wrote earlier.
46:34Okay. So effectively, what you're saying is perhaps the best way to deal with Donald Trump
46:41is people call him out. Governments, on the other hand, give a much more measured response
46:47because you never know which side of the bed Donald Trump will get up tomorrow. On that note,
46:52David Johnston for speaking so plainly and Kaval Sibbal for joining us. Thank you very much.
46:59That shocking rape and murder case in the national capital, that has really spread a sense of panic
47:05as well. Her parents had stepped out for their regular morning workout. When they returned,
47:10they found their daughter lying in a pool of blood. The case of an IRS officer's daughter has really
47:17taken people by a sense of complete anger and horror. The victim was rushed to the hospital,
47:24was declared brought dead. Police now say the accused, Rahul Meena, former domestic help,
47:31fired two months ago for financial misconduct and gambling addiction, was a psychopath. In the case,
47:38chilling details have emerged, including the potential motive of the crime. Take a look at this report.
47:59Strangled and raped. A young woman with a promising career ahead, choked to death by a former house
48:06help in a posh South Delhi colony. After suspect Rahul Meena's arrest, chilling details of the crime,
48:13which took place on Tuesday, are surfacing. According to sources in the investigation team,
48:19the accused allegedly appears to be a psychopath of very violent nature. The police have been able to
48:27recover more than one lakh rupees in cash and jewellery from the accused. Meena was allegedly addicted
48:34to online gaming and was under huge debt because of this addiction. The suspect, who had secured 90%
48:42marks in class 12, even mortgaged his mark sheet and his mobile phone. Meena was fired two months ago by
48:51the victim's father, who is an IRS officer, for financial misconduct and gambling addiction.
48:58On the day of the incident, CCTV captured him entering the house in a yellow shirt. He allegedly knew the
49:05passcodes to the locks and had access to the keys and used them to enter the house. The CCTV shows
49:13him
49:13leaving calmly with a black backpack after changing his bloodstained clothes after the crime.
49:22The accused rushed to the Palaam Railway Station but missed his train. Later, he decided to go to
49:29Dwarka and took an auto for a hotel in the vicinity. This is Hotel Castle Meridian in which, after committing
49:37the entire crime, the accused initially went towards Palaam Railway Station from where he was supposed to
49:42board a train towards Rajasthan. But he was not able to do that as he got late. And eventually,
49:48he turns towards Dwarka and comes over here. He reached over here, he checked into this hotel,
49:54and then he was staying here, probably waiting for someone is what Delhi police sources have told
50:00India today at this point in time. In a horrifying twist, Rajasthan police revealed that Rahul Meenas
50:08allegedly raped a friend's wife in Alwar just hours before travelling to Delhi and committing the murder.
50:15Vedanshul Singh, Bureau Report, India Today
50:22Okay, let's bring you now a quick update on all that's been happening on the election battleground
50:27trail of 2026. Remember, after a record turnout yesterday, the battleground Bengal is heating up
50:34ahead of the second phase. Home Minister Amit Shah versus Mamta Banerjee, war of words. The West
50:40Bengal Chief Minister launched an attack on the BJP asserting that she would turn her focus to Delhi after
50:45winning the assembly post. Left amused by her remark, Union Minister Shah said she had nothing left for
50:51her in Bengal. Prime Minister Narendra Modi rallied for the mother of the woman who was
51:00raped and murdered in North 24 Parganaz rally. She shared a state with the RG car victim's mother,
51:08who is the BJP candidate from the Panihati seat. Modi slammed Mamta says the mother lost her beti
51:14under TMC's Jungle Raj. From high politics to high optics, Prime Minister Modi took a scenic boat ride
51:22on the Hooghly with the iconic Vidya Sagar Setu in the backdrop calling the Ganga the soul of Bengal.
51:27The visuals are going viral but the politics is heating up with the Trinamool Congress branding it a
51:32photo op and yet another political tourist moment. The opposition sharpened its attack on Chief
51:39Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. 73 MPs have now moved a fresh removal notice in the Rajya Sabha
51:46with fresh charges being added. The Thinamool Congress leading this renewed push. This after an earlier
51:53bid backed by 19 parties and nearly 300 MPs didn't receive approval from the Rajya Sabha chairman.
52:05Okay, let's turn to my next story. It is finally a curtain call to a dramatic protest. The likes
52:12we haven't seen in some time on top of a 400 foot high BSNL tower in Punjab's Patiala district. 43
52:20year
52:20old Gurjeet Singh Khalsa sat protesting there for 560 days demanding stricter laws against sacrilege
52:27of the Guru Granth Sahib. Finally, after the Punjab government's official notification of the Jagat
52:33Joach Sree Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Act, it was time for him to come down. Take a look at this
52:40Only in India report.
52:47The rescue operation for Gurjeet Singh Khalsa from the 400 feet high BSNL tower was a tricky one as his
52:55health
52:55has deteriorated due to prolonged immobility and extreme exposure. He's gained considerable weight as
53:03well compared to his body weight of under 80 kgs at the time when he climbed up in 2024 October.
53:09His extraction required specialized equipment including a turntable ladder and a crane lift.
53:17Nearly 45 minutes later on 24th April morning, Gurjeet Singh Khalsa was back on earth after 560 days.
53:26gives a bye.
53:31foreign
53:40foreign
53:42foreign
53:44foreign
53:45foreign
53:50foreign
53:54foreign
54:21He stayed on top of the BSNL tower for 18 months and 12 days, in a cramped 8 by 10
54:27foot makeshift tarpaulin shelter near the tower's antenna, using a polythene bag to relieve himself.
54:37Gurjeet Singh Khasa survived in a single daily meal sent up by supporters via ropes for all these 560 days.
54:47Bureau Report, India Today.
54:53Okay, that's about all that we could pack in on the show tonight. Thanks so much for watching. That was
54:57the news without the noise. Stay well, stay safe. Good night. Shubratri. Jai Hind. Namaskar.
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