00:00It's a village just 25 kilometers away from Jamshedpur, which is struggling for basic water.
00:06In Bota, tribal families still depend on stream water, one pot per household.
00:1115 years now, no relief, despite repeated pleas.
00:16Tonight's Get Real India story from Anoop Sina.
00:29Bota village, just 25 kilometers from Jamshedpur in Jharkhand.
00:34Home to tribal communities, completely forgotten by the state.
00:40For the last 15 years, the villagers here have had no choice but to drink water from a nearby stream.
01:01They dig small pits called Chua alongside the stream, filter the water through small vessels and carry it home in
01:10pots or handis.
01:11One handi per household.
01:14This is all they get.
01:37Villagers claim their pleas were ignored every single time.
01:59In a state where tribal welfare is a political rallying cry every election season,
02:05Bota stands as a damning indictment of the gap between promise and delivery.
02:11With Anupam Sina, Bureau Report, India Today.
02:17From there, let's turn to a happier story.
02:19Our good news today's story.
02:21We meet Vijaypal Baghel.
02:23He's earned himself the nickname Green Man after two decades of environment activism
02:27that saw him planting thousands of trees across the country.
02:31Take a look.
02:39Vijaypal Baghel is literally the green man he is known as.
02:43He wears his activism on his sleeve.
02:46From his shoes to his clothes, everything is green.
02:49His purpose of life for the last two decades has been saving the environment.
02:55Baghel started his campaign 25 years ago in Ghaziabad.
03:11Baghel says he has saved hundreds of thousands of trees from being felt
03:15and spare-headed large-scale tree plantation tribes across the nation.
03:20He established a city forest covering 156 acres in Ghaziabad.
03:48Bota stands at the same time.
03:54It was a childhood conversation with his grandfather that later inspired him to become an environment activist.
04:26Bagel's resolve to save trees has transformed into a movement, with many citizens joining hands with him.
04:34With Manish Chorasiya, Bureau Report, India Today.
04:44Okay, let's return from there to our top story.
04:47We promised we'd get Harish Salve also on that big question.
04:50What should the Tamil Nadu governor be doing?
04:54Appreciate your joining us, Mr. Salve.
04:56What's your view?
04:57Do you believe that the Tamil Nadu governor should wait for letters of support before inviting Vijay to become chief
05:04minister or swear him in?
05:06Or should he go by the fact that he's the single largest party?
05:11Rajdeep, since you're an old friend, I can tease you.
05:17If you ask the wrong question, you get to the wrong answer.
05:21The question which I'm asking myself is that if the governor has asked for letters of support before giving him
05:32a break or giving him a chance to form the government,
05:35has he acted unconstitutionally?
05:37The answer is no.
05:39What the governor should do is in his wisdom.
05:43Should the governor have straightaway allowed him to form a government?
05:48Maybe, maybe not.
05:49Should the governor, what the governor can't do, I can tell you clearly.
05:55The governor has rightly not invited the AIDMK or the DMK to form the government, rightly.
06:02The governor has not, hopefully, because I don't know what he has asked Mr. Vijay to do,
06:09the governor cannot conduct a floor test on the floor of the Raghavan.
06:14A floor test can only be on the floor of the assembly.
06:17Now, between these two, the governor has to satisfy himself that there is a reasonable prospect
06:22of the government which is being sworn in to enjoy the confidence of the house.
06:29How a governor satisfies himself, unless he's acting in an extraordinary fashion, has to be left to the governor.
06:37So, if the governor says, I would rather see, I would want to see something more than just bold assertions.
06:42I'm not happy with the fact that your first supporter actually fought the election against you
06:48and as an ally of another party, maybe they can support you.
06:51I want something in writing.
06:53Some other groups are saying they will support you.
06:55Get something in writing.
06:57I don't know.
06:57I wish I was a flower on the wall.
06:59I wish you were a flower on the wall.
07:01Sir, but the reason I'm asking you, governors have taken different stands in different situations.
07:06In Karnataka, Mr. Yedirappa was allowed to form a government without having to show the numbers.
07:11There have been other cases where governors or presidents have asked for letters of support to Mr. Vajpayee.
07:16Are you saying there is no standard principle?
07:19Because now what you could do, you could keep it pending and tomorrow give enough time to the DMK and
07:24AIDMK to cobble together a government?
07:28See, this is where we, as a student of constitutional law, this is where we say your action, if it
07:36is bona fide, can be one of many choices.
07:39What Mr. Vajpayee was asked to do was a valid exercise of constitutional power.
07:44Bring me letters.
07:46Maybe in the circumstances, Yedirappa being invited to form the government was a valid exercise of power.
07:52Both are valid.
07:53But if you are deliberately delaying so that some other group can cobble together and defeat the single largest party,
08:07your action will be judged as being malafide.
08:11That is not in accordance with the constitution principle.
08:14Sir, you are making an important point.
08:16If the governor gives enough time to the DMK, AIDMK to cobble together a majority and prevents Vijay as the
08:23single largest party from showing those letters of support, you believe that is malafide.
08:28Am I correct?
08:28It could be argued strongly that the conduct is not consistent.
08:35See, what is the definition of malafide in the context of constitutional law?
08:40You're exercising a power not for the purpose for which it was given.
08:45So the purpose of this power of the governor is bona fide, satisfy yourself.
08:50Today we have one fact which is not deniable.
08:56In a remarkable show of political popularity, it's an amazing thing which happens.
09:02I love Indian democracy for this.
09:04The way the people have shown the mandate, unfortunately, this debutant was not able to cross the middle, the midpoint.
09:13I wish he had.
09:14We wouldn't have had this conversation today.
09:16It would have been such a wonderful thing.
09:18No, sir, we are having this conversation with due regard because Lok Bhavans or Raj Bhavans are increasingly seen to
09:24be politically partisan.
09:25That's the problem.
09:26That there should be some kind of uniformity in the rules that they make.
09:32You can't have different rules for Karnataka and different rules for Tamil Nadu.
09:35See, there is something called constitutional discretion.
09:38I completely agree with you.
09:43Your point resonates that the way governors have conducted themselves.
09:48I'm not talking of his excellency, the governor of Tamil Nadu, the way the office of the governor has been.
09:53We've had expert constitutional committee reports which have examined the role of the governor in the states.
09:59We've had union government dismissing governments for purposes which the Supreme Court has found to be illegal or rather unconstitutional.
10:10So, we have had all our institutions being challenged.
10:15If you are having a debate, and it's a debate for another day, on various areas where the governors should
10:21improve and governors should bring greater rectitude in their conduct, I agree with you.
10:27But do we today say we will not trust the institution of governors, the constitution being what it is, in
10:37exercise of discretion, the moment the governor says something which may militate against what you or I think he should
10:43be doing?
10:45Okay.
10:45I get your point.
10:46You're saying there's substantial discretion that the governor has, but his action should not and not be seen to be
10:54malefide at any cost.
10:56I appreciate, I appreciate Harish Salve, you joining me on the show tonight.
11:01Thank you very much.
11:02I'm going to leave it there.
11:03That was the news today.
11:05Thanks for watching.
11:06The news without the noise.
11:08Up next, Maria Shakir.
11:10Up next, Maria Shakir.
11:11Up next, Maria Shakir.
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