- 2 hours ago
The Supreme Court of India has upheld the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, ruling the process constitutional and essential for free and fair elections.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Good evening, you're watching India First. I'm Gaurav Savan.
00:04The Supreme Court has upheld the Election Commission's special intensive revision of the Electoral Roles or the SIR process in
00:13Bihar.
00:14The Supreme Court said the process is legal, constitutional and essential to ensure free and fair elections.
00:22So the Supreme Court also rejected petitions filed by opposition parties and some activists who had alleged that this entire
00:30exercise actually violated the Representation of People Act and perhaps in their appreciation could lead to arbitrary deletion of voters.
00:41The Supreme Court observed that the Election Commission has the constitutional authority to carry out voter roll purification exercise for
00:51the need to remove fake or ineligible entries from the electoral rolls.
00:56The Supreme Court also said deletion from the voter list does not automatically amount to declaring a person a non
01:04-citizen and said any citizenship-related determination can only be made by competent authority under law.
01:11The verdict has triggered a massive political face-off, the BJP insisting that the Supreme Court order is a moral,
01:22political and constitutional defeat for the opposition.
01:27Opposition parties say they will continue to raise issues and their concerns over the implementation and the manner of implementation,
01:36the procedure and in their view, possible exclusion of genuine voters.
01:41We'll get you all sides of the story. That's our top debate on India First.
01:46Also coming up on India First, rebellion in the ranks rocks the Trinmul Congress. More than 100 Trinmul Congress councillors
01:56have now resigned in the past several days.
02:00TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Nastidhar, she's resigned from all key positions of the Trinmul Congress.
02:05leaders are now openly questioning not just Abhishek Banerjee, but also Mamata Banerjee.
02:12Now, they're questioning their leadership. They're questioning certain decisions.
02:17In fact, there are direct questions that are being asked of the so-called Diamond Harbour model.
02:23The result of the Falta polls, bi-polls and the so-called Diamond Harbour model and we'll talk about this
02:29in greater detail.
02:30BJP says, and this is tongue firmly in cheek, they're saying if the top brass decide, TMC as a party
02:37will cease to exist.
02:39There are multiple rumours going around, political rumours and we'll tell you more about that during the show about people
02:47wanting to shift lock, stock and barrel.
02:50Also, coming up on India first, a big story on Atmanirvar Bharat and especially Atmanirvar Bharat in defence.
02:59The Ministry of Defence has issued requests for proposal RFP to three shortlisted bidders for the development and production of
03:07five prototypes of the AMCA, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft.
03:11This is the fifth generation fighter jet, the made in India stealth fighter jet.
03:15Now, this will have an estimated cost of over 15,000 crore.
03:18This will pave the way and very, very significant, pave the way for a second fighter jet production line in
03:25India.
03:25So, you already have the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and then there'll be a second line which the nation so desperately
03:31needs.
03:33Three shortlisted bidders for this project.
03:35Tata Advanced Systems Limited, Larson and Tubro, of course, with Bharat Electronics Limited and Bharat Forge and Bharat Earth Movers
03:44Limited.
03:45So, there are domestic companies that are moving forward in this direction and we'll talk about that.
03:50But first, I want to focus on the special intensive revision of the voter list showdown.
03:57In a verdict which will have far-reaching consequences, landmark is being described that could shape the future of electoral
04:04roll verification across the country.
04:06The Supreme Court today upheld the Election Commission's SIR exercise in Bihar ruling.
04:11It is constitutional, it's legally valid and it is necessary to protect the integrity of elections.
04:19So, let me give you five top takeaways from the Supreme Court verdict.
04:24The Supreme Court made it clear that under Article 324 of the Constitution and the Representation of People Act,
04:32the Election Commission has the power to conduct special intensive revision of the voter rolls.
04:37The Supreme Court said free and fair elections do not only depend on the polling day,
04:43but also on accurate, credible and clean electoral rolls.
04:48The Supreme Court rejected the charge that was being levelled or the opposition's challenge that the Bihar SIR process was
04:59not legitimate.
05:00The Supreme Court said it served a legitimate constitutional purpose and was not merely an administrative exercise.
05:08The Supreme Court ruled that the process contains adequate systems of safeguards, including notice, hearing, objection, speaking orders and an
05:19appeal mechanism to protect genuine voters in the country.
05:24Remember, the focus is on genuine voters in the country.
05:29The Supreme Court upheld the Election Commission's document verification framework, saying the prescribed documents were not arbitrary
05:36and that they were aimed at ensuring administrative consistency and evidentiary reliability.
05:43The APICS court, the Chief Justice of India, the APICS court observed that after decades of migration, urbanization and large
05:53-scale voter additions and deletions,
05:54a fresh verification exercise could not be termed either unreasonable or disproportionate.
06:01Importantly, the Supreme Court clarified that merely because a person's name existed in an older voter list does not mean
06:08that the Election Commission cannot re-verify the entry.
06:12However, the Supreme Court also underlined a key safeguard.
06:16Deletion from voter lists does not amount to declaring anybody a non-citizen of the country.
06:23The Supreme Court bench said Election Commission can examine citizenship only.
06:27And this is very important.
06:29The Election Commission can examine citizenship only for the limited purpose of deciding inclusion or exclusion from the electoral rolls,
06:38while the final determination of citizenship remains with the competent statutory authority.
06:44In fact, the Supreme Court directed that all such cases involving citizenship-related deletions from Bihar's voter rolls must now
06:52be referred to the competent authority
06:54within the next four weeks for due legal process and hearing.
07:00So, each and every concern, claim, allegation, counter-allegations raised by activists and oppositions,
07:08have they actually been addressed by the Supreme Court in its verdict?
07:12One of the biggest arguments made by petitioners in this case was that the Election Commission did not have the
07:19authority to conduct such a massive voter verification exercise.
07:22The Supreme Court categorically ruled that the EC derives both constitutional and statutory powers under Article 324 of the Representation
07:34of People Act to carry out an SIR or a Special Intensive Revision of the Electoral Risk.
07:40The petitioners had also claimed that the SIR exercise effectively amounted to a citizenship verification drive by the Election Commission,
07:51which it was not entitled to do.
07:53The court, however, clarified that the EC can conduct a limited scrutiny of citizenship,
08:00but only for the purpose of deciding inclusion or exclusion from the electoral rolls,
08:05and that the final determination of citizenship of any individual remains with the competent statutory authority under the law of
08:13the land.
08:14So, the EC can do it for the point of view of voting.
08:18Another major contention that was raised that the burden of proof had unfairly been shifted to the voter.
08:25But the Supreme Court held that asking a voter to produce documents is a legitimate and reasonable part of any
08:34verification exercise aimed at maintaining clean and accurate voter rolls.
08:39The opposition had warned that the SIR exercise could disenfranchise millions of genuine voters, as they put it.
08:48On this, the Supreme Court pointed to multiple safeguards that had been built into the system, built into the process,
08:56including issuing a notice, hearing, objections, appeals, and a judicial review,
09:04saying that these protections are sufficient to prevent arbitrary exclusion.
09:09The court also rejected claims that documentation framework was arbitrary, ruling instead that the Election Commission's rules were reasonable, flexible,
09:20and designed to ensure administrative consistency and evidentiary reliability.
09:26And finally, on the charge that the exercise itself was disproportionate and that it was exclusionary,
09:33the Supreme Court ruled that after decades of migration, duplication, inaccuracies in the electoral rolls,
09:41the special intensive revision of the voter list, this exercise satisfies the constitutional test of proportionality
09:48and serves the larger goal of electoral integrity for free and fair elections.
09:56Now, the Supreme Court verdict on Bihar's SIR process has triggered a massive political showdown.
10:03The Bharatiya Janata Party called it a victory for democracy.
10:07They said, of course, it's a defeat for the opposition's vote-chori charge.
10:12The Election Commission clean voter rolls.
10:15The BJP insists all of this is happening.
10:17The opposition says concerns over implementation and wrongful deletions, that still remains.
10:25So, let's get you all sides of the story on this debate.
10:31After a decisive and massive defeat in Bihar and West Bengal and after their nefarious design to instigate
10:44anarchy in the country and getting no response, so that was a moral defeat,
10:49Now, on the floor of the Supreme Court, there is a complete rejection by Supreme Court on their plea on
10:59SIR.
11:00Now, this can be termed as the constitutional defeat.
11:05So, I can say that after this judgment of Supreme Court, the complete defeat of opposition,
11:16Congress party in particular and Mr. Rahul Gandhi in particular has been summarized as PCM, political, constitutional and moral defeat.
11:53The election commission's vote-chori charge.
12:00So, let's look at the details of West Bengal and Tamil Nadu elections.
12:10If you don't like the West Bengal, or if you don't like the Tamil Nadu,
12:14or if you don't like the Tamil Nadu,
12:19if you don't like the Tamil Nadu,
12:21the only thing you can see in the US is,
12:25the only thing you can see in the US is,
12:28the only thing you can see in the US is,
12:52Thank you very much.
13:10of India, took all of the Polish parties in the US before, and told them, they gave us
13:18their advice.
13:19But after that, when it started, there was no problem in the country.
13:24Now, in Bengal, there was 70,000,000,000.
13:27He wanted to support the Supreme Court, but he couldn't agree with it.
13:30He couldn't agree with the UDC officers, but he couldn't agree with it.
13:33So, for me, I should do a post for 6 months or 3 months.
13:39So, when the SIR process was completed in Bihar, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar,
13:45he called it a success.
13:46Today, after the Supreme Court verdict, the CEC shared his old message.
13:51The EC shared the message of Gyanesh Kumar in which he asserted that the poll body was,
13:57is, and shall remain with the voters.
14:00Listen in.
14:02First step for national building is voting.
14:07Therefore, every citizen of India, who has completed 18 years of age, should become an
14:15elector, and should always vote.
14:18In accordance with the Constitution of India, electoral laws, rules, and instructions issued
14:26to be there.
14:27The Election Commission of India was, is, and will always be with the voters.
14:37So, does the Supreme Court verdict upholding the legality of the SIR, the Special Intensive
14:43Revision of the Electoral Rolls by Election Commission, finally settle the debate, at least
14:47in context of Bihar?
14:48Joining me on India first is Dr. Ajay Kumar, National Spokesperson of the Congress Party.
14:53Toohin Sina represents the Bharatiya Janata Party.
14:56Kapil Mohan is an advocate in the Supreme Court of India.
14:58Rajat Sethi is an author and political analyst.
15:01Also with us is Mohamed Ameen, former Joint Director of the Election Commission.
15:05Somebody who was keenly involved in analyzing this entire process.
15:10But let me begin by asking you, Dr. Ajay Kumar.
15:12The Supreme Court, in its verdict, very clearly stated that the SIR satisfies the test of
15:18proportionality.
15:19The exercise serves the legitimate constitutional objective of ensuring accurate, complete,
15:25and credible electoral rolls, which are foundational to free and fair elections.
15:30The Supreme Court found that the measures adopted were neither excessive nor arbitrary,
15:35and adequate procedural safeguards were built into the process.
15:39Sir, was the opposition fear-mongering on when it alleged vote-jury?
15:47No, the first question I think is, you know, Gaurav, you are conflating so many…
15:51First of all, the kind of certificate you are giving to the Election Commission is exemplary.
15:57Sir, I give no certificates.
15:59The Supreme Court…
16:00Gaurav, listen boss, you need to listen.
16:02You said it, so I need…
16:03I'm just saying that you went overboard more than what the judgment was.
16:08First question is, the legality, we were challenging the… there were two aspects we were challenging.
16:16One was the procedure.
16:17That is just before elections you do it.
16:19And I want to ask you a question.
16:20Forget everything else.
16:22Why can't you do this SIR one and a half years before an election?
16:25Now that you have in a court, you have this appeals court, 80% of the people who are appealing
16:30have…
16:31their demands have been found correct.
16:32Till now, 80% in Bengal.
16:34That means out of the 27 lakh people who were excluded from the election, most probably 80% will be
16:42found to be valid voters, based on what the data is coming out.
16:46Then you think the election process is fair?
16:49If you exclude 20 lakh people from voting, is this good for India or bad for the Indian democracy?
16:55First question.
16:56Can you do it one year in advance?
16:58Yes, you can do it in advance.
16:59Can you give adequate time for people so that the appeals are over before the election happens?
17:03Yes.
17:04Our issue was, we challenged the validity and the procedure.
17:09And you need to give me a little extra time, Gaurav, because there is a lot of contradictions on what
17:15the Supreme Court has said.
17:16The first point is, the Supreme Court says that the only person who can decide his citizenship is the Ministry
17:24of Home Affairs.
17:25But we will deny you the right to vote based on that you may not be a citizen of India.
17:31Who is deciding? Election Commission.
17:32But the authority to decide who is a citizen.
17:35One second.
17:36Rajat, hold your horses here.
17:38I am just saying, the authority to decide who is a citizen is MHA.
17:42But you are denying the people to vote based on your interpretation that he is not a citizen or not
17:49fit to vote.
17:50That means you are taking a call on the citizenship.
17:52First question.
17:53The second question is, the Supreme Court during all these hearings introduced Aadhaar.
17:59They introduced so many documents, no?
18:01Out of the eleven documents, now the Supreme Court is saying Aadhaar is not a guarantee for citizenship, accept it.
18:08Out of the eleven, the only one which is acceptable for citizenship, which one? Passport.
18:13One person of India has passport.
18:16So what is the basis of a lot of contradictions?
18:19One second.
18:19I'll complete, because it needs, no, it needs a little amount of mentation.
18:23So indulge me for thirty-seven, one minute, because I, and then I'm ready to, the third issue, which is
18:29most important, which I continue to tell you, is if the people, the process should have happened one and a
18:34half years back.
18:35And I'm sure Rajat and Tween and everybody else will agree with me that you can do it.
18:39Please make the electoral rolls updated, but give opportunity to people to challenge it.
18:43And the last, most important part, which I wanted to keep saying is, the election commission, the Supreme Court failed
18:54to cast, cast, to highlight that the election commission finally had to take the help of the BLAs, had to
19:07take the help of political parties, had to take the help of NGOs to help citizens to get their papers
19:12in place.
19:14My most important submission is, you can update the electoral rolls, Gaurav, no issues at all, and the validity of
19:21SR has been clarified by the Supreme Court.
19:23So that's not a debatable thing, it's a point of law now.
19:26The question is, do you want people to lose their right to vote and then be reinstated after the election?
19:32Is that how the BJP wants to, and that's why BJP is saying that we have done a great job.
19:36And the last point, they're jumping on the Supreme Court judgment.
19:40Why didn't they jump for the electoral bond judgment?
19:42Electoral bond, sir, I'll get the BJP to respond to that.
19:52But, sir, with due respect, I am no one to give any certificates.
19:57I only quoted the judgment, sir.
19:59Sorry, sorry, apologies.
20:00You know, word for word.
20:01Apologies.
20:02Not one interpretation from my side.
20:04Apologies, apologies, Gaurav, sorry.
20:05Sir, but let me bring in Tuhin Sinha to respond to some very valid points you raised, sir.
20:11Tuhin Sinha, the Supreme Court, upheld the SIR.
20:14The opposition says, it's at ground level the implementation that was rushed.
20:19Why could the same process not be carried out one year in advance, one and a half year in advance,
20:25so that, you know, grievances, grievance redressal, going up the chain for grievance redressal, all of that can effectively be
20:32addressed.
20:32So that if a genuine voter is left out, that should not happen, sir.
20:40Well, good evening, Gaurav, good evening, everybody.
20:43You know, this opposition, apart from not being able to read the writing on the wall, it seems has also
20:49not been able to comprehend repeated, you know, court rulings since July, since July or August last year.
20:57And today's judgment is the most compelling, most, you know, conclusive one, where three important points have been settled once
21:05and for all.
21:06Number one, it's a constitutionally mandated exercise.
21:09Number two, it is necessary to protect the interest of genuine voters.
21:13And number three, enough safeguards were in place.
21:16Now, the only bone of contention of this opposition seems to be the timing.
21:21Now, I don't know whether they've not heard the saying, better late than never.
21:25You know, we have, if 27 lakh people have been found to be illegal voters in the last elections, obviously,
21:34that is extremely unfortunate.
21:35But we have been, we have been, you know, observing the illegal practices of certain political parties.
21:42And in fact, even in the last few months, the BLAs of both the Congress Party, do I need to
21:46remind you of the Minta Devi fiasco in Bihar, which was the creation of Congress BLAs?
21:51Instead of supporting the exercise, both TNC and Congress parties only tried to sabotage the exercise.
21:59Had it not been for the sabotage, attempted sabotage, which the BLAs of these two parties, you know, were trying
22:05to do throughout the exercise, things would have been way better.
22:09So many illegal voters would not have, you know, I mean, things would have been settled more mutually.
22:14And so many people would not have been not able to vote.
22:17So you are laying the blame for delay at the doorstep of the opposition.
22:23Okay, let me bring in Kapil Madan quickly for the legal perspective, because the court also observed that the object
22:31sought to be achieved by the SIR bore a direct nexus with the constitutional goal of ensuring free and fair
22:36elections,
22:37noting that such elections did not merely rest on the mechanics of polling, but fundamentally dependent on integrity, accuracy, credibility
22:44of the electoral rolls, which form the foundation of a democratic process.
22:49Clearly, Mr. Madan, the court did not find merit in the opposition, saying that the process was arbitrary or questioning
22:56even the timing of it.
22:59Now, Gaurav, let me begin by giving the context to our viewers.
23:03Now, when this petition was argued before the Honourable Supreme Court, primary contention before the Supreme Court was that this
23:09exercise, which was done under Article 324 of the Constitution of India, does not permit.
23:17The 324 power does not permit because the law, Parliament has already enacted a law under Section, under Article 327.
23:24While rejecting this argument, the Honourable Supreme Court said that 324 and 327 needs to be harmoniously read together.
23:32And no one can dispute the fact that, you know, our electoral roll should be proper, they should be pure,
23:40and only people who are entitled to vote should vote.
23:44There cannot be absolutely, you know, no two ways about it.
23:48But having said that, let me also, you know, give another point of view, electoral purity cannot become a license
23:56for a mass suspicion.
23:57I mean, you can't presume that your entire electoral roll is bad.
24:02That's the reason why you want to do this exercise, mass exercise, in a very, very short period of time.
24:07I do agree with what Ajayi has said during the opening argument, that once you want to do this exercise,
24:15you will also need to ensure proper checks and balances, proper safeguards to ensure no credible, valid voter stands excluded.
24:25Because if you are excluded, you will have to go to a rig morale of filing an appeal, then filing
24:34a second appeal before the elections.
24:36And, you know, there are many people from Bihar who are, you know, migrants or, you know, who are, you
24:44know, temporarily out of seeking employment.
24:47They may not have time, they may not have resources, and they may not have legal guidance to contest if
24:56they were wrongly deleted from the voter list.
24:59No, but that is where Dr. Ajayi Kumar's party, RJD, BJP, you know, other parties, they should come forward, and
25:07if somebody's been wrongly deleted, have their names added.
25:11It's been done in Bengal, but of course, this debate is purely on the point of view of Bihar for
25:15the moment.
25:15But a very pertinent point that Dr. Ajayi Kumar and you raised, and I want to keep it moving, sir,
25:20with your permission.
25:21Rajat Sethi, critics still question the timing of the SIR process in Bihar.
25:26Of course, subsequently, even in Bengal, but right now in Bihar, if the process was not done in four decades,
25:32why just before elections in Bihar?
25:36So, again, this question is not, should not be directed to an analyst, it should be directed to an election
25:42commission.
25:43The election commission, I believe, well within their rights, they would have done their own assessment, well within their constitutional
25:49rights,
25:50to arrive at a conclusion that the electoral rolls, the existing electoral rolls cannot conduct a free and fair election.
25:58They reached to that logical conclusion, and once they reach to that logical conclusion,
26:03it is their constitutional obligation thereafter to clean the rolls.
26:08No matter, you know, if it even goes to the wire and they have to do it in a short
26:12period of time, they have to do it.
26:14There is no going back once they realize that the electoral rolls are problematic.
26:19Second, around Bihar election, you know, simultaneously in Bengal election, these are the two election states where opposition has created
26:28a lot of hue and cry.
26:30Simultaneously, we forget that there are other states where a similar exercise has happened.
26:34This exercise has happened in Tamil Nadu also and in Kerala also.
26:38Did you hear a single grouse from any of these voters who also had to, you know, show their paperwork
26:44and get enrolled in the SIR?
26:45No.
26:46My problem is that opposition, you know, they want to cherry pick selectively and try and call it a horse,
26:53where they don't have any logical sort of proof to say that it was done deliberately or it is not
26:59within the rights of the election commission.
27:01What the Supreme Court today has said is very clear that it is the constitutional duty of the election commission
27:08to actually do what it deems fit to conduct free and fair elections.
27:14And they kept digging into the free and fair argument in great depth.
27:18And I believe Ajayi, sir, should actually go and understand how philosophically and constitutionally did this argument of free and
27:25fair election,
27:26as you said, it is not just about the mechanics of being able to conduct a poll.
27:30It is also about ensuring that the entire process of it is as close to accuracy as possible.
27:36Dr. Ajay Kumar wants to come in.
27:39Yes.
27:39Before Dr. Ajay Kumar comes in.
27:40No, let Rajesh come in.
27:41No, let Rajesh come in.
27:42I want to bring in Mohamed Amin, sir, especially on the point that have been raised multiple times on the
27:49timing of this process.
27:51That fine, nobody is challenging that you need clean electoral rolls.
27:54You have to ensure that non-citizens are not voters.
27:57But why should this process happen just before elections, Mohamed Amin, and not one year earlier, as Dr. Ajay Kumar
28:06asked.
28:11Gaurav is very clear today from the verdict of the CGI, and you see, every time the duty of the
28:19election commission is to do election as per law in free and fair poll in the country.
28:25Now, from the end after the independence, and nobody can challenge, but this time, last five, three, six years, I
28:32have seen the propaganda of the opposition parties.
28:35They are blaming illegally, they are blaming regarding the EVM machine, they are challenging the voter eye card, and this
28:46is the system which is developed by the election commission of India with constitutional.
28:50So, that is why the duty of the election commission to certify and rectify their voter list, and do the
28:59country's election free and fair.
29:01I don't know why they are interfering regarding the time.
29:04Time, I can say, after this is the problem is created by the Rahul Gandhi.
29:10Why?
29:10After the Delhi election, Haryana election, after the Maharashtra election, he has raised the question that the lakhs of the
29:18voters are deleted by the election officers in the Maharashtra,
29:22and lot of the deletion done by the election commission for the opposition voters, and not the included lakhs of
29:32the votes in BJP's favor.
29:35So, that's why the election commission has decided, this was done in 2002 and 2003.
29:41So, the election commission has decided for the SIR, means death votes are deleted, migrated voters are deleted, double voters
29:49are deleted.
29:49That's right, this process is started, and the time was very short, but the duty of the election commission, they
29:56have it nicely in the Bihar, Bengal and Assam.
29:59Fair enough sir, fair enough sir, Dr. Ajay Kumar?
30:01Kerala we have, Pondichari we have, they don't have any question.
30:05Absolutely, Dr. Ajay Kumar, opposition won about 35 seats in Bihar.
30:09In Bengal.
30:11Yes, opposition won about 35 seats in Bihar, Congress had 6, RJD had 25.
30:16But, sir, all this talk of vote chori, or taking away rights of Dalits, or Muslims, or marginalized, was it,
30:24as is being asked, was it to hide the failure of political parties to galvanize the voters?
30:31Opposition accuses the EC of being an extension of the BJP, or words to that effect.
30:35The Supreme Court's rejected these charges, and you heard, Amin Sahib, on the timing issue.
30:42No, Mr. Amin seems to be born after 2014.
30:45Mr. Amin, before that, BJP was saying about EVM, one sec, hold it.
30:49The BJP said about EVM, you didn't mention it before 2014.
30:52You're an ex-government official coming and talking politics.
30:55Sir, you know, some grace.
30:57One sec, one sec, hold it, sir, I didn't interrupt you, so you please.
31:00I didn't interrupt you, you please listen.
31:02First of all, don't talk like a politician, join BJP, no.
31:05No, 2014 BJP was saying about EVM, one sec, 2014 BJP was saying about EVM, you didn't mention that.
31:12So don't talk politics, sir, you talk about this process.
31:15Answer my question.
31:16Can this SIR have happened one year before?
31:19First question.
31:20Second issue is, Rajat, I was telling you, SIR, you didn't do, one sec.
31:25Why?
31:25One sec, one sec.
31:25My dear, nobody has spared the election commission.
31:29Everybody has had the objection.
31:30First question, sir, I'm asking you a question.
31:31But always the election commission has free and fair poll in the country.
31:34No, no, first question.
31:35Sir, one by one, we'll just wait for Dr. Ajay Kumar to ask you the question, then I'll come to
31:40you to respond.
31:40Mr. I mean, if you are an ECI official, don't talk politics.
31:43You want to talk politics, talk politics.
31:46Then join BJP, I have no issues with you.
31:48But don't come saying ex-ECI official, one sec, one sec.
31:52Every time, I'm telling you, every time, everybody has their objection against the election commission of India.
31:59Yes, sir, but the election commission of India has done it, free and fair poll in the country.
32:04I cannot talk to him.
32:07Mr. Ameen, Mr. Ameen, I'll just wait for Dr. Ajay Kumar to complete his point, then I'm coming to you
32:11to respond.
32:11My question is, this, when retired government official, I was a retired government official, became a politician, I resigned from
32:18the Indian police service, came into politics.
32:20I don't pretend to be a government official, speak for the government.
32:23My only question to Mr. Ameen is, if you come as an ex-ECI, talk like an ECI, ex-ECI
32:29person.
32:29I have nothing against, he can favor the BJP, I have no issues.
32:33My question is the process.
32:34You don't do an SIR, in Assam, you don't do it.
32:37In Tamil Nadu, there were a great deal of objections.
32:40It has not been highlighted.
32:41Some, I think, 25 lakh people have been deleted.
32:43The question of Bengal became, because it went to the Supreme Court, everybody objected to it, Bihar became political.
32:48And the intervention of the fairness of election commission was much more covered in the press in Bengal and Bihar.
32:58But my question to Rajat is, the Caesar's wife, it's like being the Caesar's wife, you can, the Caesar's wife
33:07should be above reproach.
33:08The election commission should have been above reproach.
33:11The election commission today, there were other election commissions during Congress time, people also cast aspirations.
33:17There were also times when nobody cast aspirations.
33:19Won't you like the election commission to do this process, Tuhin or Mr. Ameen, won't you like to do a
33:25process where everybody who is being deleted in that list,
33:29can he not go for an appeal before an election and cast his vote or not cast his vote if
33:33he is not a citizen?
33:34Fair enough.
33:35You've raised a fair point.
33:36Is it a bad request?
33:37Since you've raised multiple points, one by one, Mr. Ameen, you respond first since a direct point was made at
33:42you and then Tuhin and then Rajat.
33:45Go on, Mr. Ameen.
33:50Madam Mamata Banerji has gone to the Supreme Court and the direction of the Supreme Court of India, the legal
33:58means the judicial system has involved in this further petition.
34:04To listen to the petition, how the voters are deleted from there.
34:09So, they have the appeal on that in front of the judicial officers.
34:13All judicial officers were from Bengal and this was process done by the judicial officers in the interference of the
34:20Supreme Court of India.
34:22So, this process was not done by the election commission of India.
34:25So, justification or any injustice done by the judicial officers, not by the election commission of India.
34:33So, they have seen all the papers are legal papers or not.
34:36If they have the legal papers, means 14,400 were allowed in 1427 are not allowed.
34:44I don't know if they have proper evidence or not.
34:48They have proper papers or not.
34:50So, as a paper, they needed the paper before giving the decision.
34:55They were all the legal officers and they are the judicial officers.
34:59Sir, but the point does remain, even if a single voter, genuine voter, was unable to vote, does that not
35:04raise question about this exercise?
35:07And Rajat, since a point was made about Caesar's wife has to be above suspicion, all these aspersions that are
35:14being cast at the EC, does that raise…
35:17Yes, Tuhin, I am just coming to you. Rajat, quickly respond to what Dr. Jay Kumar said and then I
35:21am coming to you, Tuhin.
35:23So, this entire framing of election commission being Caesar's wife, that framing in itself is wrong.
35:30Election commission is the Caesar.
35:33So, you know, let's not…
35:36You know, you try to slightly put it, Ajay Daab, that is wrong.
35:40See, as a citizen, again, I don't belong to any political party here.
35:44Yes, more time could have been given.
35:45Ideally, if I were, you know, if I were in that position, I would have said let there be precedence
35:51rule in the state of West Bengal for six months
35:54till the time election commission is not absolutely satisfied that it has the perfect list in hand with due process
36:01given to every citizen who was removed
36:02and thereafter conduct the elections.
36:04But would Mamata Banerjee or would the Congress Party allow precedent rules to be put in in the state of
36:10West Bengal?
36:10My open question to all the opposition leaders here.
36:13They will never allow that.
36:14Correct.
36:14And that is the fundamental problem.
36:16Correct.
36:17Here, the opposition is very much in complicit with, you know, conducting this so-called quote-unquote disenfranchisement
36:24because they do not allow a president's rule to be put in states where an SIR is happening right around
36:30the corner when the elections are due.
36:32Okay.
36:33So, this could be when you want to agree to that point because I also want to bring in Kapil
36:38Madan on the same point that the election commission cannot decide citizenship.
36:43At the same time, for the aspect of voting, they can check whether a non-citizen should be or should
36:50not be in the electoral rolls.
36:55Well, it's very simple.
36:57It is the job of the election commission to ensure that only legitimate voters vote.
37:03And that is precisely what they have been doing.
37:05You know, I find it very unfortunate to see the way my friend Dr. Ajay Kumar was casting expressions on
37:12Mr. Ameen, you know, attaching motives to it, saying that he's a political person.
37:17Unfortunately, whoever shows mirror to the Congress party becomes, you know, becomes a political person.
37:23He falsely dragged, you know, in equivalence with the BJP.
37:26Just one second.
37:27He falsely dragged an equivalence with the BJP casting expressions pre-2014.
37:32But let me tell you, the only time we did that was in 2009 when there were a lot of
37:36anomalies,
37:37including in the case of P. Chidambaram, whose case was disputed, Sivakasi election, and that litigation went on for many
37:44years.
37:45But the moment Supreme Court mandated the use of VVPAT, we have not once questioned the electoral process
37:53because we believe in the sanctity of the Supreme Court, unlike the professional, you know, activists like Yogendra Yadav,
38:00who today once again have cast aspersions on the Supreme Court also.
38:03Sir, since he's not on the debate, I would request you to avoid names.
38:05The individual is not here to defend himself.
38:07Just ten seconds.
38:08Go on, sir.
38:11No, it's a fact.
38:11He's a litigant.
38:13Let me call him the litigant.
38:14Now, finally, let me also address the timing part of it.
38:18See, I mean, there are many interpretations, there are many views on whether elections could have been postponed and all
38:23of that.
38:24Let me tell you that, you know, well, you know, that is something which is open for, you know, debate
38:29for a very long time to come.
38:31But that would not have changed the election results in 21 out of the, in 11 out of 21 constituencies
38:39in West Bengal,
38:40where maximum deletions have happened, PMC has lost.
38:43So, you know, that would not have impacted the verdict.
38:46However, today, the discussion and the verdict is purely on Bihar.
38:50But Kapil Madan, that very contentious issue of citizenship.
38:54The election commission cannot check citizenship of an individual.
38:58However, the Supreme Court has said they can, whether a non-citizen can vote or not.
39:04This aspect they can.
39:05Whether a person will be sent out of the country or not, that only competent authority can do.
39:09That issue also effectively settled by the Supreme Court, sir?
39:14So, Gaurav, let me begin by saying, again, I would just reiterate what I said in my opening remark,
39:19that while your purpose, while your objective is correct, that you want to have a pure electoral role,
39:25but the process that you will be followed to achieve that objective needs to meet a test of just, fair
39:33and reasonable.
39:34And in my understanding, looking at the entire scheme of things, the kind of time frame they had,
39:39and the fact that now the Supreme Court have also said that they can also look into the aspect of
39:44citizenship also
39:46to find out whether he is a valid voter or not.
39:49I think if you analyze this, this yardstick of just, fair and reasonable, I think this, sir, exercise would not
39:59comply with this test.
40:02This is…
40:02Why you would be happy for a Bangladeshi to vote here in these elections or a Rohingya?
40:07That, no, why, the Supreme Court has said, and Mr. Ameen, you can correct me if I am wrong,
40:14the Supreme Court said, whether a person is a citizen or not, action to be taken or not will be
40:20decided by competent authority.
40:22But whether he will vote or not, only an Indian can vote in Indian elections.
40:26Mr. Ameen, do we understand that correctly?
40:31No, no, no, election commission has the right only to give you the, see my form, form 6, form 7,
40:38form 8,
40:38every form, in the last you can see, I am a citizen of India.
40:42So, the election commission is giving the right franchise to vote in the country for only the Indian citizen,
40:49not to the foreigners.
40:52Fair enough.
40:53I will let that be the last word on this part of the show.
40:55But this is a debate we shall continue to have.
40:58I want to thank all my guests.
41:00I want to shift focus to the other big story.
41:02And what began as an electoral setback for Mamata Banerjee in Bengal
41:06is now threatening to snowball into a full-blown rebellion within the Trinamul Congress in Bengal.
41:13And it's being seen as a major embarrassment for the TMC, senior MP, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidhar.
41:19She's quit all organizational posts within the Trinamul Congress.
41:24She cited scandals that rocked the Trinamul Congress.
41:29Her move came just a day after she attended a meeting that was chaired by BJP Chief Minister,
41:36Shwendu Adhikari, in the state.
41:39Now, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidhar is not the only one.
41:43More than 100 Trinamul Congress councillors have resigned in recent days.
41:48There is speculation, there's a bigger rift within the Trinamul Congress.
41:53And there are other top leaders who are now weighing their options.
41:57Senior leaders like Sukendu Shekhar Roy, for example.
42:00They've openly criticized the party at different forums.
42:05Now, to add fuel to fire, the BJP says,
42:08TMC, there are a number of TMC leaders who actually want to jump ship
42:12and they want to come to the Bharatiya Janata Party.
42:15But Shwendu Adhikari will take a call whether that will happen or won't happen.
42:20But here's a report on how Mamata Banerjee,
42:23after the electoral defeat in Bengal,
42:26is facing perhaps the biggest challenge in Bengal.
42:33The Trinamul Congress is staring at one of its biggest political crisis
42:37yet after the BJP's rise to power in West Bengal.
42:44The party is rattled and public has turned on them.
43:01Now, one after another,
43:03senior leaders are beginning to distance themselves from Mamata Banerjee.
43:09In a major embarrassment for the Trinamul party,
43:12MP and one of Didi's long-time loyalist,
43:14Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar has resigned from all organisational posts within the party.
43:24In her resignation, she has cited multiple corruption scandals,
43:28from the oration scam to the recruitment scam
43:31that erupted during the TMC regime.
43:34What has raised eyebrows further is the timing of her move.
43:39Her resignation came just a day after she attended an administrative meeting
43:43chaired by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
43:48Apart from TMC MP, six MLAs, including Binda Mondal and Anisur Rahman,
43:54were also part of the meet.
43:58Earlier, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar had stepped down
44:01as the Trinamul's Barasat district president.
44:04But she is not alone.
44:06The rebellion within Trinamul is spreading.
44:10More than 100 TMC councillors have resigned over the past few days.
44:16On Wednesday, two councillors from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation
44:20also quit their post.
44:24There is now intense speculation that another Mamata confidant,
44:28Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakeem, may also be considering stepping down.
44:36As the Trinamul battles this fresh political storm,
44:40the BJP claims this is only the beginning.
44:44BJP MP Saumit Rakan says as many as 20 TMC MPs and 50 MLAs
44:50are ready to cross over.
44:52A claim that Trinamul has strongly dismissed.
44:55And a claim that she has not been done for all.
45:36From defections and resignations to growing internal unrest, the cracks within the TMC
45:43are becoming harder to ignore.
45:46And the big question now, after losing the polls, is Mamata Banerjee now beginning to
45:51lose control of her own party?
45:53Bureau Report, India Today.
46:06It's a major boost to India's indigenous defense manufacturing ambitions, Atmanirbhar Bharat
46:14in defense and that too in fighter jets.
46:17The Ministry of Defense has issued RFP, a request for proposal for the prototype development
46:22for India's fifth generation fighter jet, the advanced medium combat aircraft, the AMCA.
46:28This is India's flagship fifth generation stealth fighter jet program.
46:32This move marks a very crucial step forward in India's attempt to join an elite group of
46:38nations capable of designing, developing and taking to the skies of the next generation
46:47stealth combat fighter, the fifth generation stealth fighter.
46:51Of course, there are three consortiums that have been shortlisted for this extremely ambitious
46:56project.
46:57These include the Tata Advanced Systems, Larson and Tubro in partnership with Bharat Electronics
47:04Limited and of course Bharat Forge with BEML.
47:08Hindustan Aeronautics Limited or HAL, it's not a part of this consortium or this bidding.
47:15That's the second line.
47:16So now you have two lines of fighter jet manufacturing because those are the numbers that India desperately
47:21needs.
47:22The AMCA is expected to be a highly advanced multi-role stealth fighter equipped with cutting
47:28edge technologies including, well, it should be very low on the radar observability, internal
47:36weapon base, super cruise capabilities, advanced electronic warfare systems and next generation
47:41avionics.
47:42Now, the aircraft is being designed to significantly strengthen the Indian Air Force and to make
47:47it future combat ready at a time when regional air power competition is intensifying.
47:53Remember, China already has a fifth generation fighter fleet and China is already selling
47:58fifth generation fighters or at least there's a proposal to sell them to Pakistan.
48:02But there are very few countries that can make a good fifth generation stealth fighter.
48:07China of course is rapidly expanding its fifth generation fleet.
48:10officials indicate that due to the complexity of design, testing and integration of stealth
48:15technologies, the AMCA program is likely to take several years.
48:19Of course, these are only prototypes until the final product is inducted.
48:25Hopefully, it'll become operational around 2025 but that's a tall ask.
48:29I quickly want to cut across to India today's Sandeep Puneethan joining us with the latest
48:34on this.
48:34Sandeep, a very important step finally taken should have happened much earlier but the fact
48:42that there are three Indian consortiums that are in the fray.
48:46What do you make of the step being taken now and the flight path ahead?
48:51Well, Gaurav, you know, this is India's most ambitious project to build a fighter aircraft.
48:57We already have the light combat aircraft Tejas that's, you know, being built by HAL.
49:03This is a fifth generation fighter aircraft and a fifth generation fighter aircraft very
49:07quickly is something that has all-round stealth capabilities that has super crews which is the
49:14ability to fly supersonic without using afterburners which has internal weapon base which means nothing
49:20is carried externally on under the wings and finally it has sensor fusion capabilities.
49:26It has the ability to crunch massive amounts of data.
49:29So, this is the kind of aircraft we are attempting to build all by ourselves.
49:33Now, very few countries in the world have this capability as you've outlined.
49:37It's primarily, it's the United States and it's China and Russia as a distant number three.
49:42China has one of the world's largest fifth generation fighter fleets.
49:46In fact, after the United States, it's the only country with two fifth generation fighter aircraft
49:52in service.
49:53They would have something like a thousand fifth generation fighter jets by the end of this decade.
49:58So, India should have done this, Gaurav, years or decades ago.
50:02We began this in 2007 but better late than never, Gaurav.
50:07Now, we've got on with it.
50:08These, what happened today is that those three consortiums have been awarded this,
50:14have been asked to bid for this thing of making those first five prototypes.
50:19Now, these, one of these three consortiums, Costatas is all by themselves.
50:25One of these three companies, consortiums is going to be given the contract to build the first five
50:31prototypes of the advanced medium combat aircraft.
50:34Fingers crossed that they keep to time, they keep to time and they're able to deliver because
50:39India needs the fifth generation fighter jet as quickly as possible.
50:42Sandeep, for the moment, many thanks for joining me.
50:44We'll have much more on this big story on battle cry for you over the weekend.
50:50But I want to take you to Mumbai for the moment because remember that Bakreed sacrifice controversy,
50:55that's now escalating.
50:57It started at Thane.
50:58Now, there's a housing society in Mumbai where this issue has cropped up once again.
51:03There are fresh confrontations that are taking place.
51:06It's taking place in Ghat Kopar.
51:08It's taking place in Dindoshi.
51:09After the Thane controversy, residents are divided over goats being brought inside a residential housing
51:16complex for the ritual sacrifice on Eid.
51:19Political parties have now entered the fray and this debate is now turning into a larger battle.
51:25It's not just about religion and identity, but it's about hygiene and whether animal sacrifice
51:33can be permitted in public places without clearance from municipal authorities inside a housing complex.
51:40Take a look at this report.
51:44The showdown over sacrifice is seeing round two.
51:48After Thane's housing society, the new battleground is Ghat Kopa's Sagar society,
51:53where tensions flared over goats being brought into the premises ahead of Bakri Eid.
52:00Residents opposing the sacrifice say the presence of goats inside the society
52:04has made living conditions unbearable, calling it a hygienic nightmare and a public health hazard.
52:11The threefold effect.
52:13One is foul smell, environmental pollution due to hairs and other things, feces and everything.
52:20Muslim residents hit back, saying that Kurbani has been taking place here for 27 years.
52:28With permission now revoked, residents say they are ready to move the BMC and even the courts.
52:44As the stand-off intensified, BJP leader Kirit Sumaya reached the spot, declaring that
52:49Hindus cannot be threatened and warned against what he called was religious mafia giri.
53:17The sacrifice has now been stopped in all wings of the society.
53:22And Ghat Kopa isn't the only flashpoint.
53:25At Mumbai's Azad Nagar D3 housing society in Dindoshi, tempers boiled over after residents
53:31protested against a temporary goat shed set up by Muslim neighbours inside the premises.
53:40The protest escalated rapidly, forcing local BGP co-operator Priti Satam to intervene.
53:46Yeah.
53:46foreign
54:23Meanwhile, the political rhetoric around Bakarid has turned even sharper.
54:27BGP MLA Sanjay Upadhyay sparked outrage by saying that they will answer quotes with picks.
54:56While SP leader Abu Azmi accused BGP leaders of provoking communal tensions.
55:12And amid the noise and the confrontation, Bhopal is offering a very different picture.
55:16Where eco-friendly symbolic goats have been introduced for sacrifice.
55:27BGP MLA Sanjay Upadhyay
55:56From Meera Road to Ghat Koper to Dindosh.
56:02Mumbai's housing societies are no longer debating just maintenance and parking.
56:06They are now battling over religion, identity and public assertion.
56:12And unless authorities step in with clear rules and designated spaces,
56:15every Bakarid risks becoming another Hindu-Muslim flashpoint waiting to explode.
56:21With Vidya, Mustafa Sheikh and Ravi Singh in Mumbai, Biro Report, India Today.
56:27Jai Jai Prima!
56:29Jai Jai Prima!
56:30Jai Jai Prima!
56:30Jai Prima!
56:32Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay is in Delhi for the first time after taking over as the Chief Minister
56:38of the State.
56:39All eyes on that very high-profile political outreach in the national capital
56:44And he had a packed day of meetings
56:46The Chief Minister first met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Seva Teert
56:50There was a one-on-one interaction that lasted nearly 25 minutes
56:54Now, in this meeting, the Chief Minister cited a list of matters
56:58A series of matters linked to Tamil Nadu
57:00And urged the Prime Minister to urgently consider them
57:03Vijay thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi
57:05For bringing back ancient copper plates from Holland recently
57:08He also touched upon that very sensitive issue of Karnataka's announcement
57:12Of a dam project in Mekedatu
57:16Which would affect water availability downstream in Tamil Nadu
57:20Now, another big request he made to the Prime Minister
57:22Was for the state anthem to be permitted to be played
57:25At the beginning of government functions
57:27Now, after the meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi
57:30Chief Minister Vijay also called on Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman
57:34In the national capital
57:35During this meeting, Vijay highlighted Tamil Nadu's fast-paced economic growth
57:39And sought priority funding for major infrastructure projects
57:44He requested the finance minister to increase support for ports, highways, railways expansion
57:50And industrial corridor aimed at boosting the state's manufacturing
57:55And that it would directly impact national growth
57:58We'll get you more on this big, big story
58:01But that is all I have for you on India First this evening
58:04Many thanks for watching
58:05News and updates continue on India Today
58:07Stay with us
58:09And visit our Facebook now
58:10Viewers
Comments