- 13 hours ago
After Vijay's stunning victory in Tamil Nadu assembly elections, all eyes are now on government formation. According to sources, Vijay is eyeing alliance with Congress, Left parties and VCK.
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00:01Good evening, hello and welcome. You're with the news today, your primetime destination news,
00:05newsmakers, talking points, Tuesday night. This is where you'll get all the big headlines and
00:10newsmakers tonight. Mamta Banerjee creates a stir, doesn't concede defeat, says she won't quit.
00:17Among my special guests tonight will be Switi Rani on that battle for Bengal. Also,
00:23will Congress now ditch the DMK and ally with Vijay? We'll be finding out more on that big
00:31breaking story. Also, is this the end of the road for the big Dravidah parties of Tamil Nadu?
00:37We've got plenty as always on the show tonight, but we start with the nine headlines at nine.
00:44Outgoing West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee rejects the Bengal verdict and refuses to resign.
00:51BJP hits back, says constitution will prevail. She must quit.
01:00Asan Sol Durga Temple reopens after years following BJP sweep in West Bengal. Post-poll violence,
01:08though reported in several areas, including Falta, as TMC candidate Jangir Khan's office
01:13is vandalized by locals. After Vijay's blockbuster victory in Tamil Nadu, all eyes now on government
01:24formation. TVK sources say Vijay eyeing alliances with Congress left party's VCK. Vijay planning a
01:31swearing in on Thursday. After a big win in the Kerala polls, Congress party finds itself in the midst of
01:41a
01:41possible contest for the chief minister's race. VD Satishan, Ramesh Chenithala, KC Venugopal are the top
01:49contenders. Cabinet approves a proposal to increase number of judges of the Supreme Court from 34 to 38. The move
02:00aims to strengthen the apex court's capacity. Indigo flight evacuated in Chandigarh after passengers' power bank
02:09catches fire. The flight carrying 198 passengers, six crew members had already landed by the time the alarm
02:15was raised. UPN's prepaid smart meter shifts all park connections back to post-paid. Officials say
02:25monthly billing will resume with a 15-day payment window. The rollback follows reports of technical
02:30false repeated consumer complaints. West Asia ceasefire under threat. U.S. launches defensive mission at
02:39State of Hormuz. UAE accuses Iran of missile and drone strikes. U.S. War Secretary Peter Hegsett calls Iran
02:45the clear aggressor. And amidst the West Asia crisis, India Today's Foreign Affairs editor Geeta Mohan
02:53reports from Tehran. She finds hundreds of citizens holding protests against the U.S. every night.
03:11But our top story tonight. A political earthquake, remember, swept West Bengal only yesterday, taking the BJP to power
03:21for the first time in India's eastern stronghold state. But the battle for Bengal appears to be far from over.
03:29In a new
03:30twist today, the outgoing chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, refused to concede defeat, claiming she would not resign and saying that
03:38the entire election had been stolen. This even as there were instances of violence erupting across the state with Trinamul
03:47Congress offices being vandalized in some parts of West Bengal. The outgoing chief minister digging in, saying there is no
03:55question of resigning, claiming the defeat was not fair. A claim that was all the
04:00also endorsed by the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Mamata said that the BJP had won with the help of the
04:07Election Commission and that her party was sabotaged by the system. The post-poll violence is also a concern from
04:15Jamuria and Asun Sol to Bolpur in Birbhum. Instances of arson and clashes being reported. Reports also coming in from
04:23Falta and Kolkata of vandalism and targeted attacks. This comes a day after the Prime Minister had said this was
04:30that this was not a moment for a moment for badla or revenge, but for badla or change. The BJP
04:37now says that they are telling the Akardas that this is not a time for any revenge. The TMC is
04:44the opposition, not the enemy. Listen in.
04:49The Nakardas that is not a time for me. I was going to say, but let's say he is a
04:55human. See the result of the political comments. You will have to remember this, you will have to say that
05:02the administration, but
05:02you will have to go away. You will have to say that you will have to form a siemens. You
05:10will have to say that. So you will have to be able to leave a situation in your life. You
05:15will be able to follow some of theile systems in the way.
05:17But the question doesn't arise.
05:20And BJP played the game directly with the election commission.
05:26It's a betting, you can say.
05:28The got-up betting between BJP and the election commission.
05:32We fought against all machinery,
05:36where Prime Minister and Home Minister is also involved.
05:41Directly interference.
05:44SIR, they deleted 90 lakhs names from the voter list.
05:51And when we went to court adjudication,
05:5532 lakhs were included.
05:57But do you know that after that,
06:00the 7 lakhs, what was deposited together,
06:03that is also included?
06:05But nobody knows that.
06:07So how they play the dirty, nasty and mysterious games?
06:12I have never seen this type of election in my life.
06:16From the beginning, in my student life,
06:20I have seen so many elections.
06:23Even 2004 also, when I was only alone.
06:27There also I have not seen this type of atrocities.
06:32Let me go straight across to Inderjeet Kundu, our Kolkata bureau chief, joins us.
06:36Inderjeet, Mamata Banerjee not conceding defeat,
06:39claiming she's got a moral victory.
06:41But presumably, she has no option but to concede at some stage,
06:45because the assembly's tenure ends, I believe, on the 7th.
06:48That's day after tomorrow.
06:50So essentially, the governor will be calling in the leader of the BJP legislature party
06:56with their thumping majority.
06:57Is Mamata Banerjee simply doing this to stage a political confrontation of sorts?
07:07Well, you know, it is open to interpretation,
07:11but it is clear that at least Mamata Banerjee at this point in time
07:14does not want to concede defeat,
07:17because the kind of, the line of attack that the Trinimal Congress
07:20has opened against the election commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar,
07:24in that sense, if they have to, you know, continue that,
07:28there is no way that she can concede defeat.
07:30But what has also created some sort of a confusion
07:33is that she is the Kertika chief minister,
07:36and as the tradition goes, we've seen always that, you know,
07:42the chief minister of the party which is defeated,
07:45they concede defeat and then they tender their resignation.
07:48But Mamata Banerjee is refusing to do that.
07:51What some experts have told us,
07:53and even Kalyan Banerjee, the legal mind within Trinimal Congress,
07:57he said that even though it is a long-standing tradition,
08:00Mamata Banerjee does not require to tender her resignation,
08:03and once the assembly tenure gets over,
08:07in any case, the governor under Article 164
08:11can call the leader of the party which has got the majority,
08:16and the entire process would be set in motion.
08:18So that won't have much of an impact,
08:20whether she resigns or not won't have much of an impact,
08:23on government formation.
08:24The election commission has already, you know,
08:26asked the Rajvavan to kickstart the process of government formation,
08:30and we are expecting Home Minister Amit Shah to arrive in West Bengal tomorrow,
08:34when the BJP legislature party meeting will take place,
08:37and they will choose a leader,
08:38following which they will stay king to form government.
08:40We are also getting into, and very quickly, reports of violence and vandalism
08:45from some parts of West Bengal,
08:48where Trinimal Congress offices have been attacked.
08:51We saw what happened with post-poll violence when Mamata Banerjee won.
08:54Then it was the BJP workers who were targeted with serious allegations being made,
09:00at that time also, of violence.
09:03Is this something that is a concern for whoever comes in power to contain this post-poll violence?
09:13Well, absolutely, that is a concern, and that is precisely the reason why,
09:17you know, 700 companies of CRPF have been kept by the Home Ministry.
09:21It was Amit Shah who himself, you know, saw that there would be 700 companies of CRPF.
09:27But despite the presence of CRPF, there seems to be some amount of violence that has now been unleashed.
09:34Yesterday, I spoke to West Bengal BJP President Shamik Bhattacharya,
09:38who said that the BJP really wants to curb down on post-poll violence.
09:42It is not something, a tradition that they want to continue.
09:45They want this to change.
09:47However, while leaders have made the correct noise,
09:51on ground, as far as grassroot-level workers are concerned,
09:55they are not always in control of the party leadership at the top.
09:59So, there is a concern, and therefore the onus on law enforcement agencies.
10:05Indujit Kundu, for joining me, thank you very much.
10:07Let's go straight, then, to my first newsmaker tonight.
10:12I know it's all that's happening in West Bengal.
10:15I am now joined by former union minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani,
10:19who was one of the BJP star campaigners in Bengal.
10:23One of the reasons she speaks very fluent Bengali.
10:25Appreciate your joining us, Smriti Irani.
10:27You've seen all the developments in the day.
10:29Mamata Banerjee is refusing to resign, saying this election was stolen.
10:33That's a claim that has been endorsed by Rahul Gandhi and other leaders of the opposition,
10:40including the Shiv Sena UBT.
10:42Your reactions to that, the charge that this election was stolen by the BJP
10:48in collaboration with the election commission?
10:53I think, to mar a constitutional democratic process, to insult the intelligence of the
11:01individual, to also not accept a very fair, popular, and abjectly evident public mood,
11:12has become the standard of opposition parties.
11:18There is a constitutionally mandated process with regards to transfer of power post an election
11:28verdict is announced.
11:29The fact that not only does the opposition show disrespect to the Indian voters' verdict,
11:36the Indian voters' bill, but also the constitutional procedures which ensure that a government
11:44elected elected by the people for the people and representing the mandate of the people.
11:50But the charge which is being made, Smriti Irani, is that the victory was not a genuine mandate of the
12:01people,
12:02but engineered through institutional capture.
12:05These are Mamata Banerjee's words, the words used by Rahul Gandhi.
12:09This is another example of vote chori.
12:11How can you capture 140 billion people?
12:15How can you capture 140 billion people?
12:19In the context of Bengal, Rahul Gandhi...
12:25140 crore population of this country, how can it be captured?
12:30How can 1.4 billion people be captured?
12:34How did then Trinamol, or for that matter Congress Party, or for that matter any other political
12:40organization that is a part of the opposition, managing to get any seats or any votes?
12:47They need to look inwards.
12:49They need to look at their own incapacities instead of blaming the voter of constitutional
12:54and institutional processes.
12:57I think also Mr. Sardesai, with all due respect, with all due respect sir, it does not behove
13:04senior editors also to give any kind of credence to this kind of political delusion that the
13:10opposition has so exhibited.
13:13You know the process was fair, you are in the studio, you are on the streets, you have
13:19seen how the voter has responded, and then to give credence to this political delusion
13:25of Monta Vandipa Diyad, is genuinely doing disservice to even the ethics of journalism.
13:31You are saying that ma'am, the fact is we are, this is our chief minister who is going
13:37to have to in any case step down because the assembly will end on the 7th question.
13:42No, no, one minute ma'am, Rahul, no, no, no, one minute, one minute ma'am, a former chief
13:47who is going to step down.
13:49My limited point to you is you have seen Rahul Gandhi's claims on vote chori.
13:53He has been making them for the last 12 months that there is vote chori going on in the country.
13:57You have seen the SIR exercise which is already being argued before the Supreme Court.
14:01Just a minute.
14:03Just a minute.
14:04The argument they are making is 27 lakh deletions in SIR should have been made more transparent.
14:10They say the EC is not a neutral umpire.
14:19Was it neutral in Kerala?
14:21Was it neutral in Tamil Nadu?
14:26How can you cherry pick?
14:30Secondly, I think that enough data scientists are available to showcase
14:35to say that SIR is the reason why BJP got a historical mandate is to deny the outrage of the
14:44people of Bengal,
14:45is to deny the cut money politics of the Trinamul, is to deny the sheer violence that the Trinamul gundas
14:53thrust upon the voters and the citizens of Bengal.
14:56It is to deny the corruption which has been also transmitted through various media houses and channels when cash was
15:05found in many Trinamul leaders' homes.
15:09You can't deny evidence that is before your eyes.
15:13What do you then believe, Smriti Rani?
15:34How is the EC fair and transparent in Kerala and in Tamil Nadu, but unfair in West Bengal?
15:45How is the EC fair and transparent in Kerala and in Tamil Nadu?
15:46How is the EC fair in Himachal Pradesh?
15:48How is the EC fair in Jharkhand?
15:52How is the EC fair when the opposition wins, but unfair when there is an absolute popular choice of BJP
16:01led by Narendra Modi by the voters?
16:03And it is this very delusion that they exhibit, they propagate, that they continue to lose political steam in the
16:10country.
16:12What do you then believe, since you were travelling through Bengal as one of the star campaigners, was responsible for
16:18the BJP's victory and the TMC's loss?
16:21A party going from 77 to over 200, another coming down to less than 100 from over 200.
16:29Haven't journalists and those who are on social media given enough evidence transpiring in West Bengal?
16:36BJP karekartas in hordes came out and said their wives, their women in their homes were stripped naked and made
16:44to stand in chorahas outside just because they were BJP workers.
16:49You've had reporter after reporter who's unbiased, who's showcased how women have been raped.
16:56Ratna Devanath is one of the biggest examples, the Sandesh Khali victim is the biggest example.
17:00What more does the state need to do to tell you how corrupt and how debauched is the Trinamul Congress?
17:08Smriti Rani ji, though in the last 24 hours since the BJP has won, there have been strange instances of
17:14violence reported of Trinamul Congress workers and offices being targeted.
17:18How do you respond, particularly as the Prime Minister has said, this is not a moment for badla but badlav?
17:24Is West Bengal going to actually come out of the cycle of violence or is BJP going to do what
17:29you accuse the Trinamul Congress of?
17:33Mr. Sardesai, the Prime Minister has said our politics is badlav ki politics, not badle ki politics.
17:41But when was the last time, Mr. Sardesai, you held Trinamul Gundas accountable in your show for raping women?
17:49When was the last time?
17:52We did a show, ma'am, ma'am, after the 2021 election, we did shows on the post-pol violence.
17:58When did you last hold? At least I have a Prime Minister leader who has appealed for peace.
18:05You tell me when was the last time you had us responsible in one of your debates?
18:14Why is the outrage missing in you, Mr. Sardesai?
18:17I have looked victims in the eye. I have looked victims in the eye.
18:23How is it that you never found them when you travel?
18:28At least I have a Prime Minister who is reaching out and appealing for peace.
18:32You tell me where did you hold Bhai Poh responsible when he threatened the Home Minister of India?
18:39Where is that man today?
18:43So you are saying, you are very clear that the BJP will end this political culture of violence.
18:49That's an assurance that you believe will be implemented on the ground.
18:53I am saying that Rajdeep Sardesai today, I am saying that Rajdeep Sardesai accepts that it is only the BJP
19:00that can ensure good governance and law and order enough to ensure no violence takes place.
19:05But Rajdeep Sardesai never had that expectation of Trinamul Congress.
19:13Rajdeep Sardesai is not out there.
19:16Rajdeep Sardesai is not out there.
19:18The politicians have to decide to end this cycle of violence.
19:23You as a senior journalist need to do a piece admonishing what has transpired today.
19:30Mahatabandapadhyay refuses to accept the people's verdict.
19:35Any mindfinalism will result in that.
19:38The people have spoken.
19:41Mahatabandapadhyay may want to eximically deluded state.
19:45But do not continue to insult the voter and the citizen.
19:50Okay.
19:50They made a deliberate, informed choice.
19:55Okay.
19:56I am going to leave it there, Smriti Rani.
19:58You have spoken as always strongly.
20:00Good to have you on the show.
20:01And as I said, it is my top story.
20:03So we cover the stories of the day every day.
20:06Thank you very much for joining me on the show tonight.
20:10Thank you, sir.
20:17Let's turn from there to the big story that's coming in from Tamil Nadu.
20:21Vijay, the star of the show of the Tamil Nadu election.
20:25The actor turned politician and his TVK is now planning a swearing-in ceremony on the 7th of May,
20:31according to sources to India today.
20:34Sources say Vijay likely to resign from his Trichy East seat.
20:37Remember, he's won both from Trichy and from Pherambur in Chennai.
20:42Sources are now saying Vijay could be eyeing Congress, left and VCK, all DMK partners as his allies to form
20:51the government,
20:51having fallen about 10 to 12 seats short of the halfway mark.
20:55Sources say the TN Congress, Tamil Nadu Congress in particular, is in favour of supporting TVK.
21:02Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal has said Vijay has requested Congress support and that the Tamil Nadu Congress will take
21:10a final call.
21:11Won't allow BJP to run TN government is what KC Venugopal says.
21:17Vijay has thanked everyone after that TVK victory.
21:21Many mocked and ridiculed us, he said.
21:23We stood firm in the electoral battlefield.
21:26I thank everyone for showering us with love.
21:29TVK has created history and I offer my lifelong gratitude.
21:33First, let's listen in to what KC Venugopal has just said.
21:37The President of TVK, Tidhi Vijay, has requested the INC for support to form a government in Tamil Nadu.
21:46INC is clear that the mandate in Tamil Nadu is for a secular government committed to protecting the constitution in
21:58letter and spirit.
22:00The INC is determined not to have the BJP and the proxies run the government of Tamil Nadu in any
22:09manner.
22:12TVK Vijay has spoken about drawing inspiration from Piram Talaivar Kamaraj also.
22:21Accordingly, the Congress leadership has directed the TNCC to take a final decision on Tidhi Vijay's request, keeping in view
22:31the sentiments of the state reflected in the electoral verdict.
22:37Okay, there you are hearing Congress saying that Vijay has sought their support.
22:42Big change taking place in Tamil Nadu.
22:45Will the Congress now ditch the DMK, their long-standing ally for over 15 years now or two decades now
22:53and go and tie up with Vijay?
22:55Joining us now, Akshita Nand Gopal and Pramod Madhav are joining me live from Chennai.
23:01Akshita, to you first.
23:03KC Venu Gopal has given us that big story where he claims that Vijay has asked for support.
23:09What are you picking up?
23:11Well, essentially, Vijay Rajdeep is looking at kind of cobbling up support from many parties, largely, and most of them
23:19DMK allies.
23:20So you've got the Congress, the VCK, the IU Mill and the left.
23:25The Congress will come on board with five seats.
23:27And remember, Vijay is at about 108 minus Trichy East because he'll in all likelihood resign from that.
23:33That's at 107.
23:34He needs 118 to cross the majority mark.
23:37So he needs about 11 seats, five from the Congress, and then you have the VCK and the left as
23:43well as the IU Mill.
23:45That will just about make him cross that finish line, the majority mark.
23:49So you will have the numbers in favour of Vijay.
23:51But we do understand, Rajdeep, that while these talks are going on, it's not stopping Vijay from going ahead with
23:57government formation.
23:58We're hearing that his priority is to go forward with the swearing-in ceremony and then figure out who comes
24:04on board.
24:04What are the numbers like? Because he does have a few days before having to actually prove his numbers on
24:09the floor of the house.
24:10So his priority number one very clearly is to be going ahead and having a big bash.
24:16We understand that it's going to be a massive vote-taking ceremony in a stadium in Chennai that could take
24:20place in two days from now.
24:23Ramon Madhav, you're the person who Vijay shared a fist bump with yesterday.
24:28I saw that picture a short while ago.
24:31What are you also picking up?
24:33Is it very clear that Vijay has only this option now?
24:36Or is this a plan A and there is a possible plan B that he takes the support of the
24:41AIDMK as a plan B?
24:44Because the AIDMK gives him greater security in terms of sheer numbers.
24:47Is his plan A to go ahead with the Congress party?
24:51Well, Rasip, one thing is very certain.
24:53What happened is that, in fact, you know, we were the first one to actually break about what Vijay was
24:59actually planning.
25:00So the first and foremost thing is that, like, while even Congress did not give the information about them going
25:04to support it,
25:05we very clearly said that Congress has decided to go ahead and support Vijay.
25:09But interestingly, what KC Venagopal has said is that, like, actually, he claims that the decision will be by the
25:15TNCC.
25:17Never Tamil Nadu Congress had taken any kind of such important decisions.
25:20But right now, Venagopal says that the decision will be taken by TNCC.
25:24In a way, kind of putting the blame on TNCC if they decide to go ahead with, you know…
25:29And will they get ministers? Because the TNCC has been very keen on power sharing in Tamil Nadu.
25:36Will they… Do they want ministers also in that government?
25:40Does the Congress want to get into a Vijay-led government?
25:43Rasip, the first and foremost thing about Vijay is that, like, when people…
25:47I mean, when parties did not come in support for alliance with TVK, Vijay Vettayan very clearly said that he
25:53is open for power sharing.
25:55And he said that in Tamil Nadu, it is time for power sharing. So, if he goes by his words,
25:59definitely Congress is going to get its ministers.
26:01And Congress has already decided that they are going to get two ministers as well.
26:04But the important aspect right now is that, DMK very clearly told us that Congress might jump the ship.
26:10But they are also firm that IUML, VCK, and the left parties will not do so.
26:15So, it is in the hands of these all four parties now what they are going to decide, Rasip.
26:20Or else Vijay will have to go with another Plan B or Plan C to go ahead and form the
26:24government now.
26:26Okay, we will wait and see. It could even be a minority government like 2006 with parties supporting him from
26:31the outside.
26:31All options open to Vijay. Thanks very much, Akshita and Pramodh.
26:36I am going straight across to another guest who is joining me at this moment.
26:46And joining me now is Congress leader, also head of their data cell and their All India Professionals Congress, Praveen
26:53Chakravarti,
26:54who reportedly has been involved in backroom talks with TVK and Vijay.
27:01I appreciate your joining us, Praveen. Can you tell us the very latest?
27:05You have been among those who right from the very start was advocating an alliance with Vijay even before the
27:11election for the Congress party.
27:13Is that going to happen? Is Vijay and the Congress going to come together in the next 48 hours as
27:19is being speculated?
27:22Thank you, Rajdeep. Now, no, I want to I want to correct. I'm not indulged in any backroom talks or
27:29anything.
27:29I was merely part of a call that Mr. Rahul Gandhi had had with Mr. Vijay congratulating him on his
27:39stellar performance after soon after the election.
27:42Now, as far as the Congress party is concerned, yes, as you rightly pointed out, even before the election, we
27:50thought of this as an opportunity for the Congress to revive itself in a large state like Tamil Nadu after
27:5850 years.
27:59And more so because Mr. Vijay's politics is ideology and political ideology is similar to that of the Congress, which
28:08is one of secular politics, secular and progressive politics.
28:11And Mr. Vijay has very categorically said from day one that his ideological enemy is the BJP, which is exactly
28:18the same as the Congress's position.
28:20Now, being ideological allies is different from being political allies, as you know. So now, what about what is going
28:27to happen now in terms of whether extending support?
28:30I think that's a decision, as you know, that in the Congress will be taken by the leadership.
28:34What's your view? What's your view? Do you believe that the Congress, which has won just four seats, should go
28:40in and ally with Vijay, who's won more than 100 seats?
28:44Are you willing to do that? Is that what you want? Power sharing after 50 years? Is that the real
28:48aim?
28:49No. First, the Congress has won five.
28:52Five, sorry. Five.
28:53Second, see, first, I think we must understand the verdict. I think the verdict, what was the verdict about? The
29:00verdict was about change. The verdict was very clearly for Mr. Vijay and the verdict was for secular politics.
29:10We must respect this verdict. We must respect this verdict. I think we cannot disrespect this verdict through some, you
29:16know, backdoor entry for, you know, like you term power share or any of such, any such thing.
29:22So we must first respect the verdict. With that, having said that, it is also important that respecting the verdict
29:30means that we ensure that Mr. Vijay is able to fulfill the mandate that the people of Tamil Nadu have
29:37given him.
29:38So, and I think…
29:40But you must also respect the verdict because you went into the elections with the DMK. Now you're going to
29:46ditch them simply because you sent an opportunity to taste power in Tamil Nadu. Nothing wrong with that.
29:54But that seems to be the real goal. Or is it to keep the BJP out at all costs? Because
29:58otherwise, Vijay could tie up with the AIDMK BJP.
30:02No, I think we could use, you know, provocative language like ditch and power share and all that. But that's
30:08not what it is. Politics is far more complex and nuanced.
30:11Like I said, as far as me personally, my position has been consistent from day one. My position before the
30:18election and after the election has been consistent. And why? That is because Mr. Vijay's ideology, political ideology matches that
30:28of the Congress.
30:29Now for various reasons. Now for various reasons. I mean, you cannot have it both ways. On one side, you
30:33said earlier, oh, for national reasons, we must have a certain, you know, alliance formation. And now you say, okay,
30:41it's okay to disrespect the mandate of the people of Tamil Nadu. But we must somewhat stick to what…
30:48I think that's inconsistent argument. What we have said is Mr. Vijay's ideology matches ours. Yes, for various reasons, we
30:56may have gone into the elections with a certain alliance formation. This is by no means, by no means, you
31:05know, contradiction to our ideological position.
31:09Is there any possibility of supporting him from the outside? The mandate is for Vijay. The mandate is not for
31:15the Congress. The mandate is not for any other party, but Vijay, at least as Tamil Nadu's number one player.
31:20If he becomes chief minister, could he be, would it be more advisable, in your view, to run a minority
31:25government rather than rely on small parties, including the Congress, possibly the VCK, the left? Should you, in your view,
31:33allow Vijay to run the government the way he wants it?
31:36No, no, I think on that, I see, I certainly agree with you that the mandate is for Mr. Vijay.
31:42I don't think there's any doubt about that. And that's why I started by saying we must respect the mandate.
31:46Now, whether this translates into running a minority government or whether it translates into running a coalition government, I think
31:56it is also clear that the people's verdict is for a coalition government in some sense, because that's why it's
32:02been slightly short of a majority.
32:04So, I think it is possible to reflect the trueness of the people's mandate through a political formation and a
32:12political alliance, should my leadership decide and wish to go that route.
32:18So, my final question, since you spoke about my leadership, is there any truth in this talk of a new
32:23chemistry between Vijay and Rahul Gandhi? Is that really true? Or is the Congress hyping that up, considering they've just
32:30had a couple of phone calls with each other?
32:34I mean, hype is par for the course in political media and narrative, isn't it? But, see, I think, I
32:42don't think it is a sudden relationship. If that's okay, and I'll put it that way.
32:49I mean, this goes back to even about a decade ago, when Mr. Vijay had some problems with his movie
32:54release, Mr. Rahul Gandhi came out in support. After the unfortunate incident in Karoor, Mr. Gandhi called him to express
33:02his condolences, his sympathy, and I know because I was part of that conversation.
33:06Then again, when his movie was not released, before, I mean, Mr. Gandhi expressed his sympathies, and now he called
33:13and congratulated him. So, he's no stranger to Mr. Gandhi. Now, I mean, if your question is, are they best
33:18buddies? I don't know. I don't think.
33:21Are you worried at the end that the BJP, if the Congress delays on a decision, the BJP will ensure
33:27that the AIDMK gives quick outside support to Vijay? Is that the fear? Keep the BJP out in Tamil Nadu?
33:33Is that what the Congress wants?
33:34I mean, honestly, this is all, in my view, I'm sorry to use this, but it's kind of Delhi media
33:40prison. I don't know if we've really, you know, subsumed the mandate of the people. What are the people of
33:49Tamil Nadu said?
33:51They said, Mr. Vijay did not have any money to give. Mr. Vijay did not. He had lots of restrictions
33:57put in. They came out overwhelmingly, overwhelmingly to vote for him.
34:02And so, you think the people of Tamil Nadu will just accept that the BJP's machinations that may have worked
34:09in other states. This is almost like a Gen Z revolution that we saw in Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
34:16I don't think we have quite understood the gravity and the profundity of this outcome. So, people of Tamil Nadu
34:24will not accept any sort of BJP's machinations.
34:27Okay. I'm going to leave it there, Praveen Chakraborty. We'll wait and see what happens in the next 48 hours
34:34where we expect a decision to be taken on the formation of a government likely to be held by the
34:40latest superstar of politics, Thalapati Vijay.
34:44Thank you very much for joining me.
34:45Okay, so all eyes are on Vijay. But the big question, where does this leave the Dravidian parties? Is it
34:55the end of the road for parties that have dominated the politics of Tamil Nadu for over six decades?
35:03DMK and AIDMK, do they need to reimagine their politics? Is Tamil sub-nationalism still attractive for Gen Z? Some
35:12of the questions I will raise in my face-off now.
35:14Selam Dhardi Dharan, spokesperson of the DMK, is joining me.
35:19And Kovai Satyan, spokesperson AIDMK, joins me at the moment.
35:24First to you, Mr. Dhardi Dharan, because you're right here in the studio.
35:28And I want to ask you this question straight off.
35:30Do you accept the rise of Vijay has exposed the limitations of these two major Dravidian formations?
35:36You took the voters for granted. Along comes Vijay and takes over Tamil Nadu.
35:41See, it is a Dravidian movement, more than hundred years long, that gave aspiration to the people.
35:47That is to question the authority. And today Tamil Nadu has 90% internet penetration.
35:52And which is why this vote is actually for anti-establishment.
35:56And Vijay has proved that using social media, using Instagram, he can form a government.
36:02But you are the establishment. The Dravidian parties were the establishment from 1967 to 2026.
36:11You have dominated the politics. You are the establishment.
36:14Along comes Vijay and Topols and you're saying Dravidian movement.
36:17There will be those who will say the Dravidian movement became a family movement when it came to the DMK.
36:22No, it is not that. The people, because we gave a lot of aspiration, they wanted more.
36:26We did our best. Now they have given Vijay a chance.
36:29They did give us three victories in the last seven years.
36:33Of course, if Vijay doesn't deliver, they will come back to us.
36:37If it took only one year for them to give Vijay such a massive mandate,
36:41it will take less than that for the people to strip him of that mandate.
36:46But now that he has formed the government, let's question what he was able to deliver the mandate.
36:50But one thing I want to tell, winning an election is completely different from governance.
36:54You can, because he has that charisma, he has been that angry young man in the movies.
36:58People have given him the mandate.
36:59Mostly I would also say youth unemployment across the world because of new transformations in the world.
37:06That could be one of the reasons.
37:07But if he is not able to deliver on those promises, it will come back to Dravidian parties.
37:12You know, you are saying that this is a reflection of youth anger.
37:17I heard Praveen Chakravarti saying this is India's Gen Z movement.
37:21Does that suggest that parties like yours are out of touch with Gen Z?
37:25Gen Z wants something new, something different.
37:27They don't want to see the same faces.
37:29They don't want to see M.K. Stalin being replaced by Uday Nidhi Stalin.
37:34They want to see someone who represents fresh energy and ideas.
37:37Do you concede that you need to reimagine the way you do your politics?
37:42See, as you said, I think it is not against the Dravidian movement as such.
37:46I am saying against all the parties and all the formations in the country.
37:49We had recently the movement in Nepal and we know who the head of the government there is.
37:53We saw En March in France and we similarly saw even Trump, how he transformed the Republic Party
37:59and then came to power or in Ukraine.
38:01So, this is a movement or rather that's angry movement against the establishment.
38:06There is nothing to do with the ideology of the DMK.
38:09They will hate it or like it.
38:10It was different for them.
38:12That's all.
38:12That's about it.
38:12That's where I will put it.
38:13But the question here is about will he be able to deliver.
38:16That's where I leave it.
38:17There is time.
38:18There is more time to scrutiny.
38:19Then we will speak about it later.
38:20No, no.
38:20So, you are saying that you are hoping that Vijay comes to power and finds that winning
38:25an election is very different to governance and then you are hoping to fill up the space,
38:30the vacuum that you are saying that will be created.
38:34But you are living on hope at the moment.
38:36The truth is you are living on hope.
38:38You are hoping that Vijay fails and then you come back to occupy the space.
38:45That's not introspection.
38:47No, no.
38:47That's living on hope.
38:48You are not introspecting at all.
38:49You are not accepting that something may have gone wrong with the structure of the Dravidian parties.
38:54I am not saying that.
38:54I am also saying that DMK.
38:55Serious charges of corruption, allegations of nepotism.
38:58These are the charges against your government which Vijay has capitalized on.
39:02There was a perception of corruption and law and a perception.
39:05I am underlying the word perception.
39:07Your ministers went to jail.
39:09That's not perception only.
39:11As Senthil Balaji goes to jail, you say it's perception.
39:13In 91, DMK got only two MLAs.
39:16We didn't come to power from 1977 to 1989.
39:21For example, from 1979 to 1996, we are only in power for two years.
39:25But we came back stronger.
39:27We won three elections in a row.
39:28We will reinvent ourselves.
39:30We will go to the drawing board and see what we have to do to connect with the Zenzis.
39:36And we will connect with them.
39:37I am not saying we are believing on hope.
39:39It delivers, does not deliver, does not matter.
39:41But we will convince them that we can deliver much better in a new way.
39:49What is it that you believe that will make the likes of say an MK Stalin, someone who has come
39:54through the system to his credit, deputy mayor, mayor, how does he make himself more attractive?
40:00The interesting aspect is Tamil Nadu had a high growth rate.
40:03You had the highest growth rate last year in the country, 11%.
40:05Despite that, the people seem to have preferred an actor, politician making his debut over an established party like yours.
40:14What do you need to do in your view to make yourself more attractive to this newer, younger generation?
40:21How do you make yourself attractive to a newer, younger generation in your view?
40:25Firstly, this mandate is not just for the last five, in my opinion, not for the five years of the
40:29government.
40:29But the preceding 10 years of ADMK and I will go even further than the previous five years.
40:33They wanted younger people to be in politics.
40:36Nobody's to become MLAs.
40:37If you look at TVK, the biggest difference or maybe in some areas it was ridicule.
40:41But the biggest scoring point in social media was Vijay's driver's son being given an MLA ticket.
40:46So the politics of money, politics of caste, politics of grassroot are over.
40:52That is what Vijay has proved.
40:53For example…
40:54Say that again, politics of…
40:55Money.
40:56Yes.
40:57Politics of caste, politics of grassroot.
40:59I will give you one…
41:00You are accepting that the politics of money and corruption have been defeated.
41:04Politics of money and caste have been defeated.
41:06Politics of money, caste and grassroot.
41:09For example, I will give you an anecdote in Yadapadi constituency where Yadapadi, Palani
41:13Swami had brought off, bought the TVK MLA.
41:18So there was no TVK there.
41:19Vijay goes on record, 30 second message.
41:22What is the 30 second message?
41:24If ADMK has brought our MLA, vote for this independent candidate.
41:27Only one 30 second message, that guy gets 50,000 votes.
41:30He is number two there.
41:32So that is because he has that credibility.
41:36But the credibility depends on how he delivers.
41:38But the credibility comes from the angry young man in the movies.
41:40So they want an angry young man to transform the system.
41:43So that shows…
41:44They want the angry young man to transform the system, Selam Dhani Dharan.
41:48Because there is a belief that the system has failed them.
41:50That the system has enriched a few at the cost of many.
41:53There is an acceptance of that.
41:55The Dravida movement spoke of social justice.
41:57It spoke of ensuring in a way of empowering people right across the spectrum.
42:04And there is a belief that rather than doing that, it only ended up eventually enriching a few at the
42:10cost of many.
42:11Just look at the wealth accumulated by DMK and AIDMK politicians over the years.
42:16No, I think it is a success of the Dravidian movement that party like Vijay can come.
42:20Because we taught them to aspire.
42:22Why can't such a movement happen in Madhya Pradesh or let's say in Bihar or in many other BJP rule
42:28states for the last 25 years per capita GDP?
42:30Less than five times in Tamil Nadu because of aspiration that we have created.
42:34To question the status quo.
42:36I am seeing this in itself as a success of the Dravidian movement.
42:39For them to question the status quo.
42:40But the same aspirational society will test him.
42:44Right?
42:44Will test.
42:46Will test him.
42:47Okay, we will wait and see.
42:48Whether they can test him or not is something that will be decided upon of course in the future.
42:54We don't know what the future holds.
42:56No one knows what the future holds in Indian politics.
42:59Who would have thought even six months ago that an actor turned politician,
43:04making his political debut would create such a blockbuster verdict as Vijay has done in Tamil Nadu.
43:12He's shaken up a system which over 60 years, as I said, has stood firm.
43:17Take a look at how Dravidian politics has dominated Tamil Nadu and suddenly found itself on the back foot.
43:25Take a look.
43:41History written in Tamil Nadu.
43:45The rise of Talapati Vijay also marks the fall of the Dravidian heavyweights.
43:54For 54 years, the DMK and the ADMK have ruled the state by terms, relegating national parties to the sidelines.
44:04The Dravidian hegemony started in 1972 when M.G. Ramachandran broke away from the DMK to form his own party,
44:12the ADMK.
44:15That long period that saw Karnanadi, MGR, Jalalitha and Stalin reign over Tamil Nadu has ended with the fall of
44:22the DMK,
44:23which was comprehensively voted out on Monday.
44:43The ADMK has also come out badly bruised, coming third in the election.
44:51Incidentally, Vijay's Tamil Nadu, the party replacing the Dravidian outfits may have a similar ideology,
44:58as espoused by the star-turned-actor during the election campaign.
45:23Talapati may have won the election, but does it mean the end of Dravidian politics on Tamil Nadu?
45:29And is this the end of the road for the Dravidian duo as well?
45:33Bureau Report, India Today.
45:39We'll wait and see how Dravidian politics now tries to find Dravidian model 2.0 that Stalin wanted.
45:48He may now have to discover M.K. Stalin, Dravidian model 3.0.
45:53Let's turn to tonight's ground report, which comes from Tehran,
45:56the capital of Iran, where Iranians have been caught literally ordinary citizens in the crossfire in that war.
46:05Are the Iranians, though, in support of the present regime?
46:09Is there a fear that U.S. strikes could resume?
46:12India Today's Foreign Affairs editor, Geeta Mohan, brings you the pulse of Tehran from the Iranian capital.
46:19Take a look at this report.
46:22Hania is from the Red Crescent.
46:25She's joining me here.
46:26You have a little setup of the Red Crescent.
46:29Hania is from the Red Crescent.
46:30Yes.
46:30Because we are here for our country, for our rights, for our killed child in Mina's school,
46:40for everything that is ours, for Persian Gulf, or Khalid Fars, or Hormuz, or everything that begins with H, like
46:53Hezbollah, like Hormuz, like everything is ours, not for Americans.
46:59President Trump of the U.S. says he is fighting for your rights.
47:03What do you have to say?
47:04No, we, just we can fight for our rights, not him.
47:10Look at the nation of America.
47:13Mr. President Trump, we have a question, okay?
47:16We have a question from you.
47:18What about your nation's rights, for Americans' rights?
47:23Are you thinking about the price of oil, are you thinking about the price of gas, are you thinking about
47:31the price of gasoline for your people?
47:34Just think about it for your people.
47:37This flag is a sign of patriotism, and you're seeing it flutter across Tehran, across Ingalaf Square.
47:47You're seeing a lot of people over here, who come, not just from Tehran, there are many who have come
47:53from various other parts of Tehran.
47:55We met a woman who's been here for 60 days.
47:59She hasn't left this place, barring going every three days to change, and then come back.
48:04So, I told you, there are women, there are men, and there are children, who come here every night.
48:10Sarah is over here.
48:11Sarah, you come here.
48:13Why?
48:13Because I know that we all have to stand up for our country, our people, and we shouldn't let the
48:21Americans come and invade our country.
48:25That's why we are coming near 60 nights.
48:3360 nights.
48:34Okay.
48:35And we are defending our country.
48:38What's the message over here?
48:39We see solidarity by people, for the government, against what the U.S. does, against what Israel is doing.
48:48What's your message?
48:50Our message has always been clear.
48:52We want to send a message that our struggles are interconnected.
48:55What Palestinians have been suffering for decades is not separate from the sufferings of people in Iraq, in Lebanon, in
49:05Iran, anywhere in the world.
49:07None of us, like, should be going through this alone, because what we're fighting is imperialism, is Zionism, is colonialism.
49:16It's all the same.
49:18It's all the same.
49:26We will do whatever our supreme leader, Mushtaba says.
49:31That's the chant over here.
49:33That is the resounding sound of people here in the Engelab Square.
49:40It is very clear that they have accepted Mushtaba Khamenei as their new supreme leader, and they're waiting for him,
49:48and every word that he says is very important to them, and they follow it to the T.
49:54There was instructions for people to come out every night, gather, and show solidarity, and you're seeing over here exactly
50:05that.
50:05People have gathered to show and express solidarity with the government.
50:12This is the voice of the people of Iran.
50:15This is the voice of Engelab Square.
50:18This is revolution again, where they're saying, they're going to stand against America, they're going to stand against any attack
50:25from Israel, and I've spoken to a lot of people over here, doesn't seem like they're afraid of anything, not
50:34even death.
50:43Iran is one of those rare countries that has stood with the cause of Palestine for all times to come.
50:50When the Sunni world, the Sunni Arab world is questioning some countries, even aligning themselves with Israel, here is Iran,
50:59where one of the most prominent squares is called the Palestine Square.
51:03There is, in fact, an entire sculpture, if you see, right behind me, depicting the map of Palestine and the
51:12cause of Palestine.
51:14A lot of people over here, when they talk about freedom, when they talk about fighting America, they're not only
51:21just talking about Iran, they also always talk about Palestine.
51:26We had a lot of youngsters yesterday when we were talking to them in Engelab Square, where there's an entire
51:34area just dedicated to the cause of Palestine.
51:37So the war over here and the history, if we take you back, is not just about the animosity or
51:45hostility between America and Iran.
51:48It is also deep-seated and deep-rooted when it comes to Israel, Israel's actions against Palestine and Iran.
51:56With the journalist Satya Rautre in Tehran, Gita Mohan, for India Today Global.
52:04Ground reports from Tehran and we'll get you more in the days ahead.
52:08That's about all that we could pack in on the show tonight.
52:10Thanks very much for watching.
52:12Stay well, stay safe. Good night, Shubratri.
52:15Jai Hind. Namaskar.
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