- 2 days ago
The Karnataka government has demanded that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) disclose its funding sources, legal status, and registration details, citing an internal report on its footprint.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Good evening, hello and welcome. You're with the news today, your prime time destination, Tuesday night.
00:04This is where you get all the news of the day. News with perspective, news without the noise.
00:10Let's tell you what we have on the show tonight.
00:13Our big talking point, the Karnataka Home Minister has taken on the RSS in an unprecedented demand
00:20to asking the organization to disclose its source of funding.
00:24Today, Priyank Kargay is among my special guests today as the RSS and he are engaged in a face-off.
00:32That's going to be a big talking point. Also, days to go before the big heat UG retest.
00:38Is the government ready with its preparations? Are they foolproof this time? We'll find out that too.
00:44But first, as always, it's time for the 9 headlines at 9.
00:48Prime Minister Modi meets Donald Trump for the first time in a face-to-face after 16 months during the
00:56G7 summit in France.
00:58All eyes now on the key Modi-Trump bilateral meet tomorrow. Trade talks are expected to dominate.
01:08Lebanon threat looms over the West Asia peace deal to be signed later this week after Israel refuses to move
01:15out of Lebanon.
01:16Trump tells Netanyahu to act responsibly. Let Syria handle Hezbollah.
01:25Buzz grows over a possible split in Uddev, Thakre, Sena, UBT.
01:30At least half a dozen MPs in touch with the BJP leadership, Sena, UBT continues to deny reports of them
01:36switching sides.
01:41Trinamul Congress leader Mamata Banerjee challenges the Babanipur verdict in the Calcutta High Court, cites reasonable evidence for bias.
01:50BJP calls Deedee's move a futile attempt after her election defeat last month.
01:58Center bans Telegram until the 22nd of June to curb, cheating ahead of the NEET retest.
02:05National Test Agency says fraudsters are using Telegram to spread misinformation and create fabricated evidence of paper leaks.
02:16The Vijay government in Tamil Nadu releases a white paper on the state's finances.
02:21Tamil Nadu's overall financial liabilities rise to 13.18 lakh crores.
02:25Tamil Nadu finance minister says debt burden nearly doubled under previous DMK rule.
02:32In an exclusive interview to India today, Karnataka's home minister Priyank Khargay doubles down on his targets on the RSS,
02:40says the organization will have to reply to his letter asking for their source of funding, says no organization is
02:47above the law.
02:51Amid allegations of a donation scam at Ayodhya's Ram Mandir, a three-member SIT conducts an 8-hour probe.
02:57Trust, however, rejects the discrepancy charge.
03:00Samadwadi Party Congress demand a judicial probe.
03:06And India's southwest monsoon has stalled after an early start-dealing arrival in Mumbai by more than a week.
03:12City on track to record one of its driest jewels in nearly two decades.
03:31Okay, but let's turn to the story that we are breaking right at the very top of the news today.
03:36And it is that big photo op that's come in from France where the G7 summit has seen Prime Minister
03:43Narendra Modi
03:43and U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands for the first time.
03:47After 16 months, a face-to-face meeting has been held by the two leaders in a period where much
03:54has changed,
03:55particularly the war in West Asia and the on-off trade talks.
04:00Remember, only a handshake this time.
04:03There were no hugs this time between the two leaders.
04:06This was after the photo op at the G7 summit where India is a special invitee.
04:12All of this is leading to a countdown to the big bilateral meeting scheduled between Prime Minister Modi and Donald
04:20Trump
04:20that will take place tomorrow in Evian in France.
04:23That meeting could well set the stage for a potential trade deal that is expected to be signed,
04:29according to many, in the know early next month.
04:33So all eyes now are on the Trump-Modi meet that is expected to take place tomorrow.
04:40Today was the photo op.
04:41Tomorrow we expect the substantive discussion between the two leaders.
04:45Our Chief Diplomatic Correspondent Pranay Upadhyay is at the moment in Evian.
04:50Pranay, what's on the menu of the two leaders when they meet tomorrow?
04:55What is the likely focus?
04:57Is it trade or is it the war that's just concluded in West Asia and its repercussions for the world?
05:02Or a bit of both?
05:05Absolutely a bit of both and many more things will be on the agenda or on the table of Prime
05:10Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump when they will be meeting.
05:12But as you can see, Rajdeep, the tone and tenor of this meeting has already been set.
05:17Both leaders met, though there is a cautious optimism.
05:21It is quite evident from these visuals.
05:23There was no hug in this meeting of President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
05:28But yes, absolutely there was a handshake and a longish handshake.
05:31They held that conversation which was cordial.
05:35And this meeting is happening on a third country.
05:38So therefore, if you ask me that will there be any tangible outcome of this meeting?
05:42Will there be any big announcement?
05:44You know, I don't see any big announcement coming out of this meeting.
05:46But absolutely, in the past 16 months, a lot has happened in India-U.S. ties.
05:51Many things have happened.
05:52So as far as India's viewpoint is concerned, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be meeting U.S. President Donald
05:57Trump,
05:57absolutely he will be talking about the bilateral relationship, going for a start of that relationship,
06:03taking that relationship forward and realizing the potential of taking the bilateral trade up to $500 billion,
06:09as both leaders have said in February 2025.
06:11But for that, you know, the hiccups or the roadblocks of the tariff or the other trade issues need to
06:19be minimized,
06:20need to be contained.
06:21For that, a bilateral trade agreement is required to be signed as soon as possible.
06:26Besides that, be the issue of visas, be the issue of H1B, you know,
06:31of problems Indians or Indian professionals are facing in the United States,
06:34or even the recent issue or recent incidents of Indians targeted by the U.S. Navy in the state of
06:43Orboz.
06:43All these issues will be there.
06:45But the predominant thing or the thing which will be, you know,
06:49which will be dominating the conversation will absolutely be this Iran-U.S. deal
06:54because President Donald Trump has reached France after, you know, giving his go-ahead for the Iran deal
07:01and not very far from this place, Avion, across the Geneva Lake in Geneva, in Switzerland.
07:07This deal will be signed on Friday and definitely it releases tension,
07:10not only on U.S. President Donald Trump domestically,
07:14but also is the tension of the energy supply.
07:16So all these issues will be there on the bilateral agenda of Prime Minister Modi and U.S. President Donald
07:21Trump.
07:26Okay, that's a very comprehensive meeting likely to take place tomorrow.
07:31We'll, of course, track that very closely with you, Pranay.
07:34Thank you very much for joining me at the top of the news.
07:36Okay, let me turn from there, though, to the story which is one of my top focus
07:41because it's not often that a Congress Home Minister chooses in the times in which we live
07:46to target the RSS so directly.
07:49Well, that's exactly what Karnataka's Home Minister or new Home Minister Priyank Karge has done.
07:55Yesterday, he released an open letter to the RSS chief demanding that the RSS disclose its sources of funding
08:03and register itself in terms of what he said was necessary under the law.
08:09That has sparked up a huge controversy with the RSS claiming that this is a political gimmick by the Congress
08:15Party.
08:16But it does focus attention on the organization that is the ideological mentor for the Bharatiya Janata Party.
08:26Why is the RSS and the Karnataka Home Minister finding themselves in a tug-of-war?
08:32Should the RSS disclose its source of funding?
08:36That's my top focus.
08:37Take a look at the story first.
08:46Priyank Karge ups the ante.
08:49The Karnataka Home Minister has written to the RSS demanding a reply from the Nagpur-based outfit
08:55on its legal status and financial details.
08:58In the letter, the minister quoted an annual report by the RSS decision-making body Akhil Bharatiya Pratenidhi Sabha
09:07and said the RSS has 4,127 daily shakhahs, 1,389 weekly melons, 60 monthly mandlis, 2,194 samajot serves
09:20with over 19 lakh participants in Karnataka.
09:23He added that RSS held 562 route marches with over 2 lakh uniformed participants in the state.
09:31Karge claimed that an organization with such scale and influence must clarify its legal status, registration, office bearers, funding, etc.
09:41He urged the RSS to register itself in its centenary year, pay applicable taxes and function transparently within the constitution.
09:50After taking over as Home Minister of the state recently, Karge has been persistently raising questions on RSS functioning.
09:57I have raised some legal issues, I have asked some constitutional questions.
10:01Let Mr. Mohan Bhagwat answer, let the RSS answer.
10:05Why should I answer?
10:07They are the ones, right, who are not registered.
10:11RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat speaking at an event in Kerala reacted to Karge's statements, dismissing them as a gimmick.
10:20This is politics and all these gimmicks are being tried.
10:25We will do that.
10:26We are used to it.
10:28Hindu dharma is not registered.
10:30Many things are not registered.
10:33Those who want to have funds from the government, they require registration.
10:38That has to be there.
10:40Over 100 years, nobody told us that you must register.
10:45Interestingly, successive Congress governments at the centre for many decades never insisted on RSS registering itself.
10:52Karge's demand, therefore, sets the stage for a face-off between the Karnataka government and the RSS,
10:59which Prime Minister Narendra Modi has described in the past as the world's largest NGO.
11:05Bureau Report, India Today.
11:10Okay, let me go straight to my newsmaker tonight.
11:13The Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Karge is joining me now on the show tonight.
11:18Mr. Karge, you have stirred a big controversy by writing this open letter to the RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat,
11:24asking that the RSS register itself, disclose its financial details, its taxation systems.
11:30Are you, in a sense, spoiling for a fight with the Rashtriya Swayam Sevaksang, Mr. Karge?
11:43Firstly, Rajdeep Ji, I don't know how is it called a controversy number one?
11:48And how am I itching for a fight when I'm just doing my job?
11:54And in my letter, it's very clearly stated that it is based on a report by the Akhil Bharatiya Pratinadi
12:06Sabha,
12:06which is the highest decision-making body of the RSS.
12:10And they have released a 2025-2026 report, which says that they have an extensive footprint in Karnataka.
12:19They have 4,127 daily shakas.
12:24They have 1,389 weekly melons and over 60 monthly mandalies.
12:31And they say that they have had more than 2,194 Samajotsavas, where over 20 lakh people have participated.
12:44They have had over 562 route marches in Karnataka, covering up to 3 kilometers,
12:51with closer on 2.2 lakh people participating in uniform.
12:55And this does not by any way look like it is a very random organization doing things.
13:04It looks completely focused.
13:07It is completely cater-based.
13:11And more importantly, when more than 20 lakh people are coming together under the name of an organization,
13:18isn't it the responsibility of mine to understand who these people are, what they do, why they do it,
13:27and where are they getting the funding from?
13:30But Mr. Kharge, the RSS says we are not doing any of this secretly.
13:36We have existed for 100 years as a social-cultural organization, they claim.
13:41And they, of course, it is well known that the Bharatiya Janata Party, the ruling party at the center,
13:46draws its inspiration from the RSS.
13:48The Prime Minister himself openly admits to being a pracharak of the RSS.
13:53This is therefore, according to the RSS, not some hidden organization.
13:56They are doing all their activities overground.
13:59As Mohan Bhagwat says, we are not hiding anything.
14:02He also goes on to add, Mr. Kharge, that there are many unregistered things going on.
14:08Hindu religion is not registered.
14:09What is therefore the necessity, you believe, for the RSS to be registered
14:14when it's not a secret organization, according to Mr. Bhagwat?
14:19I believe you have read my letter.
14:22Yes.
14:22And so has Mr. Mohan Bhagwat and the entire RSS and the BJP.
14:27Show me one line in that entire letter which, where I'm asking the Hindu religion or any religion to register.
14:37You're saying they're not underground organization, they're over the ground and they do everything in the open.
14:44You're asking for disclosing your funds.
14:46That's what I'm asking.
14:47You're doing things openly.
14:49You're doing things in a uniformed way, with uniforms.
14:51You're doing, you're having these marches everywhere.
14:57You claim to be the world's largest NGO.
15:00You claim to take Guru Dakshina.
15:02You claim to take donations.
15:03And that's how this organization runs completely voluntarily.
15:07So, what is wrong if I ask them to show the papers?
15:11No, no, because, no, no, no, no, no, Mr. Kharge, Mr. Kharge, Mohan Bhagwat says,
15:16all of what you're doing is a pure gimmick designed to grab the headlines and project the RSS in a
15:22bad light.
15:23This is Priyank Kharge, he says, waging a war in a way against a Hindutva force
15:28because he's ideologically opposed to the RSS.
15:31Therefore, this isn't about any specific legal provision that they are violating.
15:35You are waging a political war against the RSS.
15:41I might have ideological differences with 100 institutions.
15:45But that doesn't mean that they don't follow the law of the land.
15:50Irrespective of which ideology you come from, which philosophy you have,
15:54either me or Mr. Mohan Bhagwat or anybody else has to follow the law of the land.
16:01Just because you're a 100-year-old organization, that doesn't make you above the constitution.
16:09No, but what is the specific law in your view, Mr. Kharge,
16:14that the RSS is violating at the moment, the specific law?
16:21I don't even know under what law they are operating.
16:24That's what I'm asking them.
16:25What is your legal status?
16:27What's your organizational structure?
16:29I want details of the office bearers and the authorized representative,
16:33the sources of donations, contributions and income,
16:36details of the expenditure and assets.
16:38Under what guidelines should I allow them to operate?
16:40Because as far as I know, I don't find any law that I should allow them to operate under.
16:47So all I'm asking is, show me your legal status.
16:51Continue the great work you're doing.
16:52If you're the world's largest NGO, if you are so influential politically and socially,
16:59please show me your papers.
17:02I mean, you have an opinion about Pakistan.
17:04You have an opinion about the economic affairs of the country.
17:07You have an opinion about the foreign policy of the country.
17:09You choose the national president of the BJP.
17:12You choose who should be in the cabinet of every state or in the central government.
17:20And yet, you're not going to be accountable.
17:23Yet, you're not going to tell me who you are.
17:25Everybody knows about RSS, but nobody knows what they are, who they are.
17:32But isn't this a very high-risk target, Mr. Minister, strategy that you're taking?
17:38High-risk strategy, because many believe RSS is a hugely popular, influential organization.
17:43And if you target them in this manner, they will only use it to consolidate the Hindu vote bank further.
17:52I don't quite understand.
17:54You're telling me that I should not do my job?
17:57In fact, in a country where even Lord Ram is being held accountable,
18:05Everybody is asking, why have the funds donations gone missing?
18:13People are asking about Ayodhya temple.
18:15People are holding Lord Ram accountable.
18:17But I cannot hold people who do politics in the name of Lord Ram accountable.
18:21And what is the high-risk?
18:22People, my family and me have been in public life for over 50 years.
18:30If we do a good job, people will vote for us.
18:32If they think I've done a bad job, they'll vote me out.
18:35You know, Mr. Kharge, you're telling me on this show time and again
18:38that you're doing your duty as the Home Minister.
18:40Is it the duty of the Home Minister of Karnataka in your view to investigate the RSS
18:46in the belief that RSS is some shadowy organization without any specific evidence
18:51that they are actually engaging in unlawful activities purely on suspicion?
18:58What is the principle of natural justice, sir?
19:01Everybody is innocent until and unless you prove guilty, right?
19:04And I'm giving you a chance to come forward and tell it to the government.
19:09I'm not telling come and tell Priyank Kharge what you're doing.
19:13I'm saying come and tell the Home Minister of Karnataka.
19:15How is it that 20 lakh people are gathering in your name?
19:20Why do they gather in your name?
19:21Who are you?
19:22What are you?
19:23Where do you get your funding from?
19:24And it's not going to be between me and RSS, right?
19:28Whatever details you put up, we're going to put it up in public
19:32and everything is going to be legal.
19:35But as I said, Mr. Kharge, you've seen the response of Mohan Bhagwat to your letter.
19:40He has, as I said earlier, dismissed it as a gimmick,
19:43saying they've been targeted in the past, they've been banned, they've been boycotted.
19:47He's very dismissive of your letter.
19:49He doesn't seem to be in any mood to disclose any details.
19:52So what are you now going to do then?
19:56With all due respect, the clip that is being floated in the social media was on June 13th.
20:04And I had not yet written the letter or disclosed the letter by then.
20:08Although my letter also is dated June 13th, it was only on June 15th it was dispatched
20:13because it was a Saturday and Sunday and we could not dispatch the letter officially.
20:17So only yesterday I put that.
20:19That was for the older comment about that issue that happened in Chitapur and in Karnataka about RSS.
20:27I don't think he was aware that I have written to him officially or was RSS aware.
20:32And irrespective of whatever it is, I think whether your organization registered, not registered, or anything else,
20:43when the government writes to you, you are duty-bound to reply to it.
20:48You reply to it rightly or wrongly, that time will tell.
20:52But if you are going to be dismissive about a notification or about a clarification sought by the government,
21:04if you think that we are going to take it lying down, I think that's a very wrong way to
21:10do things.
21:11So what are you actually going to do?
21:14No, you're saying you're not going to take it lying down.
21:16Are you saying that you're going to act against the RSS now?
21:19If they do not respond to your letter, do not disclose their source of funding,
21:23are you ready to go to that extreme to actually act against the RSS leadership?
21:28I will act against anybody who is not following the law of the land.
21:33It is my duty to respect, to ensure that the law is upheld in my state,
21:39the constitution is followed in my state.
21:41And I have written very, very clearly, seeking seven clarifications, a seven-point clarification.
21:50And let them, if they are, tell me one thing, Rajdeepji, if you have nothing to hide,
21:54why are you allowing all these other people to talk on your behalf instead of you saying it?
21:59Just throw the documents on my face and put an end to it.
22:05I have asked seven questions.
22:07Tell me one of those questions that is illegal or that is unconstitutional or that is illogical.
22:14Just tell me, yes, Priyank, these seven questions that you have asked cannot be asked.
22:18It's unconstitutional.
22:19I will agree to it.
22:20No, no, let, let, so let me ask you, are you, are you saying that the, no, no, are you
22:25saying the RSS as it stands today is an unconstitutional body as your letter indicates?
22:29Do you believe that this is a body that does not abide by the constitution of the country, does not
22:34pay applicable taxes and does not function within the framework of the constitution?
22:39Give me a direct answer.
22:42I have sought clarification for that.
22:45I have never, in the letter, I have not stated anywhere that they are unconstitutional.
22:50I am asking their legal status.
22:51I have ambiguity in me.
22:54The government, I looked into the government records.
22:56There is ambiguity in, about the institution.
23:01So let them clarify.
23:02If I have a problem, it's just not about this institution, this organization, right?
23:07Any organization where I do not find clarity, I will seek for clarity and they're all duty bound, right?
23:15They're all constitutionally bound to answer to the government.
23:19They're not answering to an individual here.
23:20Can I, but can I ask you, are you doing this entire, are you doing this entire exercise in your
23:26personal capacity or have you been goaded by your father Malikarjun Gharge Congress President or by Rahul Gandhi, leader of
23:32opposition, both of whom have often taken on the RSS head on?
23:35Is this, as I said, ideological war you're waging on their behalf against the RSS?
23:43My party has given me a responsibility to safeguard the state and I'm merely doing my duty.
23:48It is not just some rant on social media.
23:51In my official capacity, on my official letterhead, I have asked certain questions and it is, whoever
23:58the organization it is, whether it is RSS, whether it is SDPI or whether it's a private company, anybody, they
24:04are duty bound to answer the government.
24:07So, no, that's interesting.
24:09It's interesting.
24:09You're, you know, are you saying that if there is a religious, cultural, Muslim organization, you just mentioned the SDPI,
24:15will they get, go through the same inquiry process?
24:18Will you subject them to the same scrutiny that you want to subject the RSS to today?
24:25Any institute, institution, organization that does not adhere to the constitution or does not adhere to the law of the
24:33land will have to be answerable to the government and to the people of Karnataka.
24:38So, even if the, even if this organization is linked, any organization linked to the Congress party tomorrow, any NGO
24:45linked to the Congress party, you will ask for similar questions to be raised.
24:49Will you raise similar questions on them as well?
24:54Constitution is same to the Congress, to the BJP, to Mr. Mohan Bhagwat and Priyam Kharliya.
25:05Okay. Constitution is the same, whether it's for the BJP or Congress, whether it's for Mohan Bhagwat or Priyam Kharliya.
25:10You're coming out fighting Priyam Kharliya. We'll see how this plays out.
25:14Appreciate you joining me. I want to get a RSS perspective now.
25:17I'm joined by author and former BJP MP and an RSS man, Rakesh Sina. Join me.
25:22Rakesh Sina, you might have heard Priyam Kharliya saying, no one is above the law, the constitution.
25:27The RSS must tell the world what its sources of funding are, how does it, its taxable income, it cannot
25:34be above the law.
25:35Your response.
25:39Rajdeep, June month is not good for the Congress. It's hardly five, seven days or eight days on 25th June
25:49when emergency was imposed.
25:50And I was surprised, I am surprised to see Priyam Kharliya is talking about the constitution, abide by the constitution,
25:58constitutional morality, constitutional authority.
26:00He should not speak like that. Because it is the Congress which coerced the constitution in 1975 and entire country
26:08was turned into prison.
26:10As for RSS is concerned, now I am replying his charges. You know, RSS is an ideological movement. Its only
26:19job is to inspire the people to work for the country, inspire the people to dedicate themselves for the society
26:25and to be part of the collectivism, not individualism.
26:30With such inspirations, people work in different fields with different organizations. Such organizations working in tribal areas, that is Banvasri
26:40Kalyanasana, it is a registered organization.
26:41Seva Bharti among dweller which has been operating 1,020,000 projects in the country, service project. It is a
26:51registered organization.
26:52Sanskar Bharti, Sanskrit Bharti, both are registered organization.
26:55No, but why should it not be under scrutiny? It may be doing good. Sir, no one doubts that the
27:00RSS is doing, may be doing good work in different parts of the country.
27:06Why should it, why should it, any organization, you will ask for funding of NGOs, they have to go through
27:12FCRA, if they are getting foreign contribution, they have to give it before the government, their licenses get cancelled.
27:18Why should the RSS not be subject to the same scrutiny? Is what the minister is saying. What is different?
27:27Rajdeep, RSS does not maintain any contribution. It does not, no contribution is tenable in the RSS, except the Guru
27:35Dakshina, which Swain Seva contributed in the days of Guru Dakshina.
27:39No foreign contribution, no other contribution, no direct contribution. It is only Guru Dakshina. Anybody who is part of Indian
27:47society knows how RSS functions.
27:49So all the other organizations, Seva Bharti, Sanskrit Bharti…
27:53So how do you organize such giant events? How are you able to organize such giant events? Why not just
27:58put it out in the public domain?
28:00No, let me…
28:02So why not put it out in the public domain that this is how much we have spent this year?
28:06You know, Rajdeep, Rajdeep, in fact, neither you nor Priyank Kharge understand the meaning of formal and informal organizations. There
28:16are certain informal organizations which operate like a river which flows.
28:21Or people who come to the Sakha, who does not come to the Sakha, we don't keep record. Priyank Kharge
28:27any day, Rajdeep, you can do experiment. Any of the Sakha, you are a critic of the RSS, you go
28:32to any of the Sakha, nobody would object. They would welcome you.
28:35You can sit there, you can play there, you can give lecture, you will listen to the lecture. This is
28:40the RSS. This openness is the RSS. No organization in the world is as transparent as the RSS. Now, I
28:47am coming to the other, one more instance.
28:50So all the land, all the land on which the Sakha's have been built, none of that… Are you telling
28:55me all the land, sir, all the land on which the Sakha's have been built, none of that has been
29:02done through any form of donations, none of which has to be put in the public domain?
29:09Again, you know, we take from the, only the Avaso and Sevaaks. We don't go through other people. Other organizations
29:16are, those who are registered organizations, they take donations from, they can take work from the government, they take CSR
29:24from the government.
29:24But RSS directly does not take either CSR or any donations from anybody. Once Ghansyam Das Birla, long ago, when
29:32Dr. Hedgibar was alive, offered donations to the RSS, he refused. Mother Mohamed Malavi offered donations to RSS to build
29:39a office, RSS refused.
29:41I am coming to the core thing. Southern Christian Leadership Conference was formed in 1957 by Martin Luther King Jr.
29:49It was an unregistered organization. This organization had done human service in America.
29:55This is a very wonderful organization that had worked for the civil rights of the blacks. It was not an
30:01organization. It was an umbrella organization, just like the RSS is an umbrella organization.
30:06Umbrella means it is only inspiring the people to work. You know, Rajdeep, in 2009, there was a flood disaster
30:13in Karnataka. It is the RSS Sevaabharati which worked. That was the registered organization.
30:18And it constructed 4,000 houses in Karnataka. Priyanka Kharge should go and see how the Sevaabharati works. In fact,
30:27he is a man who is a product of dynasty in the politics.
30:30And that is the reason to survive himself, to keep himself in limelight. He is trying to ride the anti
30:37-aracism.
30:38Rajdeep, you are a very veteran journalist. Priyanka Kharge was born in 1978. 1978-79 was an era when anti
30:47-aracism was used to break the Janata Party.
30:51So anti-aracism is now the old thing, old rhetoric. It is not going to work. It is only the
30:56Congress sectional fight that Priyanka Kharge is trying to score.
31:00And he should imitate at least his father. His father was a grassroot worker. But Priyanka Kharge's contribution in the
31:07field of education, society, or any field is nil.
31:11Instead of concentrating on law and order in Karnataka, instead of concentrating...
31:16Sir, I am going to leave it there. I have listened to you. I have listened to you.
31:18Instead of concentrating that, if I have not registered, he is trying to do a propaganda.
31:28Okay. You are saying it is propaganda. I am going to leave it there. You are saying it is only
31:32a political ploy on the part of Priyanka Kharge.
31:35But I appreciate Rakesh Sina, you joining me here also on the show tonight. Thank you very much.
31:40Just want to give some Twitter responses that are coming into our big question. Should the RSS disclose its source
31:45of funding?
31:46Aman Kumar says, if you and I need to disclose our earnings, then why not them?
31:50Even Prime Minister has to file his income tax record, then why not them as well?
31:55Sridhar Bhatt writes, diversification of his party's failure in development spent three good years in planning to change the Chief
32:03Minister.
32:04Parag Hede says, yes, definitely, but why now? Why did the Congress keep quiet for so many years when it
32:10ruled for majority of years at the centre?
32:13And Soumen Mohanty says, transparency shouldn't be selective. An organization with a footprint as massive as the RSS cannot claim
32:20to be a simple cultural body.
32:22When its ideological weight shapes the nation, if you wield public power, then you owe the public financial transparency, period.
32:29Okay, let me turn from there to our other big focus at the moment.
32:34And our other big focus today is on the NEET examinations. That's right.
32:39The NEET examinations are going to have a retest next week. 22nd is the big that.
32:45But before that, since we are talking about, since we are talking about the RSS, let me bring you a
32:52story that perhaps reflects part of that debate.
32:54The Ram Mandir in Ayodhya that stands as a symbol of faith for millions.
32:58Now questions are being raised over the handling of the donations of devotees and it has triggered a political storm
33:05with allegations of missing funds that are prompting a government ordered SIT.
33:10What is actually happening with the funds that are given to the Ram Mandir? Take a look at this special
33:17report.
33:26The grandeur of Ayodhya's Ram Mandir. The fate of millions. And now questions over the money offered at the feet
33:34of Ram Lala.
33:40The controversy began after Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Shadav alleged that crores of rupees from donations were missing and demanded
33:49a judicial probe.
33:51At the time, the Sri Ram Janmabhumi Teert Shetra Trust dismissed the claims, saying audits are conducted regularly.
34:18In a significant development, the Yogya Dithirat government ordered an SIT probe.
34:23The SIT has begun its probe and it has been tasked with submitting a preliminary report within seven days
34:29and a final report within 15.
34:49The issue escalated when BJP leader from Ayodhya Rajneesh Singh wrote two letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
34:57seeking greater transparency in the trust's financial operations.
35:02Then came former BJP MP Bridge Bhushan Sharan Singh, who claimed he is aware of alleged misuse of donations.
35:26The matter intensified after police detained a temple employee reportedly associated with the counting of offerings.
35:34During a search at his home, the cops reportedly recovered some cash.
35:41Temple Trust General Secretary Champat Rai's driver Ram Shankar Yadav is also under scrutiny over corruption allegations.
36:15The controversy as expected has invited strong politicians.
36:19political reactions from the opposition, who are questioning BJP's bhakti.
36:40needless to say, the temple stands as a symbol of faith.
36:44The donations are a reflection of devotion.
36:48But when questions arise over the handling of that money, transparency becomes as important as the belief itself.
36:56With Santosh Mishra and Samarth Srivastav, Bureau Report, India Today.
37:06The centre's efforts to ensure that the neat re-examination that is scheduled for the 22nd of June is conducted
37:13without any further controversies now extending beyond examination centres.
37:18Today the government decided to ban the telegram app.
37:22Blocking it, cyber-surveyance has been intensified and question papers are being airlifted under unprecedented security.
37:30Will all of this ensure a foolproof, neat re-test?
37:35Take a look at our other big focus.
37:50The battle to restore faith in India's biggest medical entrance exam is now being fought on land, in the air
37:57and online.
37:59Days before the need to re-test, the government has taken the extraordinary step of temporarily blocking telegram in India.
38:08The national testing agency claims the messaging platform was being exploited by cheating networks to spread misinformation and create fake
38:17paper leak narratives.
38:20Authorities say the move is aimed at protecting the integrity of the examination and restoring trust among students.
38:27It has taken a very big step to temporarily ban telegram. Why such a drastic measure necessary?
38:36The platform was continuously being misused by scamsters, by fraudsters, by sharing fake question papers as kind of genuine question
38:47papers
38:47and trying to fool people into paying for those question papers and trying to exploit the anxiousness that students have.
38:57At the heart of the controversy is telegram's message editing feature.
39:01The agency says this loophole was allegedly used to create misleading evidence of paper leaks.
39:08According to the NTA, administrators could allegedly edit old posts after an examination had concluded.
39:15Question papers could then be attached to those posts while the original time stamp remained unchanged.
39:22To the ordinary user, it could appear as though the question paper had been available before the examination.
39:29And confusion spread among students already under immense pressure.
39:36Now authorities are fighting back. Telegram access has been blocked until June 22.
39:43Its message editing feature for existing posts has been disabled till June 30.
39:49And the dedicated cyber surveillance network has been activated to monitor examination-related content online.
39:57The crackdown comes as the government rolls out unprecedented security measures for the NEAT retest.
40:04Question papers are being airlifted by the Indian Air Force.
40:08CRPF and CISF personnel are being deployed at examination centres.
40:14For lakhs of students, NEAT is not just an examination.
40:18It is years of sacrifice, years of preparation.
40:22This time, authorities say the challenge is not only to stop a paper leak.
40:27The big question, can the government restore trust?
40:31Bureau Report, India Today.
40:36Okay, joining me now, first the big question.
40:39NEAT retest preparation, are they really foolproof?
40:42Are the curbs on Telegram, the messaging app justified?
40:46Is this now going to be a big credibility test for the National Testing Agency?
40:51Joining me now, Pramod Maheshwari, Director and CEO, Career Point Quota.
40:55And Dr. Shikha Darbari, former Joint Secretary, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education.
41:00I appreciate both of you joining me on the show today.
41:05First, the big story today, messaging app Telegram being banned.
41:10Pramod Maheshwari, do you believe that this will have a salutary impact?
41:13The government says Telegram was being used to spread fake messages that the papers could be leaked.
41:26You're on mute, sir.
41:29You have to unmute yourself, sir.
41:31Yeah.
41:32Yeah, yeah, yeah.
41:33So, I believe that this is a good step to save the confusion, to save the assurance from protesters and
41:40scammers.
41:41But this will not ensure that NEAT paper will not be leaked.
41:45This is only an initiative to ensure that nobody spreads, you know, unnecessary kind of rumour that paper is being
41:55out and being, you know,
41:56and the students are being exploited, the parents are being exploited.
41:58But I don't think that banning 1-8 will address the key concern that NEAT paper or NEAT paper will
42:06not be leaked.
42:07So, you know, more initiatives to be taken by the government.
42:10And it's very difficult to build that trust after, you know, multiple failures and multiple years by the government and
42:15conducting the NEAT examination.
42:20You know, rebuilding trust is the key, Dr. Shikha Darbari.
42:23Do you believe papers being airlifted?
42:25We are showing these images.
42:27They are unprecedented.
42:28Is the government now in a position to restore trust or do you believe these measures are optics, but on
42:36the ground, the real test will take place on the 22nd?
42:41Certainly, I would like to say that this is, you know, it's like you are trying to kill a mosquito
42:47with a cannon.
42:48See, we have to see our weak points in the NTA system.
42:52We have to see the weak points in the whole sequence when the paper setter is being set, when the
42:58printing is being done, when the transport is being done, when the custody is being given.
43:03So we have to see the whole sequence.
43:05And I would just like to add to the earlier question that telegram for telegram, even the DG NTA has
43:12himself accepted that it is not a foolproof measure.
43:15And actually, if you see that this kind of rumours will come only when the paper is leaked.
43:22So telegram is a channel that you this is a social media channel.
43:27So, you know, it is a last channel after the leak.
43:31If the paper is leaked only then it will reach the telegram.
43:34So what we are doing by, you know, banning the telegram, we have to, you know, ensure that like in
43:40this case, we have not been till now we have not been able to punish.
43:44This Sanjeev Mukhiya and the OSS school, that was the culprits of 2024.
43:50When we allow the people to go, you know, it's got free.
43:54This is where the trust of the people go, go bad.
43:57Today, what we are doing today, we are, you know, I, I really feel that we are criminalizing the education,
44:04like we have criminalized the politics.
44:06Earlier, the people were fighting elections from the jail.
44:10Today, what's happening, the accused, Yash Yadav, he is being allowed to take exam from the jail.
44:16What we are doing in our democracy?
44:18What is this kind of justice that everybody is seeing?
44:22So trust factor is really at all.
44:25So you're not convinced? No, no, you're not.
44:27No, no, the government, the government says we are trying to make it foolproof because of all the pressure.
44:33We are airlifting the papers.
44:34We are doing what we are getting the air forces also got involved.
44:38You're not convinced that that will change things, ma'am?
44:41See, that, that, that I can say that because they have to conduct this paper in a very, very, you
44:46know, short time.
44:47So this will reduce the time.
44:49And obviously, this will help, help in the, you know, not leaking the paper, because when we employ the defense
44:55forces, we have that confidence that they will not compromise at any point.
45:00And this is where the India's moral and ethical values also come into picture that today Transparency International is trying
45:08to tell that our score is 39.
45:10It is above the global score.
45:13So what India is doing?
45:14We are making a Ram temple and we are the ethical values of Ram.
45:19So till the whole society, you know, they come up with the proper moral and ethical values.
45:26So you're, you're saying the real child, no, no, I take, no, no, but are you saying, are you saying
45:32therefore that the papers you believe still can be leaked?
45:35Even with all these, all these, this surveillance being put in place, you're telling me the papers can still be
45:41leaked, ma'am?
45:42I think this time they are taking extra, extra, extra care.
45:46Just like that once bitten, it's twice, it's twice shy.
45:49So they are trying to take all possible steps, which should not be taken in a normal examination, which is
45:57conducted every year.
45:58Why these kinds of things?
45:59So what NTA is supposed to do is to reform itself.
46:03But yes, I'm, I'm quite sure this time the paper will not be leaked.
46:06And if it is leaked, then it will be the biggest disaster for our country.
46:14I take your point, Mr. Maheshwari, very quickly, are you confident this time that the government has learned from its
46:20mistakes?
46:21Are coaching centers also now aware that they are also on test?
46:24Because in the past, their role has also come under scrutiny.
46:27Government says we are going to crack down on anyone who is caught up now anymore.
46:32We will have zero tolerance. Do you accept that? Do you believe everyone is on test now?
46:37So I think government is on the test for the sake, you know, for this neat examination, because they have
46:42to do the internal assessment.
46:43This time the paper was leaked by the government, by the government people in the NT office.
46:48It is not done by anybody outside the NT office.
46:51And they have not come up any, you know, answer to what they have done that it will not happen
46:58within the NT office.
46:59There is no clarity on that front.
47:01They are saying that Air Force is lifting the question paper.
47:04The question paper was not leaked by the transporters.
47:07It was not leaked by the test centers.
47:09It was not leaked at the center.
47:10It was leaked within the NTA campus.
47:13Now, what they are doing, they have not come up with any answer to that,
47:16that how they have made sure that it will not happen within the NT office.
47:21And that is, I think, the biggest question to the government.
47:24I believe that this time they must have taken a lot of, you know, serious steps not to, so that
47:30paper doesn't get leaked,
47:31but still the answer is awaited from the government, what kind of precautions they have taken.
47:36Within the NTA and within the ecosystem, which is setting up the question paper, that's the key question.
47:42Right.
47:46The test for the government on the 22nd.
47:50Right.
47:51We will wait and see whether the government can pass the test.
47:53Forget about the students passing the test this time.
47:56This is a test now for the government of India, particularly for the education ministry and the NTA to pass
48:02this time.
48:02I appreciate my guests joining us.
48:04We've run out of time tonight, but I want to leave you with an image of the day, a nice
48:08positive image.
48:10Ma'am, after the West Asia peace deal announcement, guess what?
48:14Today, the Iranian flag was proudly unfurled at the Sofi Stadium in Los Angeles,
48:19where the Iranian team is, of course, participating in the World Cup football.
48:23The crowd in the stadium was seen to be cheering the Iranian team, who prayed tribute to Minab's 168 children,
48:31that were killed during the West Asia war.
48:34I want to leave you with that image.
48:36Sports can bridge divides, but unfortunately, politics cannot.
48:41May that long continue to celebrate the spirit of sport as a grand unifier.
48:47Thanks for watching.
48:48Stay well.
48:49Stay safe.
48:50Good night.
48:50Shubratri.
48:51Jai Hind.
48:52Namashkar.
Comments