- 15 hours ago
The big focus of this episode of Super 6 is on Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay skipping the swearing-in ceremony of Kerala chief minister-designate VD Satheesan on Monday and TVK expanding its base into Kerala following success in Tamil Nadu.
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00:03Horrifying footage on your screens that came in from an elephant camp in Karnataka's Kodogu.
00:08Very popular among tourists as a bathing site for domesticated elephants.
00:13Guess what happened? Two elephants suddenly started fighting it out.
00:16And what you see in their midst is a woman who was crushed by one of the elephants falling upon
00:22her.
00:23This 33-year-old tourist hailing from Tamil Nadu passed away after she was trampled to death.
00:30Her family tried hard to pull her out.
00:32But with those two elephants going at each other, fighting it out in the waters, it was simply impossible to
00:39rescue her.
00:39Once again proving to us that when it comes to wildlife, you simply cannot take anything for granted.
00:57Horrifying footage that. Good evening.
00:59Hello and welcome. You're watching Super 6 here on India Today.
01:02I'm Akshita Anand Gopalo.
01:04The next one hour, we'll be getting you all the big stories coming in from southern India.
01:09So what do we have lined up for you on the show today?
01:12First, of course, the big headline that came in from Kerala.
01:16You had V.D. Satishan taking oath as the chief minister.
01:19A big show of strength by the Congress, but guess who's missing?
01:22Chief Minister Vijay. An invite had gone out to him, but he chose not to be there.
01:27We're going to decode for you why.
01:28It's very interesting also to note how the TVK at exactly the same time seems to be expanding its footprint.
01:34That's our top focus here on Super 6.
01:36But also coming up on the show at 6.30 this evening, all the weekend, a very interesting headline emerged
01:42from Andhra Pradesh.
01:43Of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu announcing that if a couple have a third child, they'll get 30,000 rupees from
01:49the government.
01:50If they have a fourth child, 40,000 rupees.
01:52Is this the need of the hour considering falling fertility rates?
01:56Or is this a measure that could go against so many women in rural parts of Andhra Pradesh?
02:03We're going to be talking about that at 6.30 this evening.
02:06So lots lined up for you.
02:07Let's begin first with the headlines.
02:14Nation fumes demands justice for Thwisha Hunt on to nab missing husband.
02:20Madhya Pradesh police announced a reward of 10,000 rupees.
02:23Thwisha's parents allege belt used to hang wasn't handed over to the doctors who conducted the post-mortem.
02:33And that's not the only incident.
02:35Another death due to dowry harassment.
02:3724-year-old Deepika jumps off a roof of a greater Noida apartment.
02:43Kin alleged Deepika was harassed, physically assaulted for dowry.
02:47Cops arrest accused husband and father-in-law.
02:53VD Satishan takes oath as Keralam chief minister in Tiruvannantapuram.
02:5720 other MLA's also sworn in as cabinet ministers.
03:00Congress bigwigs attend oath event.
03:02Rahul Priyanka share stage with VDS.
03:05Karge, Sidra Maya, Dekesh Shrifkumar, Revant Reddy also attend.
03:13Let's get you the latest on NEAT.
03:15CBI gets custody of another accused.
03:18Shivraj, video of leaked paper found in his phone.
03:21CBI claims some national testing agency officials had links with the accused.
03:26Parliamentary panel on education summons NTA chiefs.
03:34India Today accesses first image of India's bullet train,
03:37scheduled to run between Ahmedabad and Mumbai.
03:39The project is scheduled for launch on August 15th, 2027.
03:49And Prime Minister Modi holds bilateral talks with Norway Prime Minister.
03:54Trade, tech and fight against terror discussed in MEAT.
03:58Prime Minister Modi once again bats for peace in West Asia
04:01during his meet with the Norwegian Prime Minister.
04:26Let's begin with breaking inputs that's coming in on Prime Minister Modi's visit to Norway.
04:30He's in Oslo currently after a warm welcome from the Indian diaspora,
04:34also met with the Norwegian Prime Minister.
04:37But let's get you the latest update of Norway conferring its highest honour,
04:42the Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit on Prime Minister Modi.
04:47So another honour for the Prime Minister during this Five Nation tour.
04:51Similarly, Sweden too had honoured and bestowed an honour upon him.
04:55Now in Oslo, Norway has conferred its highest honour.
04:58It's called the Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit.
05:03That is the moment that that particular Grand Cross was handed over to Prime Minister Modi.
05:09What's the significance of this?
05:10It's the highest grade of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit.
05:14And so what this means, since we've seen what happened in Sweden 24 hours ago,
05:18and now in Oslo, this is the 32nd such global honour for Prime Minister Modi.
05:25We've seen a string of such honours from different countries being bestowed upon the Prime Minister.
05:30Yesterday, Prime Minister Modi received Sweden's prestigious award,
05:33the Royal Order of Polar Star.
05:35And now, right after that, in Norway too, he's been bestowed with this honour.
05:41And so we're getting you these images of the moment when he received that Grand Cross.
05:50Those are the images on your screens.
05:52They're from Oslo in Norway, where you've got the Prime Minister receiving that order from dignitaries.
05:58This is Norway's highest honour.
06:01It's called the Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit.
06:04And this has been bestowed on Prime Minister Modi.
06:07Like I said, he's got a whole string of these, 32 of them.
06:11This is the 32nd such honour that's been bestowed on Prime Minister Modi.
06:15And just about 24 hours ago, you had Sweden also conferring its highest honour on Prime Minister Modi.
06:22So this visit, this five-nation tour that the Prime Minister has embarked on,
06:26already seeing so many highs, so many headlines of personal friendships as well, even in Norway.
06:43Let's quickly get you an update also that's coming in, in the Thwisha death case,
06:48an alleged dowry harassment case, where the husband has been missing and absconding for the last many days.
06:55His anticipatory bail plea has been rejected by court.
06:58It's a huge, huge setback for the accused here.
07:01The accused husband, Samarth Singh, has been missing, absconding.
07:04The cops have been looking out for him.
07:06Remember that he comes from a very influential family of a former judge.
07:11And now all attempts to seek any protection from the law have been dismissed.
07:15His anticipatory bail plea has been rejected.
07:18So it could only be a matter of time before he surrenders, before the cops, the cops so far, have
07:23been unable to find him.
07:25So one step closer to justice for Thwisha, as the family members have maintained that she took her own life
07:32as a result of dowry harassment.
07:35That is the allegation that they have levelled in this particular case,
07:39which is why the husband's role here has been questioned repeatedly.
07:42And considering that he's not cooperated with the investigation, choosing to remain MIA, absconding through the last few days since
07:50the case has come to light,
07:52it really tells you why there's a need for the cops to crack down and take him into custody.
07:57He is a lawyer himself.
07:58Like I said, a very influential family involved here.
08:02He is a lawyer himself and therefore had immediately pushed the court for bail.
08:07Anticipatory bail is what he was seeking, fearing he would be taken into custody.
08:11That request, that petition has been shot down.
08:14Not surprising, considering that this is now a dowry harassment case that the cops are investigating.
08:20So in such cases, usually it is the norm not to grant anticipatory bail and to ensure that the family
08:29in all the in-laws cooperate with the investigation, which they haven't done so far.
08:35Ravish Pal is joining us with more details on this.
08:38Ravish, a big setback for the family, therefore the in-laws.
08:42And one step closer perhaps to justice for Thwisha.
08:45Are we expecting the husband Samar Singh now to go ahead and surrender?
08:51He will be provide you as well.
08:56But in this case, the Life of Thwisha should be found with several agents before four days.
09:05After two days after him, even someone has been sent in custody for his son's wife.
09:10This was an anticipated bail, because the accused is now abconding,
09:17not in the arrest of the police.
09:19And the other teams of the police detained him,
09:23at this time he was doing the arrest of the police.
09:25But after that, he was in the arrest of the police.
09:28He was in the arrest of the police.
09:32And the judge, Pallavi Divedi,
09:36because two days ago, Trisha's mother-in-law, Giribala Singh,
09:41and today, the children of Samar Singh have been sent to the bail.
10:06I'm talking about Keralam, where Vijay was supposed to attend VD Satishan's swearing-in ceremony.
10:12He kept everyone guessing till the very end, until finally it was confirmed a talapati no-show in Keralam.
10:18But why, you ask? He had commitments, yes. There was a concern over crowd control, yes.
10:24But we simply cannot ignore the fact that in the last 48 hours, Keralam has seen a lot of TVK
10:30activity.
10:31What am I talking about? In Palakad, in Wayanad, in Trishur, Vijay fan associations have been expanding their base,
10:39focusing on bringing in more people, becoming more active, and they're all donning the TVK colours.
10:45This, mind you, is exactly how Vijay started off his political dream in Tamil Nadu too.
10:51So is Vijay harbouring a Keralam dream next?
10:55Is 2031 going to see a UDF versus LDF versus TVK or KVK? I don't know.
11:02That kind of a battle.
11:04All we can say is, on the day, Keralam has gotten a new government and a new chief minister.
11:09Another political journey seems to be slowly taking root in the state.
11:24This isn't Tamil Nadu. It's neighbouring Keralam.
11:40Vijay's superstardom in the last few decades hasn't been reserved to Tamil Nadu alone.
11:45He's huge in Keralam too.
11:58And so, after Tamil Nadu, is it mission Keralam for Vijay?
12:06Vijay's absence at the Congress' show of strength in Keralam has set off tongues wagging.
12:12And while the reasons cited by the CMO highlighted security challenges due to a crowd swell if Vijay attends,
12:19we can't help but ask, is there more here than what meets the eye?
12:24Vijay's decision to skip the event comes barely 24 hours after a massive expansion drive by his party in parts
12:31of Keralam.
12:32The Vijay Fan Association is on an overdrive in Pallakar.
12:41And then in Vyanat and Trishul.
12:46Vyanat and Trishul is on an overdrive in Pallakar.
13:17This, mind you, is exactly how Vijay set up his base in Tamil Nadu first and seems to be now
13:23engaging the same strategy.
13:26Vijay starts off on a strong footing.
13:28Even in his rallies in Tamil Nadu, fans visited from Keralam just to watch a glimpse of their favourite superstar.
14:00Vijay seems to have set his eyes on Keralam next.
14:04And the TVK is counting on the next five years to pull off a Tamil Nadu stunner in Keralam.
14:12Bureau Report, India Today.
14:34In the next election, Tamil Nadu was the focus.
14:35Maybe next could be Keralam.
14:382031 is what I'm talking about.
14:39But what were the similarities that I was referring to?
14:42Why is Vijay eyeing Keralam?
14:45He has a cult fan base in the state.
14:48Huge, huge star there too.
14:50His superstardom wasn't limited to Tamil Nadu.
14:52It was very much in Keralam as well.
14:54So, he will look to exploit that as he has in Tamil Nadu.
14:57But besides that, there are several similarities as well.
15:01What we're already seeing is that there is a fan association that's available for Vijay to exploit.
15:07And therefore, expand that into a TVK base, which is what's happening.
15:11Which is what's happened in Palakad, in Vyanad, in Trishur as well.
15:15He can also go ahead and build on the momentum, the victory in Tamil Nadu.
15:21Kind of show his performance as the chief minister, as an example to the people of Keralam.
15:27For which, of course, he needs to ensure he delivers a good report card.
15:30Has five years now to strengthen his support base.
15:33So, he doesn't need to immediately ensure action like in Tamil Nadu where he had two years.
15:37He has five years here to slowly ramp things up in Keralam.
15:41Aims to also build carder before the next election.
15:45And that will mean expanding how going ahead and reaching out to people,
15:49having those fan associations convert into party units, boot level workers, etc.
15:54Like he did in Tamil Nadu.
15:57As we get you a sense really of the similarities, like I said, there's also that vacuum.
16:02If it was the DMK and AIA-DMK that dominated the political scenario in Tamil Nadu,
16:07in Keralam is the UDF and the LDF.
16:10So, that similarity also is something that Vijay will be looking at.
16:14Let me bring in our reporters.
16:15Pramod Madu is joining me live from Chennai.
16:18We've got Shibimol joining us from Tirvanantapuram.
16:21There's a whole lot of buzz.
16:23And Pramod, I'll begin with you.
16:24It can't be a coincidence, can it, that you've got in 48 hours the TVK working overtime in Keralam
16:30to kind of expand their base.
16:31And at the same time, Chief Minister Vijay is saying he's not going to attend that particular event.
16:37Of course, several official reasons have been cited, which very much holds.
16:41But is there also a reasoning here that Vijay simply didn't want to be on that stage
16:46because he could be eyeing Keralam next?
16:50Well, Akshita, there are like multiple undercurrents over there.
16:53And I'm pretty sure TVK is not going to be happy with the way we are bringing this narrative
16:56because, yes, there are quite a lot of possibilities.
16:59Because understand that the same way which CM Vijay is as famous in the state of Tamil Nadu,
17:03he's as that equally famous in Kerala, as well.
17:05There are absolutely mad fans over there, crazy about him.
17:08And, yes, just like you mentioned, the kind of like initiative to go ahead
17:12and convert their fan base into a party carership also has started over there.
17:17But the state of Tamil Nadu and the state of Kerala both have different dynamics,
17:20both have different geography, politics, and a lot of things as well.
17:23However, CM Vijay was able to turn to be a winner in the state of Tamil Nadu against her.
17:28Like, even though he carries the Dravidian politics itself,
17:30he turned out to be a winner against two major Dravidian parties over here.
17:34But in the state of Kerala, he's much, much closer to UDF over there
17:37because Congress wants to be very close to Vijay.
17:40I reiterate, Congress wants to be very close to Vijay.
17:42And that also is reflecting over there.
17:44But the reasons that was given to us for Vijay not participating in this event
17:48is that the open reason was administrative issues over here,
17:51the political issues that he needs to take care of in the state of Tamil Nadu.
17:54And the third one is about the security.
17:55That could have turned out to be a huge havoc or nightmare over there
17:58had Vijay gone over there.
18:00So those things were the direct kind of like, you know, reasons that were given.
18:03But also a political reason was also given
18:05that it could actually, you know, kind of irritate certain major parties
18:09in the state, in the country.
18:11And Vijay, at present, the Chief Minister, did not want any of that kind of, you know, attention.
18:14Now, what are you talking about, Pramod?
18:15Which parties?
18:16What messaging?
18:19I would simply say perhaps, you know,
18:21Shibhi would give more clarity to this particular question.
18:24Okay, he's throwing the ball in your foot.
18:26Shibhi, he's putting it on you to explain that further to us.
18:29So go ahead.
18:30Please describe to me what he means when he says
18:32some political parties may be upset.
18:40Well, I am not able to understand what he's trying to say.
18:43Maybe that, you know, Vijay's government was formed with the support of not just Congress
18:48but also the left MLA's also.
18:49They're both CPI and CPI.
18:51They extended support, though not part of the government.
18:53So, you know, there was a meme that said that, you know,
18:56Vijay cannot choose LDF and UDF.
18:58The moment one of them decides to back off from extending their support,
19:02his government will fall.
19:03So I think that's what Pramod is trying to say.
19:06He can't choose sides when it comes to Kerala.
19:09He needs both CPI and Congress to run his government in Tamil Nadu.
19:13But Shibhi, give us a sense of what's happening right now.
19:16Is the TVK, I don't know if their name will remain TVK in Kerala,
19:20because that's a Tamaragavetri Karagam,
19:22but is the TVK actually actively looking at ramping up support in the state?
19:27What's happening?
19:54What's happening?
19:58That is true.
19:59But, you know, when you look at a larger picture,
20:01I'm not underestimating TVK's presence in Kerala,
20:04but, you know, Keralites treat film stars mostly as film stars.
20:08Politics is a very different game.
20:10So that way, I don't know, because in Tamil Nadu,
20:13we have seen, we have a history of MGR and Jalil and all of those legendary people.
20:17But in Kerala, that's not the case.
20:19Our political legends have always been actively,
20:21has been associated with politics itself.
20:24We've not seen film stars becoming very successful in politics.
20:28Many of them have lost elections also.
20:30We will not see a Mohalal or Mamuti venturing into politics in Kerala at all,
20:34because that's not the kind of politics that exists in Kerala.
20:38But like I said, after Mohalal or along with Mohalal,
20:41if there's an actor that is loved so much,
20:43that has huge fan following, a crazy fan following,
20:46I'm not excluding Mamuti in this case,
20:48but I'm saying a crazy fan following, that's always Vijay.
20:51It's always been Mohalal, Vijay,
20:53and also Allu Arjun enjoyed a huge popularity in Kerala.
20:55But I still doubt how much can they convert it into votes,
20:59because Vijay fans, hardcore Vijay fans will also be part of a Congress or a BJP
21:04or a CPIM also in Kerala.
21:07There might be people with membership in these parties also.
21:10And you're right, you know, Tamil Nadu and Kerala are a completely different ballgame.
21:15And I think in the course of our coverage,
21:17we've constantly highlighted how polar opposites they are,
21:20when it comes to politics and really their choices in political leaders as well.
21:24You've had multiple instances of actors, superstars,
21:26turning into successful politicians in Tamil Nadu.
21:29In Kerala, I can maybe name two or three,
21:31and none of them were superstars.
21:33They were just actors who continued also into politics.
21:36But thank you very much, Shibi and Pramod, for joining us with those details.
21:40Interesting times coming up ahead in Kerala as well.
21:43Let me open this up.
21:44Joining us on this broadcast, we've got political analyst,
21:46Sumansi Raman, as well as Anand Kochikudi, journalist and columnist.
21:51Anand, I'd like to begin with you.
21:53What do you make of all of these suggestions
21:55that the TVK could be looking at Kerala next,
21:58could be eyeing Kerala next?
21:59Is there actually a possibility that Vijay,
22:01if five years from now chooses to contest at a Kerala,
22:05he could have a similar impact?
22:08Well, I don't think so.
22:10The thing is, for a political party, it needs a face.
22:13And Vijay can't be the chief minister of Kerala as well as Tamil Nadu,
22:17unless something very drastic happens.
22:20I mean, there can't be a union of Tamil Nadu and Kerala,
22:25as Dravid and Nadu had some people, some crazy people keep saying.
22:28But Vijay, in his experiment to build the party across the country,
22:34or maybe across South India,
22:36he might be venturing into states like Andhra Pradesh,
22:39Tamil Nadu, sorry, Kerala, and Karnataka,
22:42where he has a fan following,
22:43so that he can at least be an ally of the Congress
22:45or the UDF or the LDF,
22:47whichever party is in power.
22:49In Karnataka and in Telangana, the Congress is in power.
22:52So is now the Congress in Kerala.
22:55So the Congress being a smaller ally of DBK in Tamil Nadu,
23:01he can do that in Kerala by being a smaller ally of Congress.
23:05See, there's this example of the 2020 party,
23:07which was allied to the BJP.
23:09They got 20 seats.
23:10The problem was that they first approached,
23:12Sabu Jeku first approached Shashi Tharoor to be their face.
23:15They even held talks with Shashi Tharoor.
23:17I don't know how many of you know.
23:18Rajdeep certainly knows.
23:19So Shashi Tharoor eventually turned on
23:22after patching up with the high command and Rahul Gandhi.
23:28And so they did not have a face in Kerala.
23:30So if they don't have a face,
23:32Vijay can't be,
23:33it's just like Narendra Modi can't be
23:34the chief minister of West Bengal
23:36or any other state which goes to Pulse.
23:38He is the prime minister of India.
23:39So Vijay, if he is the chief minister of Tamil Nadu...
23:41No, I get that.
23:43The question, however,
23:44and Sumanji Raman, I'd like to bring you in on this,
23:47is whether Vijay will be limited to a Tamil Nadu
23:50or do you see him being very politically ambitious
23:53in the coming years and look to expand?
23:55And if he looks to expand,
23:56is Keralam the obvious choice then?
24:00Okay.
24:00Akshita, first of all,
24:02it cannot be TVK.
24:03It has to be KVK.
24:04Yeah, I don't know what it will be called.
24:06MVK maybe.
24:07I don't know.
24:08Okay.
24:08So whatever.
24:09So first, they need a name change.
24:11Second, I don't think Keralites are as starstruck
24:16as people in Tamil Nadu.
24:20I know that, you know,
24:22they really, really adore their stars
24:25like Mohanlal or Mamuti and so on.
24:27But, you know,
24:29that does not necessarily translate
24:31into supporting them in politics.
24:34And which is why the two biggest superstars
24:36of Malayalam cinema have not ventured
24:38directly into politics for that reason.
24:40Perhaps they know the,
24:41they see the writing on the wall.
24:43So I'm not too sure.
24:45Having said that,
24:46there is a large,
24:47he has a large fan following in Kerala,
24:49particularly in border areas
24:51like Palakad and of course,
24:53Trivandrum in the south and so on.
24:54So how is he going to use this going forward?
24:59See, now Kerala has got a new government,
25:01it's got a new chief minister,
25:03you know, a lot of hopes
25:04and expectations are there.
25:05How is the new chief minister going to perform?
25:08And also,
25:09will the left continue to,
25:11you know,
25:12decline as it has across the country
25:14or will they be able to mount a challenge?
25:16We don't know.
25:17The left could,
25:18you know,
25:18at some stage become an AIADMK equivalent of Kerala.
25:22But that's exactly my point.
25:23You know,
25:24there are similarities here.
25:25There are similarities to the Tamil Nadu story
25:28and the Kerala story,
25:29Anand,
25:29going forward.
25:30What Mr. Subhansi Raman has highlighted here
25:32about the AIADMK and the left,
25:34about the UDF coming and storming to power right now
25:37or the fact that there are two parties
25:39that have ruled the roost in politics,
25:41DMK,
25:41AIADMK in Tamil Nadu,
25:42UDF,
25:43LDF in Kerala.
25:44All of that seems ripe
25:46and a situation where you can throw in a new face,
25:48throw in a new player.
25:49Sure,
25:50superstars haven't really played around in Kerala politics,
25:53but maybe that's why we don't know
25:54because Kerala has never had that kind of an experience.
25:59See,
26:00again,
26:00the point comes back to
26:01who will become the face.
26:03I mean,
26:03Vijay can't be the face
26:05and also govern the state.
26:07No,
26:08but I think,
26:08let me give you a scenario here.
26:10For the BGP,
26:11for example,
26:11it is on Prime Minister Modi's faces on the ticket
26:14and then they go ahead
26:15and nominate someone else
26:16to be the chief minister.
26:18It could be a similar scenario then,
26:19Anand,
26:20where Vijay is on the ticket,
26:21but then ultimately
26:22it is someone else
26:23from the TVK,
26:24KVK,
26:24MVK,
26:25whatever it will be called,
26:26who will be the face then.
26:27after.
26:28Exactly.
26:29So,
26:29they have to get somebody
26:31who is rooted in Kerala,
26:32somebody who has a fan following in Kerala
26:34as their Kerala face.
26:35So,
26:36it's just like Arvind Kejriwal
26:37cannot be,
26:38you know,
26:40be in power in Punjab.
26:42So,
26:42in Kerala,
26:43they'll need somebody
26:43like a Shashithar
26:44or somebody
26:45who can gather
26:47a lot of people
26:48in the state
26:49and then they added
26:51weight of Vijay
26:53or heraldic,
26:54you know,
26:55carrying the party.
26:56So,
26:56it has to be a combined thing.
26:59You know,
26:59they have to have a Kerala leader,
27:02Kerala organization.
27:03Now,
27:03the districts that you
27:04took name of,
27:06Tiruvannathapuram,
27:07Palakkar,
27:07they all have sizable
27:08Tamil populations.
27:10So,
27:11it may not be
27:12a pan-Kerala thing.
27:13Vijay's popularity
27:14in Kerala,
27:15of course,
27:15is there.
27:16Among the youth,
27:17he has a huge fan following.
27:18I remember the 2018 film,
27:20Sarkar,
27:20which has some similarities
27:22with how TVK1
27:24came to power
27:24in Tamil Nadu
27:25this time.
27:26So,
27:26that had a huge,
27:28you know,
27:29it ran for many days
27:31and it had many fan shows
27:32in 2018,
27:34Sarkar.
27:34And people are still
27:35talking about Sarkar.
27:36But I don't see
27:37that kind of,
27:38you know,
27:39Amatmi Party
27:40or that,
27:41you know,
27:41any comparison
27:42would be difficult
27:43with TVK forming
27:46a similar,
27:47you know,
27:48kind of,
27:48having a similar
27:49kind of thing in Kerala.
27:50But here's the difference.
27:51Mr. Sumansi Raman,
27:52you know,
27:52if in Tamil Nadu
27:53he had about two years
27:54to bring forth his party,
27:56to set up base,
27:57do all of that,
27:58here in Kerala,
27:59if he chooses to do this
28:00and slow and steady,
28:01he has five years.
28:03He has five years
28:03to set up,
28:04decide a narrative,
28:06create the kind of
28:06positioning
28:07and the ground presence
28:08that he needs.
28:10Kerala,
28:10yes,
28:10ultimately,
28:11if he enters,
28:12will be much more
28:13challenging than a Tamil Nadu
28:14for him.
28:15But Akshita,
28:16you've also got to realize
28:17that he's got to deliver
28:19in Tamil Nadu first.
28:20Agreed.
28:21If he doesn't do well
28:22in Tamil Nadu
28:23over the next
28:24two,
28:24three years,
28:25then this is a non-starter.
28:27So,
28:28obviously,
28:28there are big assumptions
28:30being made.
28:30The biggest assumption
28:31of them all
28:32is that
28:33he will provide
28:34a good governance
28:36in Tamil Nadu.
28:38And we,
28:38at this point of time,
28:39we don't know that at all.
28:40So,
28:41I think that
28:41we are jumping the gun.
28:43Yes,
28:44potentially,
28:44there is popularity there.
28:46And whether that popularity
28:48could be used
28:49for political purposes
28:50is something
28:51that is completely
28:52up in the air.
28:53And the least
28:54that we should do
28:55is give
28:56the Vijay government
28:57or the TVK government
28:58in Tamil Nadu
28:59at least a year and a half
29:00to two years
29:01before we can even
29:02take a call
29:03on whether there are
29:05prospects in Kerala
29:06or whether the prospects
29:08in Tamil Nadu
29:08could dim out.
29:09So,
29:09that itself is something
29:10we don't know.
29:11I would have said
29:11six months.
29:13You know,
29:13I would have said
29:13give him six months
29:14to prove himself.
29:15Not really one and a half years.
29:17But sure,
29:17Mr. Subhansi,
29:18Raman and Anand,
29:19thank you very much
29:19for your time
29:20for joining us here
29:21on India Today.
29:22We'll wait and see.
29:23Look,
29:23it's just kicked off.
29:24You've got a new government
29:25in Kerala
29:26with VD Satishan
29:27in charge.
29:28But the fact that Vijay
29:29wasn't there,
29:30there are a number
29:30of factors.
29:31There's no doubt about it.
29:32One of them being
29:33that it would have led
29:34to huge crowd surges,
29:36to huge issues.
29:37And by those issues,
29:38I'm also referring
29:39to the fact
29:39that you would have had,
29:41you know,
29:42huge fans gathering there
29:43and so the spotlight
29:44taken away from VD Satishan.
29:45Nobody's discounting
29:46any of that.
29:47But having said that,
29:48the fact that you're
29:49seeing TVK
29:49slowly building
29:50its presence
29:51in Kerala
29:52has led to
29:53all of these questions.
29:55Superstars
29:55in politics.
29:56New in Kerala,
29:57not so new
29:58in Tamil Nadu
30:00or for that matter
30:00in Telugu politics
30:01as well.
30:02And over the weekend,
30:03there are three superstars
30:05who have spoken out
30:05on Vijay.
30:06Kamal Hassan,
30:08Rajnikanth
30:08and Pawan Kalyan.
30:10Three superstars
30:11who all
30:12attempted to do
30:13what a Vijay did,
30:14didn't manage to,
30:15not in that kind
30:16of scale.
30:17At least if you look
30:18at Pawan Kalyan,
30:18yes,
30:19he tasted electoral success.
30:20But was it
30:21in the manner
30:22that Vijay did?
30:23Not really.
30:24Kamal Hassan,
30:25of course,
30:25is a Rajasabha MP,
30:27tried very hard
30:28to do what Vijay did,
30:28didn't manage
30:29to met him
30:29over the weekend.
30:31Rajnikanth
30:31unfortunately
30:32had to clear the air
30:34about Vijay
30:35becoming the
30:35chief minister
30:36and why he didn't
30:37come and saying,
30:37I'm not jealous
30:38of Vijay
30:39because I'm not
30:39in politics.
30:40But here's the tale
30:41of three superstars
30:42who tried
30:43but didn't manage
30:44to be Vijay.
30:53When superstars
30:54enter politics,
30:55fan frenzy
30:56often turns
30:57into a massive
30:57challenge
30:58for the administration.
31:00Stardom brings
31:01crowds,
31:02emotion
31:03and unmatched
31:04public energy.
31:05But among those
31:06megastars
31:07who considered
31:08stepping into politics,
31:10only one managed
31:11to rise
31:12all the way
31:12to the chief minister's
31:13chair.
31:16The man
31:17is C.
31:18Joseph Vijay.
31:26So what separated
31:28Vijay from the rest?
31:30What did the others
31:31miss?
31:36When we compare
31:38Talaiwar and Talapati,
31:40the biggest difference
31:41was clarity
31:41and commitment.
31:43Rajnikanth
31:44delayed his political
31:45planche for years
31:46and eventually
31:47backed out
31:47ahead of the
31:48Tamil Nadu
31:48elections in
31:492021.
31:53Vijay, on the
31:54other hand,
31:55launched his
31:55political party
31:56early and began
31:57groundwork
31:58well before the
31:59ports.
32:04While Rajni's
32:05political ideology
32:06often remained
32:07unclear,
32:08Vijay directly
32:09positioned himself
32:10against both
32:11DMK and
32:12AIA-DMK.
32:15Rumors of
32:16rivalry between
32:17the two
32:17superstars
32:18frequently
32:18surfaced,
32:19but Rajnikanth
32:20himself dismissed
32:21all such
32:22speculations.
32:23the two
32:27There was
32:29a
32:30There was
32:33There was
32:33a
32:34job.
32:35There was
32:36a
32:38big
32:38job.
32:41There was
32:42gap.
32:44There was
32:4525 years
32:46difference.
32:47I was
32:47talking about
32:48I was
32:49doing
32:50it.
33:01Compared with Kamal Hassan too,
33:04Vijay appeared one step ahead.
33:06Hassan attempted to balance cinema and politics.
33:10Vijay, however, made his priorities clear from day one.
33:15Talapati had already stepped away from films
33:18and put politics first.
33:21During campaigns, Kamal Hassan had hinted
33:24that Vijay too might struggle to manage both worlds.
33:27But now, after Vijay's political rise in Tamil Nadu,
33:31Hassan says newcomers should neither be underestimated
33:34nor overestimated.
33:38I have seen him do it.
33:39That's why I tell him,
33:42he's got a name of the army.
33:44That's why there's a number of people who are doing it.
33:47I'm a big fan of the army.
33:51I'm a big fan of the army.
33:59I've been able to say that they are doing that.
34:03I'm going to say that they're not going to do anything.
34:05How can everyone see on the other day?
34:09Who will see to come?
34:10The people with this country are all a sudden.
34:13The people who are coming from India are all a sudden.
34:18The people of India are all a sudden.
34:21The people are always there.
34:22I can't remember.
34:33Pavan Kalyan too entered politics with dreams of becoming chief minister.
34:38But electoral struggles forced him to join alliances for political survival.
35:00What others hesitated to do, Vijay did with confidence and conviction.
35:06He came, he saw and he conquered.
35:10With Simran Sarava, Bureau Report, India Today.
35:18So over seven days now in office, what has Chief Minister Vijay been up to?
35:23Well, with his ministers, his cabinet now being assigned portfolios,
35:28we got images today of him welcoming Sengotian as well as his other close aide, Busi Anand.
35:34Remember, Sengotian has been given the crucial finance portfolio, a nod to his seniority.
35:39And for Busi Anand, who is the MLA of Teenagar, the rural development portfolio.
35:44And so Chief Minister Vijay was seen personally welcoming them into their offices.
35:57And let's get you more breaking news coming in.
36:00Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay has now announced the renovation of Amma canteens in Tamil Nadu.
36:06An initiative, of course, that was launched by Jai Jai Lalita.
36:10Amma canteens provides food at subsidised rates in Tamil Nadu.
36:14But there have been complaints that the canteens no longer provide the same kind of quality that they used to.
36:20And that's why Chief Minister Vijay, in this one week, one of the announcements he's made now,
36:25is that over 600 canteens will be renovated, will be refurbished to once again provide the quality food
36:33that it was known for during Jai Lalita's rule.
36:35But here's what's interesting.
36:37You know, at a time when in most states you will see a lot of politics over this,
36:41you see these canteens being renamed,
36:43Chief Minister Vijay has chosen to continue to let it run as Amma canteens,
36:49much like, of course, what the DMK also had done.
36:52And this time around, he's focusing on changing it up, on refurbishing it.
36:57Over 600 canteens will get changes.
37:06Moving on to Andhra Pradesh, where Chief Minister Chandra Babu Naidu says
37:10rising incomes are pushing many couples towards having just one child.
37:14So in response, what has this government done?
37:16They've announced incentives.
37:18A whopping 30,000 for the birth of a third child in a family,
37:2240,000 rupees for the fourth child.
37:25And this has divided India.
37:27I'll talk about the debate in just a bit.
37:29But first, listen in to what the Andhra Chief Minister said.
37:54Not the first time, really, that Chief Minister Naidu has advocated for larger families.
37:59But there's a reason that he's now taking it a step further, talking about incentives now.
38:04The world is in turmoil.
38:05The economy is a mess everywhere.
38:07And so families are hesitating to become bigger.
38:10Globally, inflation continues to remain elevated.
38:12In India, too, inflation is currently around 3.48%.
38:16The Indian rupee has hit a fresh record low of 96.34 against the US dollar,
38:22under pressure, of course, from various factors.
38:24Despite RBI intervention near the 96.20 level,
38:29the rupee remained weak amid sustained market pressure.
38:32So Naidu connects the two.
38:34That inflation is forcing families to rethink financial planning,
38:39and therefore, smaller families.
38:41But another major factor is demography change.
38:44The world is witnessing a steady decline in young population.
38:48Estimates suggest that by 2047, nearly 23%, 23% of India's population could be above 60 years of age.
38:57And so India's fertility rate has also fallen sharply over time.
39:01From 6.2 births per woman in 1950, it dropped to 5.6 in 1970,
39:08and has declined rapidly since the 2000s.
39:11So what you see right now is data as of 2024, it's at 1.9 births per woman.
39:18The disparity is also evident across states.
39:21Sikkim records the lowest fertility rate at 1.1.
39:24Bihar, highest at 3.0.
39:27You'll also see a distinction between the north and south.
39:30Andhra Pradesh, since the chief minister, has been focusing on changes there.
39:34The fertility rate stands at 1.7.
39:36So it ranks fifth in the list of lowest fertility rate.
39:41But beyond fertility rates also lies another political concern, delimitation.
39:46Southern states fear reduced representation in parliament.
39:49For instance, Tamil Nadu's Lok Sabha seats could drop from 39 to 31,
39:54a loss of eight seats if you go by population.
39:57Kerala may fall from 20 to 12.
39:59Andhra Pradesh-Talangana combined could see a reduction.
40:02Karnataka too may see a marginal dip.
40:04Like, northern states are expected to gain significantly.
40:08But let's talk about what the centre has said in response to these numbers.
40:12The centre has countered these concerns.
40:14And remember, this is what states' oppositions have said.
40:18But if you look at what the centre has said,
40:20they've said that we expand the Loks about to 816 seats.
40:24And so under this model, southern state seats would rise from 129 to 195.
40:30And so therefore, the 24% representation will stay.
40:34Andhra Pradesh, therefore, will be at about 38.
40:37But in a country that's already overpopulated,
40:40and here's the flip.
40:42We're talking of delimitation, we talk of fertility rates, yes.
40:45But in a country that is very much overpopulated,
40:49especially when you compare to other countries around the world,
40:52in a country where women already are treated as baby-making machines,
40:57especially in rural pockets.
40:59Could Naidoo's move backfire?
41:01Or is this the need of the hour?
41:04We'll leave it to you to decide.
41:07The Indian Premier League is coming to its final stage of this edition.
41:11But unlike all of the 18 editions in the past,
41:14the absence of MS Dhoni on the cricket field has been a striking anomaly.
41:19Dhoni, who's been struggling with injuries over the last couple of years,
41:22is yet to play a match this season.
41:24But cricket fans remember that Dhoni's always wanted to finish his IPL career at the Chepok.
41:31Today happens to be the last home game for CSK this year.
41:35And so the buzz, yet again, is about the five-time winning IPL captain.
41:44I've always planned my cricket.
41:46You know, my last game that I played was in Ranchi.
41:50The ODI version, the last home game, was at my hometown in Ranchi.
41:56So hopefully, my last T20, you know, it will be in Chennai.
42:07Whether it's next year or in five years' time, we don't really know.
42:16So we're going to know in just about an hour from now
42:20whether MS Dhoni will be playing or not.
42:23But from Talapati to Tala in Tamil Nadu,
42:27from the Indian Political League to the Indian Premier League,
42:29I've got Nikhil Nas with me for those updates.
42:30Nikhil, are we going to see Tala in action today?
42:33Well, you know, the signs are there, I must tell you,
42:36because for the very first time this season,
42:38he sat on the team bus and he's gone to the stadium.
42:41That's not happened for this entire duration of this season.
42:45The other thing, he practiced on the eve of the game,
42:48though he's been practicing for a few games in the past as well,
42:51yet on match day he hasn't played.
42:52I know you just told the viewers that he did announce that his final game will be in Chepok.
42:57This is CSK's last game this season at Chepok.
43:01So whether he'll come to play, I think the sign was there that he's travelled in the bus,
43:04but, and there's a big but, and I'll give some reason as to why he's not been playing this season.
43:08It's not that he's not recovered from his injury.
43:11He had an injury, a calf injury to begin with, but then we are told he's recovered.
43:15But then he said the team was winning and I don't want to be just joining that 11,
43:19just for the sake of one man coming in and spoiling the team combination.
43:23Having said that, I think Chennai has lost the last game.
43:26I think there is a slot.
43:27They get a young boy with the name of Prashant Weed,
43:30who hasn't gotten too many chances to bat or bowl.
43:33And if Prashant is replaced by MS, I don't think it changes the team combination that much.
43:37So for the Chennai faithful, I would like MS to come in.
43:41Maybe if I could send him a message, I'd like to tell him
43:43that you're not spoiling the team combination.
43:45Just come in, yeah.
43:46I think we need to see some tala action right now in Chepok.
43:50Do you think there's a possibility of him saying,
43:52okay, symbolically, because I've sent out that message,
43:54I know this was way back in 2021,
43:56but I think there is a certain amount of emotion also for him
43:59in playing in Chennai, playing in Chepok.
44:01So do you think that could play a factor here in pushing him out to the field?
44:05I thought, but then I get to hear from people
44:07involved or around the franchise that,
44:10why are you just looking at this season?
44:12If he said he'll play for Chennai one last time at the Chepok,
44:15there's always 20-27.
44:17So what they're saying is that he's not ruling himself out
44:19as this is his last season.
44:21And if he thinks that, you know,
44:22the team's got some momentum, I'll sit out.
44:2420-27, yet another season.
44:2745-year-old MS Dhoni would still probably be walking onto the field.
44:31But, you know, seriously,
44:32I think he could have played this season at least one game.
44:34I don't think he spoils the combination.
44:37So from the signs,
44:38one good sign is he's travelled there,
44:40but then speaking to a lot of people around the team,
44:42it seems unlikely that he steps into the left field.
44:44Unless, you know, as I said,
44:4620-27, Vijay,
44:48the new Chief Minister, is his good friend.
44:50They've often been pictured together.
44:52I know he's a CSK fan.
44:53Maybe off-time season,
44:55he goes and meets him sometime.
44:56Maybe he tells him,
44:57play one final time.
44:58You know, never say never with politics,
45:00never say never with Dhoni as well,
45:01or cricket.
45:02So we'll see.
45:03Thanks very much, Nikhil,
45:04for joining us.
45:05It's going to be a watch to watch out for.
45:08But at the same time,
45:09I think the spotlight will be firmly on MS Dhoni,
45:12whether he takes to the field
45:13or he chooses to stay out of this one.
45:15In which case,
45:16it's over to the next IPL
45:18as far as MS Dhoni is concerned.
45:23And as I wrap up this edition of Super 6,
45:26I'm leaving you with footage from the IPL.
45:28You know, we've been constantly drawing
45:30these comparisons between
45:31the Indian Political League
45:32and the Indian Premier League.
45:33Guess what?
45:34Those lines are blurred right now.
45:36At an RFCB game,
45:37you had Venkatesh Iyer
45:39celebrating his half-century how
45:41by mimicking Vijay's iconic pose
45:43from Mersal.
45:44Enjoy this.
45:51What an innings.
45:52From ball one.
45:54All out of the middle.
45:56Just got so much power.
45:58Teammates appreciate the work.
46:02All out of the middle.
46:03Just got so much power.
46:06Teammates appreciate the work.
46:09Not done yet either.
46:10Just got so much fun.
46:10All out of the middle.
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