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VD Satheesan on Monday took oath as the Chief Minister of Kerala in Thiruvananthapuram, leading a twenty-member cabinet.
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00:00Satishan's era begins in Kerala.
00:05Congress's mega show of strength.
00:10Kerala's new power center takes shape.
00:18Who holds real power in new cabinet?
00:24Will Venugopal camp score big in cabinet births?
00:33Satishan's biggest test begins now.
00:40Very good evening viewers, you're watching To The Points.
00:42I'm Priti Chaudhary.
00:43We come to you from the Kerala State Legislative Assembly.
00:47We have a newly minted chief minister in Kerala who took over,
00:51Deen Thiru Anantapuram, not just alone,
00:53VD Satishan with 20 other cabinet ministers.
00:57Well, of course, the sheer fact that most of the cabinet ministers
01:01came from the camp of KC Wendugopal.
01:04He might not have had his way on being chief minister,
01:07but he surely got his men in the cabinet.
01:09We're going to break it all down.
01:10But first up, allow me to trick you through the headlines.
01:29Humes demands justice for Thwisha.
01:32Hunt on to nab missing husband.
01:34MP police announces reward of rupees 10,000.
01:37Thwisha's parents allege belt used to hang, not given to doctors.
01:49Another dowry death reported due to harassment.
01:5324-year-old woman jumps off from a roof in Greater Noida.
01:56Kin alleged Deepika was harassed,
01:58physically assaulted for dowry.
02:00Cops arrest accused husband and father-in-law.
02:09VD Satishan takes oath as Kerala chief minister in Thiru Anantapuram.
02:1420 other MLAs also sworn in as cabinet ministers.
02:18Congress bigwigs attend oath ceremony.
02:20Rahul Priyanka shares stage with VDS.
02:23Khadage, Sidhu, DKS and Rewant also attend.
02:34CBI gets custody of another accused.
02:37Shivraj video of a leaked paper was found in his phone.
02:41CBI claims some NTA officials had links with accused Shivraj.
02:46Parliament panel on education summons NTA chairman on May 21st.
02:58India Today accesses first images of India's bullet train
03:01scheduled to run between Ahmedabad and Mumbai.
03:03The project is scheduled for launch on August 15th, 2027.
03:14Prime Minister Modi holds bilateral talks with Norway Prime Minister.
03:18Trade, tech and fight against terror discussed in the meeting.
03:21Prime Minister Modi once again bats for peace in West Asia
03:24during his meet with the Norwegian Prime Minister.
03:41Well, it's a rare day but Congress really did have a good day at the office.
03:45They sworn in their chief minister in Kerala, VD Satishan.
03:49Well, in terms of optics, show of strength by the Congress.
03:52They wanted to keep it focused just as a Congress event.
03:55They did so along with, of course, the UDF allies.
03:59And like I said, show of strength with all the Congress chief ministers.
04:04They aren't too many, but the few that they are were in attendance today
04:08at the oath-taking ceremony of VD Satishan.
04:11There was a money shot, if one would say.
04:13And that was VD Satishan, KC Venu Gopal, Ramesh Chenithala,
04:18all three of them contenders to be chief minister.
04:21But now, VD Satishan clearly has won that race,
04:25standing beside Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Malik Arjun Karge,
04:30raising their hands together, all smiles.
04:33So, all that in the past is a matter of the past.
04:37Ramesh Chenithala just posted and says,
04:39I'm a true congressman, that he just posted on social media.
04:42KC Venu Gopal all smiles.
04:44Well, this is how the day went.
04:56Hands locked, hands raised.
04:59Loud cheers from the crowd.
05:09Kerala swearing in ceremony,
05:11quickly turning into a Congress show of strength.
05:19Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Malik Arjun Karge,
05:23KC Venu Gopal and Ramesh Chenithala,
05:26sharing the stage with Kerala's new chief minister, VD Satishan.
05:33The visuals reminding many of Karnataka 2023,
05:37when Congress leaders raise hands together after Sidhara Maya's swearing in.
05:48This time, the stage was Kerala.
05:51VD Satishan officially taking charge as the state's 13th chief minister,
05:56along with the 20-member cabinet.
05:58Congress calling it a generational shift.
06:0114 first-time ministers.
06:04Several young faces.
06:06But one visual stood out beyond party lines.
06:10Outgoing Chief Minister Pinar Evijan
06:13and BJP State President Rajiv Chandrasekhar
06:16also present on stage.
06:19And within hours of taking charge,
06:22the Satishan government moved to deliver on promises.
06:27The free journey of women in the KSRTC buses,
06:33it will be implemented from June 15th onwards.
06:3915th June onwards.
06:41We are going to consult a new department for the old age people.
06:48We have decided to increase 3,000 rupees per month
06:57to all the Asha workers, as an honorarium.
07:01But behind the celebrations, intense power balancing.
07:06Satishan is likely to keep finance imports.
07:09Ramesha Nithela may get home.
07:12Sunny Joseph expected to handle revenue.
07:16But the bigger story is the cabinet arithmetic.
07:21KC Venu Gopal may have lost the chief minister race,
07:25but his imprint on the cabinet is hard to miss.
07:28Seven of the 12 congress ministers are believed to be his loyalists.
07:33Then comes the IU-ML factor.
07:36The IU-ML with 22 MLAs has secured five cabinet births
07:41and it was their support that tilted the scales in favour of VD Satishan.
07:46The BJP has accused the Congress of minority appeasement
07:50and called Satishan an IU-ML-backed chief minister.
07:55The Congress, however, says the formula follows
07:58the Oman Chandy model of coalition accommodation.
08:01For now, the optics are strong.
08:05But beyond the celebration visuals,
08:08VD Satishan faces his biggest challenge yet.
08:11Despite being a senior Congress leader,
08:14he has never served as a minister before.
08:17And now, the focus shifts from politics to governance.
08:22Bureau Report, India Today.
08:26All right, I want to cut across to former union minister,
08:28senior BJP leader, Mr. KJ Alphonse.
08:30Thank you, sir, for joining us this evening.
08:32One quick question.
08:33I'm sure you wish the new chief minister well in his tenure.
08:38He's decided to keep finance and ports with him.
08:41And, well, he's on the clock from now.
08:45Well, congratulations to the new chief minister.
08:48In fact, as soon as he was elected,
08:50I had posted on my social media
08:53that I'm wishing him all the very best.
08:56Well, people have elected the UDF
08:58and they have selected the chief minister.
09:01So now he now becomes Kerala's chief minister,
09:04everybody's chief minister, including my parties.
09:06So that is why you would have seen the BJP state president,
09:10Rajiv Chandrasekhar, be present.
09:12I think the former chief minister, Mr. Pindrai,
09:14also was present.
09:15I think it's a very good spirit
09:16that when people elect somebody, we accept that.
09:20And I would like, of course,
09:22everybody in this country to follow that same principle
09:25that since people have elected Narendra Modi ji
09:28as the prime minister of India,
09:29that he is considered India's prime minister,
09:32not some parties.
09:33So we follow this fundamental spirit.
09:35Once he's elected, he's our chief minister.
09:38So I wish him all the very best.
09:39But there are a lot of issues which he needs to face.
09:43Kerala is completely broke.
09:45They have no money.
09:46And of course, with the Gulf War and also the Trump tariff,
09:51we are in pretty deep trouble in terms of foreign remittances coming
09:55because last year, out of 138 billion of foreign remittances,
10:0119.7% was from Kerala, almost one-fifth was from Kerala.
10:05Now with this Gulf War on, it's going to be a little difficult.
10:10We have no employment at all in Kerala.
10:12All our young people are leaving Kerala.
10:15Education is in a mess.
10:16Health is not in such a good shape.
10:18We have no industry.
10:21So, Sadishan would have a whole lot of stuff in his plate
10:24which he needs to sort out.
10:28Mr. Alphonse, that's right.
10:29He has his task cut out.
10:31But there has been this one criticism which is coming in from your party,
10:34not just today but over the course of the last couple of weeks.
10:37It's been also raised by Mr. Rajiv Chandra Shekhan,
10:40who is this time in the assembly as well,
10:43in one of the three MLAs that have come from the BJP.
10:46And that criticism is Mr. Alphonse,
10:49where the BJP says that
10:51A. Mr. Satishan is an IUML representative,
10:54which is quite not true.
10:56Or the fact that this was Muslim appeasement,
10:59minority appeasement and not minority outreach
11:02of giving five cabinet births to the IUML.
11:07Now, would you reckon that's quite a false comparison
11:11because this is pretty much the formula of Umun Chandi,
11:15where the Congress had followed earlier?
11:17Well, there's always been a problem whenever the UDF came into power.
11:22The predominant power has always been the Muslim League.
11:26Now, if you take the portfolio of Muslim League,
11:28it's always been fixed.
11:30Industry, IT, education, everything that is important,
11:35whether it is money,
11:37I think the bulk of the budget allocation
11:39will go to the portfolios departments
11:41which are managed by the IUML.
11:44So, basically, the UDF government basically means IUML government in substance
11:50because whoever controls the money,
11:52I mean, they are going to control the government.
11:54They have such a strong grip.
11:56So, Umun Chandi government was really possibly not an ideal government.
12:00Mr. Umun Chandi was a very popular leader.
12:02He did a lot of good things,
12:03but the whole problem is the IUML really has a very strong stronghold on the UDF.
12:08And it's their agenda which happens most of the time.
12:11Okay.
12:15All right, Mr. Alphonse.
12:16Thank you for taking the time out and joining us.
12:18Appreciate it.
12:19I want to quickly cut across to our other guests joining me.
12:21My colleague, Shibhi Mol, is with us.
12:26She's joining us from one of the newly minted Cabinet Ministers,
12:29Mr. Murali Dharan, son of the former Chief Minister of Kerala.
12:33I also have with me Mr. K. A. Shaji,
12:36senior journalist right outside the assembly.
12:39We are also joined, I believe, by Mr. Randall K. Anthony,
12:43national secretary, national spokesperson, BJP,
12:46as well as Henry Austin, spokesperson, Congress,
12:50and Mr. K. J. Jacob, executive editor, Deccan Chronicle.
12:54He's also joining us from Kochi.
12:56Mr. Shaji, you have now a scenario where the Chief Minister has taken oath
13:03and he's got his tasks cut out.
13:05He's got finance.
13:07He's got ports to very important portfolios where Kerala is concerned.
13:11But in the midst of the 20 Cabinet Ministers,
13:14most of them, you know, if there are camps that we talk of,
13:18come from the KC Venu Gopal camp.
13:20Do you think there will be factionalism?
13:22Because Kerala has been one state that we have seen over the years,
13:25every time there has been the Congress, there have been always two factions.
13:28So, factionalism is a long-time reality in the case of Kerala,
13:34and it has existed for so long.
13:36And going into the history, there were intense factional fights within the Congress.
13:40Now, its level has reduced.
13:42It is a clear fact that the majority of the Ministers are belonging to the Venu Gopal side.
13:48But at the same time, we can say,
13:50though they are still owing allegiance to Venu Gopal,
13:55Sadishan can manage things because he's a good team leader.
13:59And his efforts in maintaining the rapport between different groups,
14:03it was very much evident during the election process.
14:06During the combining time, the Congress in Kerala,
14:09they fought it single-handedly.
14:11There was an unforeseen kind of unity among the party members.
14:15At that time, he said, he used the coin, the term,
14:18the United UDF, Team UDF.
14:21And still, I believe, as the leader of the Cabinet,
14:24as the leader of the UDF,
14:26he can ensure the Cabinet working together as a team.
14:30And they can bring out the real results.
14:32Because everything, already small, small things are visible.
14:35For example, today's Cabinet meeting.
14:37Some of the key messages, the meeting given to the people of Kerala,
14:42remarkable one among them is the case of the Asha workers in Kerala.
14:47They were demanding a minor increase in their honorarium.
14:51The previous government refused to give it.
14:53The civil society wanted it.
14:55And at that time, Sadist had given an assurance to them.
14:58If the UDF is voted to power, at the first Cabinet meeting,
15:02we will decide to increase your honorarium.
15:04It may be a small amount, but the gesture of the tokenism,
15:08it has a lot of importance.
15:10The government increased the honorarium 3,000 rupees.
15:13I said it is the beginning and it will continue.
15:17And there will be a fair kind of increment in the coming days.
15:21All right.
15:22So you're saying he'll be able to manage.
15:24That's what you're saying.
15:24Mr. Jacob, you want to come in and weigh in on that?
15:26We'll also cut across to Shibimul and just two minutes' time
15:28for our spokesperson's patience and go to them as well.
15:31But Mr. Jacob, you have now VD Satishan taking oath.
15:36He has his task cut out.
15:37There's a fair bit because Kerala, fiscal position not too good.
15:41He has plans.
15:42He has ideas.
15:43He's got two powerful portfolios.
15:45Yet, you know, if one goes back where Kerala is concerned,
15:49in Congress there has always been factionalism.
15:52Who can forget the time of Mr. Antony and Mr. Karuna Karam
15:55where they were two clear factions?
15:56Do you think this will happen?
15:57Or, you know, now he has his cabinet,
16:00people will need to follow the queue of VD Satishan?
16:03I think the factionalism cannot be a big problem
16:06that he is going to face.
16:07It's highly unlikely because as a team leader,
16:09he should be able to manage the teams at the party within its limits.
16:14But the problem is that, as Shaji pointed out,
16:17it will be the tokenism all along.
16:18That's what I presume.
16:20Because the promises that he has given out
16:22is going to be too huge.
16:24Unlike a minor increase in the honorarium of the ASHA workers,
16:31they were actually demanding 21,000 rupees as payment.
16:35Actually, they are part of the central government scheme.
16:38The LDF government had, you know, in several steps,
16:42they used to raise it from 1,000 rupees to 9,000 rupees.
16:50And now he has added 3,000 rupees.
16:52The demand was that they should be given 21,000 rupees.
16:55Satishan's offer was that your demand will be considered
16:59the first meeting of the cabinet.
17:02But he has offered 3,000.
17:03That's a good gesture, but it's tokenism.
17:05This is what my real fear is.
17:08He will have to do with the tokenism,
17:10because the promises that he has made out are too humongous.
17:15To meet them all, it will take all the efforts of his government,
17:20all the efforts of support even from the union government.
17:22That alone can help him meet the demands.
17:25Otherwise, they can end up with the tokenism.
17:28The party, I don't think the party is going to,
17:31or factionism is going to pose a major problem for him.
17:36But his own promises are going to weigh him down in the future.
17:41Mm-hmm.
17:44Well, Rahul Gandhi has taken a five-point guarantee,
17:47and he will need to deliver on that five-point guarantee.
17:49I'll get the both of you for a quick comment again,
17:51but I want to bring in my colleague Shibhi Mol,
17:53who's been tracking developments through the course of the morning.
17:56Shibhi, a newly minted cabinet.
17:58Meetings after meetings is what we are hearing.
18:01VD Satishan wants to dive right in.
18:03What are you picking up?
18:05You had Ramesh Chainithala, who, after all the application,
18:08has now come out, taken oath as Home Minister,
18:11and just three hours ago posted a picture of him and Rahul Gandhi saying,
18:14I am but a true congressman.
18:21Well, exactly.
18:22That's the message that Ramesh Chainithala is sending out to the party workers
18:25and the public of Kerala that, you know, I am a congressman.
18:29He was very unsatisfied with the fact that he was not given the chief ministerial oppose,
18:34despite being a senior to VD Satishan and KC Venugobal.
18:36They both grew under his leadership.
18:38So, the disappointment was very evident that he initially refused to be a part of the cabinet,
18:43but we did feel like it could also be a pressure tactic to be included in the ministry as the
18:47Home Minister.
18:48So, now he is very likely, he is getting the Home Department home,
18:51and intelligence is what we are learning.
18:53On stage also, we saw a very sweet gesture between Rahul Gandhi and Ramesh Chainithala.
18:58When he went on to Rahul Gandhi, it almost felt like Rahul Gandhi thanking him for,
19:02you know, staying within the Congress and staying within the cabinet.
19:05Of course, there is no doubt he will leave Congress or something like that.
19:08But he showed up there, took oath as a minister and decided to be a part of the ministry
19:12and work with VD Satishan, work under VD Satishan, whatever it can be called.
19:16So, that gesture was clearly appreciated by Rahul Gandhi on stage.
19:20VD Satishan, after taking oath, a lot of, you know, which was unusual, we don't quite see it.
19:27You know, we saw it during Vijay's oath taking, when he hugged his cabinet, and we saw it today.
19:31You don't really, you know, usually there's protocol, there's a bit of formality,
19:35but we did see a lot of Banhomi on stage today.
19:43Well, absolutely. It almost felt like he was relieved that, you know,
19:47finally we have the cabinet sworn in after so many days of confusion and chaos.
19:52We saw very, you know, chaotic scenes breaking out in Kerala.
19:56All the same Congress workers coming out on street and protesting against their own leadership.
20:01Posters coming up in Vyanar against Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi.
20:04These are scenes we never expected to see.
20:06We knew there would be a fight, there would be a factualism that would break out between these three groups.
20:11But it went beyond what we anticipated with them tearing off the posters of their own leaders.
20:16So, it took the Congress High Command a lot of time to finally decide on VD Satishan,
20:21despite KC Venugobal having the, you know, support of MLAs, the backing of MLAs.
20:26So, he had a tough task convincing both Ramesh Shantala and KC Venugobal to step back
20:31and let's go with the people's verdict or people's sentiment there,
20:34or the party worker sentiment that was clearly in favour of VD Satishan.
20:41You know, before I go into my, you know, to our spokespersons,
20:45I want to quickly get all of you for a quick comment.
20:49Mr. Shahji, what according to you is the biggest challenge?
20:52You are saying one, delivery on the promises, the five guarantees of Rahul Gandhi
20:55will be mere tokenism because A, the state is pretty much broke, cannot afford to do so.
21:01What would be the other challenge?
21:02The other thing is the kind of expectation, sedation rose in the Kerala society.
21:08Though he is first in a constitutional position, though he is first time as a minister,
21:12he has been an able parliamentarian for long.
21:16He raised many of the key issues, many issues of Kerala, from environmental protection to cultural protection,
21:21protection of the minorities, protection of the social harmony.
21:26And he even claimed many times that he has his own vision about development, about infrastructure, about growth.
21:33So everything. And I think he is choosing of the finance ministry and also the coastal development ministry,
21:40the port ministry. And because these two subjects are very close to his heart, so he has ideas, he has
21:47visions.
21:48So what we are looking for, what we are expecting, how much he is going to deliver his dreams.
21:53His dreams.
21:54How he can translate the things into reality.
21:56All right. Well, how does he translate things into reality?
21:58Mr. Jacob, would you want to come in and weigh in?
22:00Biggest challenge in front of Mr. V.D. Satisha?
22:03That exactly are the problems that he is going to face. And he has kept the finance portfolio to himself.
22:11And he has ideas about collecting taxes and filling the coffers. He has said it.
22:15It is the job of the roller to fill the coffers first. So I think he will have ideas to
22:19do that
22:20and then meet the promises that he has already made to the people.
22:28All right, Shibi, I believe there has been back-to-back meetings. We were trying to get Mr. Murali Dharan,
22:34one of, you know, the cabinet ministers, also the son of former chief minister of Kerala, Mr. Karuna Karan.
22:43But lots of meetings already. V.D. Satishan has taken oath and he is cracking from the word go.
22:54Well, exactly. You know, I agree with our guest on the show that, you know, it will be difficult for
23:00him to, you know,
23:01the biggest challenge will be delivering on these promises and also keeping his ministry together,
23:06knowing that, you know, most of his ministers from his own party have been, are with the KC group, are
23:10the KC loyalists.
23:11But I also think that, you know, Kerala is a very, it's a society that's very critical of its government,
23:17of its representatives.
23:18So, Congress in the last ten years has been in opposition. They have not faced that kind of criticism that
23:23the government has faced.
23:24And they will be ruling in a social media era that they have not witnessed, where everything is recorded, everything
23:30will be audited.
23:31In the last ten years, whatever statements they have made is out there in the public, you know, as a
23:36very good record on social media itself.
23:38So, the next five years, for everything, they will be audited, everything, they will be criticized.
23:43So, overcoming that, that Congress has never done. The last ten years is when we saw the social media boom
23:48in Kerala politics.
23:49So, overcoming that challenge, meeting up the expectations will be another task ahead for the Congress, government and WD solution.
23:59Well, thank you, Shibi, and thank you, Mr. Jacob, for joining us. I want to cut across to our political
24:04panelists.
24:04Thank you for the patience. And let's begin right now with the Congress spokesperson, Mr. Austin.
24:09Henry Austin, the euphoria of the oath-taking ceremony over, it's your silver lining in what is not a great
24:18political landscape in terms of representation for the Congress.
24:22But, you're on the clock now. You'll have to deliver, especially on those five promises and guarantees that not just
24:29your incumbent Chief Minister now, but even Rahul Gandhi has made in Kerala.
24:35Good evening, Preeti. Anyway, thanks for having me on the show. I think, beyond the euphoria, I think the government
24:43has already started working.
24:44And the first cabinet decision, which was briefed to the press, came as a refreshing change.
24:50We were so used to the former Chief Minister's press meetings, where no answers were given. It was just a
24:57broadcast.
24:57So, here it was a refreshing change that Satishan came on, the CM came to the press meet, well briefed,
25:04and he came across as very precise.
25:07And the intent is very clear. He mentioned that we have the Indira guarantee, the five guarantees that we have
25:13given as Paul promises.
25:15And two of those promises, we have taken the first steps. Number one being the free transport for women on
25:23KSRTC buses, which will start on June 15, the next month.
25:27And the details will be given out later. And second, there is a promise to start a department for the
25:33elderly, the senior citizens of the state.
25:36Because we have realized, during the course of the last ten years, the multifarious problems that the state is facing.
25:43One being that we have an aging population. The youngsters of the state are leaving the state in droves, seeking
25:50greener pastures because of lack of opportunities in the state.
25:53And then we are not utilizing the potential of the state. And that is why I think if you just
25:59look at the portfolios which the CM has kept to himself.
26:01He has retained finance, he has retained ports, and also he has retained law.
26:07The blue economy is one area which Satishan has very clearly focused on, and he has already had a blueprint
26:13which is laid out earlier,
26:15saying that the great potential to develop the blue economy of state, which has around about 560 kilometers.
26:20So that is one focus area. That is exactly the reason why he has kept the port's portfolio to himself.
26:25And there will be financial reforms, and we can understand.
26:28Okay, I am going to come right back.
26:29Yeah.
26:31Allow me to bring in Mr. Anthony.
26:33Mr. Anthony, there is sweet irony to this, isn't it?
26:37Because it was your father who, as per our sources, it was by his word that Mr. Vidi Satishan finds
26:43himself as chief minister,
26:45because it was Sonia Gandhi who called your father and he said we shouldn't have to buy elections, let's stick
26:49with Vidi Satishan.
26:51And there you are from the BJP arguing the case out for the BJP.
26:54Just like I said, sweet irony on that account.
26:56But Mr. Rantri, the fact that he doesn't have a day of executive experience, he's never held office before,
27:04you know, he's never been a cabinet minister.
27:06Some would suggest it's a handicap, but some would also think that's great,
27:10because he comes in with a completely fresh outlook.
27:13He's looking to make a difference, and he could deliver.
27:16One should give him a chance.
27:19Thank you. Thank you for having me in the show.
27:22So, today is the first day, he just swung in and one thing, the Parti JandaтАж
27:26Apithi, Mr. Anthony, I hope I'm not sounding like Rajdeep this evening.
27:31Yes, I did say that. Thank you for having me in the show.
27:34And like I said, it was only the first day.
27:37Sorry, sorry, sorry.
27:38Yes.
27:39They don't mind.
27:40He just swung in, and the Parti Janda Party will be a very responsible opposition.
27:44Our State President Rajiv Chandra Shekhar and everybody who are there today, they're swearing.
27:47But the BJP did raise some important concerns, and those concerns are still very valid.
27:53Before the elections, Mr. Satishan and the rest of the Congress Party, including Rahul Gandhi,
27:58had given a lot of promises to the people, including free bus rides, etc.
28:03But you already saw how these things are evolving in states like Karnataka and Himachala and Talangana, etc.
28:08right now, and the Amatmi Party also in states including Delhi and Punjab.
28:13And now they're all in huge financial distress.
28:15And Kerala's situation seems to be even worse, where in the first day itself,
28:19senior Congress leaders have come out and said that the state is almost bankrupt
28:23and they're going to come out with a white paper saying how bad the finances are.
28:27So they themselves, I think, are now understanding that it may not be that feasible.
28:32And the second and third thing also, we had raised it before the election.
28:35We are raising it now.
28:36We are raising it while the Chief Minister was selected.
28:39And that is, this time it was proved very clearly that 40, almost 47 of the 63 MLAs,
28:45they were supporting Mr. Venugopal.
28:46But 22 of the IUML proved to be bigger than 47 of the conference.
28:50So you know what kind of government it is.
28:52There will be a lot of appeasement, there will be a lot of communalism that will be happening.
28:56And the Bharatiya Janda Party had raised it,
28:58and we feel that that is how the government will be in the next five years.
29:01And the third thing which we saw fromтАж
29:03Mr. Anthony, let me bring in Mr. Henry Austin on this.
29:07But you talk about that this is an IUML, Chief Minister in place,
29:11despite of most MLAs going with KC Venugopal.
29:16The decision was made for Mr. VD Satishan.
29:18Some would also say Mr. KC Venugopal didn't even fight the election.
29:21It was the LOP who was Mr. VD Satishan.
29:24This election was fought under his watch.
29:26So natural justice would demand that he become,
29:28if there is natural justice in politics.
29:31But I want to bring in Mr. Austin on this.
29:33Mr. Austin, you know, there is one criticism that you are going to face,
29:36especially from those three MLAs of the Bharatiya Janda Party in the State Assembly this time,
29:41which is minority appeasement.
29:44What you call minority outreach is being read as minority appeasement.
29:48What you say is the Uman Chandi formula of what you are following
29:52in terms of giving five cabinet births to IUML.
29:55Well, you have the BJP which says that this is communal posturing.
30:00You are basically bowing down to the demand of the IUML.
30:05I find this very funny actually.
30:07Because two things which Mr. Anthony said.
30:10Who gave the number of 47?
30:12Because as a congressman, I don't know which MLA voted.
30:14And has anybody come out on record saying that 47 MLA supported KC Venugopal?
30:19Has the high command given out this figure?
30:21It is just an illusion.
30:23Because it's quite natural that being the top post of the state,
30:27there would be aspirants for it.
30:28And definitely there was a democratic way of aspiration to it.
30:32So the MLA supported, there have been varied support for all the three candidates,
30:38three aspirants.
30:39So I don't know where Mr. Anil got the number of 47.
30:42That's point number one.
30:43And secondly, why is it being alluded that the Muslim League is a communal party?
30:48The Muslim League is not a communal party.
30:50Apart from the name Muslim in the name tag, they are not a communal party.
30:55We don't believe so.
30:56And they do represent a minority community in the state.
31:00But they have been very secular in the past.
31:02If you look at the history of the Muslim League in Kerala,
31:05they have been one of the most secular parties.
31:06If you look at the Babri Muslim demolition, post-Babri Muslim demolition,
31:10the state would have been on fire had it not been for the very sensible stance and posters
31:14and decisions taken by the IOML.
31:16So I don't see the reason why it is being alluded that Muslim League is a communal party
31:21and thereby we are being propped up by a communal force.
31:24But Mr. Austin, you do understand, you know, your point to view.
31:29Let me just complete one more point.
31:31Okay, make your point.
31:32Make your point.
31:32Make your point.
31:3422 MLAs represent almost 25% of the total MLAs that we have.
31:40We have 102 MLAs.
31:41It's 25%.
31:42And if you look at the population of Muslims in the state,
31:45the number five, the five MLAs are equivalent to that.
31:48There has been no over-representation of the Muslim community from the Muslim League,
31:53if you have given the five seats.
31:54So I don't think there is any injustice done to that.
31:56And as an ally, they have been a strong ally of the Congress
31:59and they have not created any problems in the past also.
32:02So why is it going to be a problem?
32:04The Muslim League has the largest UDF constituent.
32:08Okay, I want to bring it.
32:09Okay, allow me to bring in Mr. Antony on this.
32:12Allow me to bring it.
32:13Okay, allow me to bring in Mr. Antony on this.
32:16Mr. Antony, the counter charge that the Congress makes is,
32:19IUML is not communal.
32:21You, which is the BJP, is communal.
32:23It is with what Rahul Gandhi said,
32:25Jitni Abadi Utna Hak, equal representation in terms of the population,
32:30in terms of the number of seats.
32:31The IUML fought 27, they won 22.
32:34And it would, again, if there is natural justice in politics,
32:38it demands that they be accommodated in at least five cabinet births.
32:41It's happened before during Uman Chandi's reign.
32:46So, see who the Congress or the UDF chooses as the leader
32:50or how the cabinet composition is completely their discretion.
32:52It's not the BJP's.
32:54But the Bharatiya General Party has been very clear that,
32:56finally, this time, it was proved very clearly that the IUML and their MLA's
33:01were more significant in the process of choosing the Chief Minister of the UDF
33:06and the Congress than the Congress MLA's.
33:10And today, my esteemed panelist was telling,
33:13where did you get the numbers?
33:14There was this whole asharat that was going on in entire Kerala for almost 10 days,
33:20because there were three contenders.
33:22And, you know, one of the biggest argument which Mr. Venugopal and his camp was making
33:28is that he was the person who was the High Command and Mr. Gandhi's choice
33:33and also that he has more than two-thirds of the MLA.
33:36So, either we have a misrepresentation of facts outside
33:39or it seems like some of the senior Congress leaders are misrepresenting,
33:44misguiding the public.
33:45So, this is all there in public record for 90s.
33:47These are not my numbers.
33:48These are numbers that were out there in media, including, like,
33:53all around the place, including Malayalam media and English media for 10 days,
33:56which showed what this MLA support of each of the three contenders were.
34:01And our point is only this, that finally it was proved that 22 MLA's of the IUML
34:06and the IUML proved to be more decisive in choosing the Chief Minister of Kerala
34:10than the Congress MLA's and what they wanted.
34:12So, this is all we are saying.
34:13And that we feel we'll have a certain kind of political pinch in that state.
34:18Okay, I want to get final comments.
34:18But, Mr. Rancini, you know, I'm not going to ask you that question
34:21because it's uncomfortable, but the sweet irony in all of this is
34:24with what is also being reported in a lot of Malayalam channels,
34:27is that the final word of the Congress going in with Mr. VD Satishan
34:32came from your father, Mr. Rancini, who said,
34:34let's not have two by-elections by having KC Venugopal,
34:37A, where he will fight and somebody will have to vacate a seat for him,
34:41and then the by-elections on his Lok Sabha seat.
34:45So, interesting, but that's how politics plays out sometime.
34:48Final comments, sir.
34:49One minute, Mr. Rostin, your time begins now.
34:52Like I said in the beginning, all the euphoria,
34:55your chief minister is on the clock,
34:57especially with the five-point guarantee that he's promised
34:59and he'll need to deliver.
35:02Preeti, I'm very happy to say that we have started on a very positive note.
35:06The ministry formation has gone on smoothly,
35:08and within two days after the CM has been decided,
35:11we've decided the entire cabinet, they've sworn in,
35:13and the first ministerial decisions have also come out,
35:16where two fall promises have already been taken shape,
35:18and we have also addressed the ASHA workers issue,
35:22and the KG teachers, AYA workers, as well as the cooks,
35:26who are also under the president, they have also been given
35:28a small token of 1,000 rupees each incrementally.
35:32And I am very sure the finance portfolio,
35:35which is going to be handed by the CM,
35:37is going to see a lot of restructuring.
35:39We are going to address the dire financial straits the state is facing now,
35:43and we will, in the due course of time,
35:45we will definitely address all the fall promises that we have made,
35:49and it is going to be a continuation of welfare politics,
35:52along with very developmental-oriented politics,
35:54and our intention is to retain the youth talent of the state,
35:58as well as address the welfare of the senior citizens.
36:01It is going to be a balance of both.
36:02Just like the ministry, which has 14 newcomers,
36:05a balance of old as well as youth, experience as well as new energy,
36:08this is going to be a new direction in the history of Kerala state.
36:12We are very, very positive on that.
36:17All right, your final two minutes, Mr. Anthony.
36:23For a long time, one thing which we have seen very clearly
36:26is that wherever a Congress has come back,
36:28wherever they have found a state government,
36:29they haven't repeated for a long time,
36:32and that is because they haven't been able to deliver on their governance.
36:34Now, you look at Kerala, they have given so many promises for a long time,
36:39like five-point formulas, like so many welfare schemes, etc.,
36:42including free birth rights,
36:44which we already have seen that in states like Karnataka,
36:46in Talangana, in Himachal, etc., they are struggling to make.
36:50And Kerala's financial situation is so bad,
36:52that we can guarantee that they won't be able to deliver,
36:54you'll be seeing a lot of appeasement.
36:57And alongside all this, you'll be also seeing the rise of certain,
37:02like, appeasement politics.
37:04One thing we can guarantee is that during all this,
37:06people in Kerala, just like 22 other states in India,
37:10where they have chosen a double-engine government.
37:12Kerala also, you'll be seeing the Bhardejanda Party grow in the next five years.
37:16You'll see our first government in Bengal now, in Assam now,
37:19and you're going to, our third government in Assam now,
37:21we all start with three states, three seats in all these states.
37:25Kerala also, you're going to see the rise of BJP,
37:27because people will finally...
37:29In Bengal, there were three and they rose to 77.
37:32Will the left's share now go to the BJP?
37:37Well, we'll only know in time to come.
37:38Thank you, Mr. Antony and Mr. Henry Austin, for joining us.
37:42Appreciate it.
37:43We're going to keep a keen eye on all developments.
37:45But there was one development that didn't quite happen,
37:48which many thought would have practically stolen the show,
37:52and which was the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
37:55attend the oath-taking ceremony of VD Satishanda.
37:59Why is it that Joseph C. Vijay, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu,
38:04didn't quite attend the oath-taking ceremony?
38:06At one end, you had the Congress which said
38:09that this could have been a huge security hassle,
38:12especially for Vijay, who is a Chief Minister,
38:16but he's also or was a superstar
38:19and would require extra amounts of security.
38:22There was a section within the Congress that also felt
38:25that they didn't want the spotlight to be taken away
38:27from the Congress today.
38:29It was their big moment.
38:30It should have been purely a Congress event
38:32where the spotlight remains solely on the Congress Chief Ministers
38:36and, you know, the achievement of the Congress coming in
38:39with a massive mandate after ten years.
38:41On the other side, there was also murmurs that,
38:44what if Vijay had attended?
38:45The whole show of strength of Rahul Gandhi with Vijay
38:49could have paved the way for an alliance in 2029.
38:53There could have been solid political messaging at the back of it.
38:56Then there is more speculation that, till now,
39:00the TVK hasn't allotted those two promised Cabinet births
39:03to the Congress just yet.
39:05So why is it that Vijay did not attend?
39:08Well, let's cut across to my colleague who knows it better,
39:12Akshita Nand Gopal joining us for more.
39:14Akshita, pray tell us why is it that Vijay was missing
39:18from the oath-taking ceremony this afternoon, this morning?
39:21So here's what we're hearing, Preeti.
39:23The reasons that have been cited by the CMO is one,
39:27crowd control.
39:27It would have been chaotic because fans then immediately
39:30would have gathered in large numbers.
39:32Vijay is huge in Keralam too.
39:34He has a huge fan following in Keralam as well.
39:36So crowd control, security issues would have been a problem.
39:40Secondly, also that he had other administrative commitments
39:43and that was cited by the CMO.
39:45But what's also interesting,
39:47and you know, it would be amiss of us not to mention
39:48that in the last 48 hours in Keralam,
39:51the TVK has been making big moves.
39:53Whether it's in Palakad, Wayanad or Trishur,
39:56you've had the TVK kind of focusing on big expansion plans
39:59leading to questions of whether Vijay is also eyeing
40:03neighbouring Keralam next, perhaps in 2031
40:05and therefore was worried about the kind of political messaging
40:08if he was involved in this kind of a big Congress UDF bash in Keralam.
40:14You know, this is something that everyone is speculating on,
40:17but we have images, we have confirmation of the multiple TVK events
40:21that took place in Keralam over the weekend.
40:26Well, multiple TVK events, and that wouldn't go down very well,
40:30Akshita, with the Congress, will it?
40:31Because of TVK trying to make inroads this time in Keralam,
40:35Congress has always complained that its allies, especially on a regional level,
40:40have grown at the cost of the Congress itself.
40:43And now you have another challenge,
40:45which is practically standing at your doorstep in Keralam,
40:48who happens to be your ally that you are power sharing with in Tamil Nadu.
40:54No, you're right.
40:55And, you know, even in the power sharing,
40:57we still don't know what are the births or why that hasn't happened,
41:01why the allocation to two Congress MLAs hasn't happened in Tamil Nadu.
41:04And amid that, the fact that Vijay has chosen not to be a part of that photo op with Rahul
41:09Gandhi,
41:09who chose, by the way, to be there despite the last-minute notice from TVK,
41:13to be there for Vijay swearing in.
41:15The optics definitely don't work very well here.
41:17But as far as TVK is concerned, and you speak to TVK sources,
41:20they say, look, our friendship with Congress remains,
41:23our alliance, our tie-up with the Congress remains.
41:25What will ultimately be the test, perhaps, is 2029, Preeti?
41:28And whether we will see, like the Congress wants, Vijay,
41:31campaigning for the Congress in states like Kerala.
41:34Maybe that will really decide which way this alliance is going
41:37and whether Vijay is aye in Kerala,
41:39or whether he will be a comfortable part of the alliance and do his bit for the Congress.
41:46Well, right now he's quite comfortable.
41:49He also has a splinter group of the AIDMK, and you are right.
41:53Those two cabinet births, as promised, still haven't yet been delivered.
41:57Thank you, Akshita, for giving us the deep dive and the inside details
42:01on why is it that the Tamil Nadu chief minister was missing,
42:05because till early this morning it seemed that he could come, and then he didn't.
42:08I want to take you through some tragic details that are emerging right now
42:12in the Twisha death case.
42:14Her parents call it murder, they call it harassment and a dowdy death.
42:18On the other account, the parents and her in-law say that she took her own life.
42:24The last final video has now just been released.
42:28You can see on your television screen the final moments of Twisha captured on camera.
42:33The CCTV images show Twisha going upstairs.
42:36Moments later, she was given CPR on the stairs.
42:40On camera, Twisha's body being taken downstairs.
42:43Now, these were the last images that were recorded from the CCTV cameras
42:47at the residence of the in-laws.
42:50I want to immediately cut across to my colleague Ravish,
42:54who's joining us from Bhopal with more details coming in.
42:57Ravish, the final video of Twisha's Nikla,
43:01which is shown in which you can see that he's going up,
43:04then he's giving CPR on his body,
43:07and taking his body down.
43:08What details are you, what you can see?
43:14What details are you, what you can see?
43:27How can you see?
43:44What details are you.
43:51What details are the subject with this exhibit,
43:58Aziz?
43:58This is an exclusive video that India Today has accessed our viewers.
44:03This is the claim of Tvishah's in-laws.
44:08It is now seen in the video footage.
44:12The family says that Tvishah was only on the floor.
44:18She hit the floor and went down to the floor.
44:21After that, she went down to the floor.
44:24She decided to save the floor.
44:28But she will not be able to do this.
44:37How much is Tvishah's in-laws when Tvishah is up and down?
44:42This is CCTV, the parents of the family are in-laws.
44:46That's the recording.
44:48How much is Tvishah's in-laws?
44:54How much is Tvishah's in-laws?
45:01How much is Tvishah's in-laws?
45:22What is Tvishah's in-laws?
45:23But they wanted to encourage him.
45:24So they have to counter their allegations,
45:25which is the most important thing to them.
45:31From where they can't have the same cause.
45:35He was registered. He didn't see AIMS in the right way. He didn't see AIMS in the right way.
45:43He didn't see AIMS in the right way. He didn't see AIMS in the right way.
45:45But today, his mother-in-law had been attacked by his mother-in-law.
45:49His mother-in-law was retired judge.
45:52He said that AIMS was never gone before.
45:58He got hit by his mother-in-law in the right way.
46:25foreign
47:17okay all right thank you for joining us till now with what we know in terms of the cctv images
47:23in
47:23terms of whatsapp chats at least on the basis of whatsapp chats does signify that Luisha was
47:30being harassed by her in-laws and she made that very evident to her family to her mother to her
47:36father and to her cousin as well repeatedly so over a month who is responsible we don't know
47:42whether this is murder whether how you know the death has taken place or she took her own life
47:47but the fact is i think one needs to step back and really look into and question even when it
47:54comes down to parents if Luisha was being harassed by her in-laws and they must pay for it what
47:59about
47:59her parents over a month she kept saying that she cannot live in that house yet her parents
48:04kept telling her to compromise a word that has become synonymous with dowry deaths
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