- 1 week ago
Jan Suraaj chief Prashant Kishor won the Bankipur Assembly bypoll, marking a major political breakthrough in Bihar, while heavy monsoon rains continued to batter several states, triggering floods, disruption and widespread damage.
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00:10Hello and welcome. I'm Sonal Mayrothra Kapoor. This is 5 Live and there's a lot happening
00:15on 5 Live. There is a historic verdict that's coming out of Bihar. Prashant Kishore, is he
00:25no longer a zero? Is he just about to make his first political victory? And what does
00:30that mean? His comment that it took 30 days for him to destroy a 30-year-old stronghold
00:36of BJP, is that really true? Or are we reading too much into this by-election and at the end
00:41of the day this could just be a flash in the pan? That's story number one. And then we've
00:46also got our eyes on the flood fury across the states. Now we've not been able to give
00:52enough time on primetime news to the devastating situation in states like Assam, in states
00:59like Caroline, states like Gujarat as well. So today, hopefully, we'll be able to give
01:04you a full half an hour based only on ground reports coming from these stories and what
01:09exactly is unfolding there. So that'll be the focus. First up as always, taking you through
01:14the headlines. All eyes on Bankipur Assembly Bipole in Bihar. Jan Swaraj's Prashant Kishore's
01:20massive win on poll debut leads by over 19,000 votes. BJP's strong goal is all set to fall.
01:29Counting of votes in the high-stakes Assembly Bipole in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat underway. BJP
01:34retains Anjalpur's seat while Congress leads in MPs Dathya.
01:42Supreme Court begins hearing police crackdown on paper leak protests. CJP seeks quashing of
01:47all FIRs against students. Supreme Court says states can close FIRs.
01:54Meanwhile, RSS speaks out on the students' protests led by CJP for the first time. Allegious
01:59foreign elements infiltrated the protests. CJP hits back, says RSS has no moral right to call
02:05anyone anti-national.
02:22Confusion marks Karnataka cabinet expansion. Twenty names were cleared. Only
02:2619 ministers are to take oaths today. Rebellion with results in at least three MLA's tending
02:32resignations as well. There is a constant back and forth on when finally the cabinet expansion will
02:38happen. Delhi Court acquits former Wrestling Federation of India Chief Bridge Bhushan
02:44Sharant Singh in the sexual harassment case filed by six women wrestlers.
02:54It's day 10 of Dharkam. Students stir. Students in Rachi keep protests frame alive. Students demand
03:01justice from Sorain government demanding fair recruitment and a CBI probe.
03:25All right, after two Karnataka cabinet expansions that have happened, what was meant to be a routine
03:32swearing-in has turned into a full-blown political spectacle. The oath ceremony has hit last-minute
03:39turbulence with confusion over the timing, a dramatic change in the ministerial lists, and an intense
03:46lobbying within the Congress party. The official invite said that the oath would take place at 4.05
03:52today. But, as political heat intensified as well, the ceremony was pushed by an hour to 5 pm,
04:00and is set to begin anytime now. The chaos has only fueled signs of rumbling within the Congress. In fact,
04:07confirming India Today's news break, Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Sivakumar admitted
04:12that there is disappointment among several MLAs. He acknowledged the rumblings, but appealed for
04:21patience, also remaining sort of party colleagues as well, and he too had waited years before becoming
04:28a minister. He gave his own example. But on your screens right now, we are getting pictures from the
04:34Vidan Sauda in Bengaluru, where the oath-taking ceremony of the Cabinet expansion is finally now kick-starting.
04:52All right, so what you see on your screen over there, the Governor, along with the Chief Minister,
04:56will be inviting in a new list of ministers and MLAs, in fact, who will be sworn in today. Some
05:05of those
05:05faces on your screen. Now, remember, there has been a lot of last-minute Nataka in the Karnataka
05:12Cabinet expansion. Some two weeks, if not more, of waiting, where D.K. Sivakumar was here in the
05:20capital, trying to get a fix on the list, sitting down with Rahul Gandhi and several others, and then
05:26finally acknowledging that there were people within the party who were unhappy with this expansion,
05:34and saying that there were times when even I missed out on a Cabinet position. That is D.K. Sivakumar,
05:40giving his own example to his other party colleagues and MLAs. Now, what exactly has been this back and
05:49forth? Let me give you a little bit about that. Only 19 ministers are taking oaths today, unlike 20,
05:55which was discussed earlier. As usual, we've seen in this entire Cabinet expansion, there are some
06:00resignations that are flown in, and then some which are taken back. Then there's a change in the name
06:06list, and then a new one comes into place. Earlier on, in fact, there was a list of 20 that
06:12was released
06:12by the Congress Party, and then we were told that there is a typo error. And then when the list
06:19came back, it had only 19 people.
06:25Saguya, our reporter who's been tracking all the, you know, details on the story and Cabinet expansion,
06:31now joins us for the very latest on the story. Nagar Arjun is also with us, who's been tracking
06:37all those details. Saguya, let me come to you first. The list of 20, then becoming 19. Some happy,
06:44some unhappy. DK Sivakumar accepting that not everybody is happy. What really is going on?
06:55So nothing less than a suspense thriller movie in the state of Karnataka. You can get to watch
06:59every twist and turns in this particular Cabinet expansion. You have waited two months for this
07:05particular Cabinet expansion. End of the day, when the list is out, suddenly there are changes. And
07:09visually, these kind of changes never happens. But in this list, early in the morning, there was a
07:16person's name. And later on, within one or two hours, he has been replaced. It has been a roller
07:20coaster for him. When one hour, being a minister to an MLA, back to an MLA. And after that, there
07:26was a
07:27name of MLC, Gayatri Shantagoda, who was not even taken oath as an MLC. Her name was been listed. And
07:35later on, it was been put on oath. And as we speak now, 19 MLAs will be taking oath as
07:40the Minister
07:40of Karnataka. As we speak now, the first person will be on the stage where the Governor of Karnataka
07:47will be administering oath for him. And what you also get to learn is there were a lot of infighting
07:52within the Congress stating that when a first-time MLA, she has not even taken oath as an MLC, sorry,
07:58first-time MLC, she has not even taken oath as an MLC. You are giving Cabinet birth to her. Whereas
08:03there are many of the senior leaders, senior Congress party, MLAs and MLC, who have been
08:10associate of the Congress for a long time. Why don't you give importance to them? So there
08:14are a lot of infighting within the Congress. And that only woman candidate was supposed to
08:20take oath today as put on oath. So a lot of discussion which is still happening. Meanwhile,
08:25one of the MLAs from Indy constituency, he has already tendered his resignation. And another
08:31MLA from Shumaga Belur Gopal Krishna has said that he will tender his resignation tomorrow.
08:36And there are three to four MLAs supporters who are out on the street protesting against the Congress
08:42and demanding that their leader to tender his resignation, because Congress is not rewarding
08:48them with the Cabinet birth.
08:51All right. So there is never a dull moment when it comes to Karnataka. First, it was the back and
08:56forth on who will be the Chief Minister. Now a back and forth on who the Cabinet colleagues are really
09:01going
09:01to be. But to give you a glimpse, Karnataka at the moment has about 14 ministers, including the Chief
09:06Minister, and against a maximum permitted strength of 34. And now 20 vacancies which were in the Council
09:14of Ministers that are getting filled in there. Let me cut across to my colleague, my colleague
09:19Nagarjun, Nagarjun as well. Nagar, give me a sense of this 20th name, which is constantly doing back and
09:28forth and especially that of a woman MLA. Are we to understand as of this moment that of the names
09:35that we know of right now, 33 if I'm not wrong, out of the 34, names are clear. Out of
09:40those we don't
09:41have a single woman MLA or do we have some there? No woman MLA in this Cabinet as of now.
09:48There's no
09:48woman minister. These 33 will be all male ministers at this point of time. The one name that was of
09:55Gayatri Shantgaura has been held back by both CM and the XCM. High Command had sent back the list
10:01in the morning. But however, Gayatri Shantgaura's name is not here in the Raj Bhavan. The CM has not
10:08forwarded her name. So it's on hold as of now. Maybe in this week, one more woman MLA will be
10:12accommodated in the ministry is what we are told. As of now, it's pure male-driven Cabinet.
10:1833 MLAs of one gender in the Cabinet and a lot of critics are calling out Congress saying that
10:25you speak of the woman reservation in the Parliament but you're not walking the talk. Where is the woman
10:30representation in the Cabinet? It's just not tokenism but you have so many deserving women MLA and MLCs.
10:36Why are you not accommodating them? It's what many critics are saying. In fact, at this point of time,
10:43I'm right now in Raj Bhavan. I'm in Raj Bhavan right now. The swearing-in is happening. Mr. Balakrishna is
10:54on stage
10:55as we speak and there's no woman MLA so no matter how it is.
11:00Right. So 33 out of 34 names in the Karnataka Cabinet are now clear. Not a single one of them
11:08is a female. And we'll keep dipping in. We'll keep dipping into Goh's pictures and you watch that
11:16the swearing-in as that happens. But let me go back to Naga and Sagai for a moment. Naga, any
11:20sense of
11:21how exactly the wetting process happened? How exactly did they zero in on these 19 names that
11:29we are seeing today? What are you hearing? It's largely based on caste balance, regional balance
11:36and their merit also. And Rahul Gandhi was specific about a few ministers has to be from, has to be
11:42first phases. They need to bring fresh air into the Cabinet. And hence, the first two candidates,
11:47right now, you saw Ajay Singh and Balakrishna, both of them have been MLA's earlier. But now,
11:53they are taking oath as the first-time ministers. And that's what Rahul Gandhi meant. The seniors will
11:58have to take care of the party ahead of the 2028 elections. And MLA's who have never been ministers
12:04must be given a chance. So there's a social balance, regional balance and caste balance
12:08to ensure that these 19 were chosen by high command.
12:13All right, let me get a word from Sagai as well. Sagai, so what Naga is basically saying is that
12:17there is regional balance, there is caste balance, there is an age balance, but clearly no gender
12:24balance when it comes to this Cabinet. That's pretty clear. But at the moment, how exactly is DK
12:31Sivakumar looking at these names? Are we to understand that all these names have been finalized,
12:38not just by Rahul Gandhi in the center, but has the green light of DK Sivakumar as well,
12:44that these are the names that he batted for?
12:51You see, nobody is speaking about it, whether it is DK Sivakumar or Sidra Mea, both of them
12:56will say that it is the high command's decision. But the recommendations are given by both these
13:02top leaders for the state of Karnanka. One is the former chief minister, and the other one is
13:05the sitting chief minister, DK Sivakumar. They have given their own list, and however,
13:09it is AICC who have to take the final decision. And if you notice that, there are seven lingays who
13:15will
13:15be given the post in the Cabinet birth. Apart from that, five worker ligars will be taking oath,
13:21and three ST, three ST ministers will be taking oath, and seven ministers from backward class,
13:28and with a deputy speaker, both the houses also from the backward classes community. And there are
13:33also minorities who will be taking oath along with all these people. Close to two minority MLAs will be
13:41taking oath as the minister. And there is also chairman of legislative council, Salim Ahmed,
13:48who will be the chairman of the council. And he's also from minority committee. So there are a lot
13:53of caste calculation which has been done. And even if you notice that, there is a systematic rule
14:00which has been followed by the Karnataka Congress. Whenever a person has been given a highest post,
14:06for an example, if DK Sivakumar is from Okaliga community, his fee is given highest post, and they will
14:11give the other portfolios to the other caste community people, especially Lingayat, Veera Shaiva,
14:19and OBC. When Sidra Maya was the chief minister, there are very less people who have been accommodated
14:25in the cabinets of the OBC community. See, others have given important, Okaliga, Lingayat, and Veera
14:29Shiva. So they want to ensure that there is a proper balancing which has been done. And likewise,
14:35even now they claim that the balance has been done. But still, the larger question is the woman.
14:40There was only one woman who has been mentioned as the cabinet minister who will be taking oath,
14:45but even that is put on hold. Why she has been put on hold? What is the reason? Because at
14:51the last
14:51minute, there were a lot of discussion within the party stating that she has not even taken oath as an
14:56MLC. And she's a first-time MLC. Why you need to give her a cabinet birth when there are already
15:01so many
15:02leaders who worked for the party have not gotten the opportunity.
15:05All right. Naga, comment on this point that, you know, there seems to be a thought process
15:11in getting younger people, in getting representation spread across, you know, different castes and
15:18different regions as well. But at the moment, if you look at the priorities for the Karnataka
15:23government, it is water. If you look at the priorities for Karnataka government,
15:27these are urban issues that the state is fighting as well. Give us a sense of where do you think
15:34are
15:34the top three issues where most of the cabinet time will be going after now? They have a full cabinet
15:40now.
15:42Could you please repeat? The audio is poor because, pardon me, because there's a lot of ambience noise.
15:47Could you please repeat? I'm trying to understand from you, what do you think will be the top five
15:51priorities for this newly formed cabinet to look into? I know water is one. What about the rest?
15:59No, immediately the priorities will be of the water resource dispute. The cabinet together
16:04is about the drought or the monsoon deficit that the cabinet is facing.
16:1240% deficit of rainfall across the state. That's a concern. Law and order issues are concerned. And also,
16:18the next big priority will also be leading into these 2028 assembly elections. The ZPTP elections
16:25that will be happening. This Bangalore Municipal Council election that is happening. So, a lot of challenges
16:30are tasked at the government's hand right now. The priorities said that they don't have time to be
16:36casual or complacent. They're hands full right now. A ample number of issues to solve by the Karnataka
16:41cabinet.
16:43We have Sagai while Naga tries to like fix his audio over there. Can we cut across to Sagai as
16:48well
16:48if we have him? I just want to understand, Sagai. You know, we look at the actual problem that citizens,
16:58that people in Karnataka face at the moment, which is the water crisis, the Kaveri water dispute,
17:03for which Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have to come to an agreement. We are told that the two chief
17:07ministers will be meeting. There will be some kind of an aerial survey that will follow as well.
17:11But in middle of a crisis like that, a swearing in to happen in these lavish setups, is it really
17:18lavish according to Karnataka standards? Give me a sense of how you're seeing this swearing in.
17:27No, it is not actually lavish according to the Karnataka standard. If I just show you, this is
17:33security outside here and there is a setup. It is a permanent structure which has been put inside
17:39Lok Bavan and the arrangement was made probably a week back when D.K. Shukumar was in Delhi. So,
17:46it is not a grand kind of oath-taking ceremony which has been organized by the Karnataka government. It
17:51will be a simple oath-taking ceremony which is happening. And thankfully, there are heavy rains in
17:57the Kaveri Delta region. It's for the catchment area. And because of that, the close to four
18:02TMCs of water has already been released to Tamil Nadu, according to the Water Resource Minister. So,
18:08everything is in place as of now. Yes, there were a shortage of water last week, but weekend,
18:14there was heavy rains which was been reported. One of the dams was full and the water was been
18:20released close to 12,000 Q6 probably on Saturday. And after that, as of now, what we get to learn
18:26through our sources is close to four TMCs of water which has already been released because there are
18:31heavy rains which have been reported in Kerala and in Kaveri Delta region. And so, nothing to worry
18:37about the water crisis here in the state of Karnataka and the cabinet expansion which was supposed to
18:42happen. It has been a due. It is close to two months that DK Shukumar on the first cabinet,
18:47the set of cabinet minister took oath. And it is after two months, the remaining MLAs are taking
18:52oath as a minister. So, it was a long due from the state of Karnataka and thankfully, it is happening
18:57now. And probably, it will put an end to the controversy over the cabinet expansion and cabinet
19:02in the state of Karnataka. Okay. Sakai, help me understand this. You now have the final cabinet,
19:10almost. All 34 except one, right? You have all the names. Compare DK Shukumar's cabinet for me
19:19to that of Sidramaya. And tell me, what do you see as stark differences on both sides?
19:30See, most of the MLAs or the ministers have already been repeated. Whether it is the first
19:36time ministers who have taken oath along with the DK Shukumar, most of them were from Sidramaya's
19:43camp. But this time, what you also get to learn through our sources is that there is a lot of
19:47calculation which has been done, especially after Tamil Nadu election and the Jansi protests in
19:52Janta Mantar. AICC wanted a lot of youngsters to come in and ensure that they help the party to grow
19:59and address the issues of the youngsters. And they were trying to push for the first-time MLAs and
20:04MLCs. But if you notice, many of them are repeated MLAs. They were like a second-time or third-time
20:10MLAs. They have given opportunity. Like Rizwan Arshad is a third-time MLAs. He's got an opportunity now.
20:16And if you notice, A.S. Pundana, who was one of those front-runners to become the cabinet minister,
20:23was given a deputy speaker's post. So there are a lot of calculations which has been done.
20:27Whether it is caste calculation or the district calculation, a lot of calculation has been done.
20:32And everybody has, among most of them, who were a front-runner, have got the opportunity
20:39this time in the cabinet.
20:40All right. Interesting how the mix is really happening and the input that has come in,
20:45especially after the Jantar Mantar protests of bringing in younger people inside the cabinet.
20:50Sagay and Naga, please stay back with us. I just want to quickly play out for our viewers
20:54exactly what DKS, DK Sivkumar, had to say on this entire Natika over the cabinet reshuffle,
21:02just moments before it actually happened. Take a look.
21:13The President is a very big part of the country.
21:16The territory has continued to be a part of the country.
21:21The country has maintained about the and the country's expertise,
21:27in the country's country, the country's organizing, and the country's society.
21:30The country has been vêed by the country, and the country's quality,
21:31the country's community and the country's mission.
21:31As a country and the country, the country's got turned on.
21:32We stayed on the ground as well as the?
21:33And this country is well passed, and it's not and out.
21:48All right, more updates coming in.
21:50This is Senior Congress Neta Dinesh Gundu Rao,
21:53who has expressed disappointment over DKS cabinet.
21:56What exactly is he saying?
21:57He's saying it is disappointing that after so many years of service to the state and the party,
22:02I have not been considered to serve the government in this cabinet.
22:06I am disappointed by the decision taken without being given any reason for my exclusion.
22:14So, Dinesh Gundu Rao not included in the Karnataka cabinet
22:19and now making his disappointment very, very public.
22:23Let me check if we have...
22:25Okay, we have Sagai that we can get a perspective from.
22:29Sagai, help me understand how important is Dinesh Gundu Rao in the cabinet?
22:35What was his portfolio earlier?
22:37And does...
22:38Is it a threat?
22:40Does the Congress Party stand to lose?
22:43Also, give us a sense of his experience.
22:45Sir.
22:50He's a six-time MLA from Karnataka Congress Party
22:54and he is the son of former Chief Minister Gundu Rao
22:58and if you notice that he has worked in multiple roles,
23:02whether it was a KPCC President or in charge of Tamil Nadu
23:05as well as the AICC General Secretary,
23:07he played a major role.
23:09He is a party man and he worked for a long for the party
23:12and he was also a former Health Minister.
23:15He was Health Minister in Sidra Maya's tenure
23:19and much before that he was also Food and Civil Supplies Minister
23:23and thereafter he was made as the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President
23:28and he worked for a brief period
23:31and thereafter he was also appointed as in charge of Goa
23:35as well as Tamil Nadu Congress
23:37and thereafter he also worked in Delhi as the AICC Chief.
23:40So, he is an important leader in the state of Karnataka.
23:45He comes from a Brahmin community
23:47and he is disappointed.
23:48Even his wife has put out a message on social media
23:51stating that despite giving 100% for the party,
23:55he has not been recognized
23:56and they also feel that it is the calculation
23:59which has been done on the caste basis
24:00and none of the Brahmins got opportunity
24:03as of now in this particular cabinet.
24:05There were two MLA's from the Brahmins community
24:07one is Dinesh Mudraud, the other one is Sarvi Deshpande
24:09and both of them did not get a cabinet work
24:11and there are a lot of calculations
24:13which has been done by the high command
24:14and now he has put out a message
24:17showing his disappointment on social media
24:19stating that despite working for the party
24:21he has not got an opportunity.
24:23Alright, but Saga, Karnataka also state
24:26notorious for Neta switching parties,
24:31being poached by different parties,
24:33doing resort politics,
24:35all of this is what we relate Karnataka with, right?
24:37Help me understand,
24:38does Dinesh Kundu Rao pose a threat of any sort
24:43in terms of the vote base that he brings in
24:45or the clout that he has over other MLAs?
24:52So not only Karnataka, if you notice that these kind of things
24:55usually happen in most of the states
24:57and in Karnataka we see this kind of development
25:01only during the time of elections
25:03or when you have a fracture mandate
25:06like how it happened in 2018
25:08and Dinesh Kundu Rao is a hardcore congressman
25:12he worked in multiple roles as I told you earlier
25:15and he has not mentioned anything about that
25:18he said that he will continue to work for the party
25:20he will continue to serve the people
25:22in the present government.
25:25Alright, Saga, we leave it there for the moment
25:27thanks so much for joining us
25:28covering all 360 degrees of that swearing in
25:32of the cabinet expansion that's underway in Karnataka
25:36it's a cabinet which is younger
25:39it is a cabinet which is diverse
25:41it is a cabinet which is new
25:43but it is a cabinet which only has men
25:49Alright, let's switch our focus
25:51all the way from Karnataka
25:53to what's happening in Bihar
25:54because that's quite a story there
25:55Prashant Kishore was a Pole strategist
25:58for years, right?
25:59But when he entered politics himself
26:01the verdict was brutal
26:02zero seats
26:04hundreds of lost deposits
26:07questions over whether he could even
26:09convert strategy into votes
26:11but today
26:12Jant Swarad chief has changed his story
26:16Prashant Kishore has scored his first electoral victory
26:20winning the high stakes
26:22Bankipur bi-pole
26:23in the heart of Patna
26:25and this just wasn't any bi-pole
26:28and we know
26:29we say that about every bi-pole
26:31but this one is indeed different
26:32it was a BJP bastion for two decades
26:36an urban prestige battle of sorts
26:39and a three-cornered contest
26:41with the BJP and the RJD as well
26:45now is this the moment
26:47Jant Swaraj has finally
26:49can say it has finally arrived
26:51or is Banki Moore
26:53just a flash in the pan really?
26:56Either way
26:57Prashant Kishore
26:58is zero no more
26:59so take a look at the story
27:01to really understand
27:02what this means
27:03for him
27:04for his party
27:05and for Bihar politics
27:16from zero seats in 2025
27:18assembly polls
27:27to one crucial wing
27:30to one crucial wing
27:33Prashant Kishore has finally broken the jinx
27:36this is the first time
27:42to be a good person
27:48to be a good person
27:51to be a good person
27:52to be a good person
27:54to be a good person
28:08The poll strategist turned politician and Jansurad chief has won the Bankipur bi-poll,
28:14his first electoral test and his first electoral victory.
28:19And he did it in a three-way battle against BJP and RJD.
28:23But Bankipur was never just another bi-poll.
28:30It is a key urban seat in Patna, a BJP stronghold for two decades
28:34until BJP National President Nitin Nabeen vacated it in April after being elected to the Rajasabha.
28:47The bi-poll was also a litmus test of Jansurad's ability to turn its political pitch into votes
28:54because Jansurad's last electoral report card was brutal.
29:00238 seats contested, 236 deposits lost.
29:04Zero seats won and polling a meagre 3% of votes.
29:08But Bankipur has rewritten that script.
29:11The timing may have worked in PK's favour too.
29:15This was the first poll after the Gen Z stare in Bihar,
29:18with youth anger over jobs, education, paper leaks and government accountability
29:22dominating the political conversation.
29:26And PK's pitch was built around exactly that.
29:30Change, jobs and education.
29:34The BJP was defending its urban fortress.
29:38The RJD was chasing a breakthrough in Patna.
29:42And Jansurad was offering voters a third option beyond the two established players.
29:48The result, a stunning turnaround for PK.
29:52Prashant Kishore is no longer just the man who predicts elections.
29:56He is now an elected leader.
29:57PK is zero, no more.
30:10With Rohit Singh and Shashi Bhushan in Patna, Bureau Report, India Today.
30:24And then the big news coming in.
30:26Jansurad is Prashant Kishore is all set to win the Bankipur seat.
30:30Prashant Kishore leading with almost 19,000 votes now.
30:34India Today has now spoken with him exclusively to understand what this means.
30:39He went on to say in that interview, which I'll play out for you in just a moment from now.
30:44He says, Bihar doesn't accept Samrat Chaudhary as their leader.
30:48That's a big statement that he's making.
30:50Also goes on to say that BJP gave responsibility of Bihar to a criminal.
30:55Remember, this is the first election that BJP fought in Bihar
30:59without its senior leadership over there.
31:02And also won without Nitish Kumar.
31:05So what exactly will this mean?
31:08Like I said, is this just a flash in the pan?
31:10Or are we to read more into the mood of Bihar and of Biharis with this Bipole?
31:19Here's the interview.
31:20How are you doing?
31:24Here you are.
31:25I'm not the results.
31:27You are the result.
31:28Here you are.
31:28Here's the start of six or three rounds.
31:31You are the count.
31:49foreign
32:19A person who is a bad person who is in the face of a wrong character is given to the
32:25people of Bihar.
32:26They are not satisfied with Bihar.
32:49while sexual harassment case filed by women wrestlers.
32:52The court also cleared the former WFI Assistant Secretary Vinod Tomar as well,
32:58with both accused cleared of all charges.
33:01Bridge Prussian and his supporters have hailed the verdict as a complete vindication.
33:05However, the judgment has reignited a political storm.
33:09Was it lack of evidence?
33:11Was it rolling back of the words from the girls?
33:15What exactly led to this verdict?
33:17Here's a report.
33:46Indian Olympians on the streets of the United States,
33:49the national capital.
33:52A sit in Dharna for days.
33:56Then forcefully removed by the police from the protest site.
34:01There is a couple going on between Delhi police and Vinesh.
34:05They threatened to throw their medals in the Ganga.
34:24Just one demand.
34:27Action against Bridge Prussian Sharan Singh for sexually harassing female wrestlers.
34:36The case made international headlines.
34:39But after three years of trial, Delhi's Rouse Venue court has acquitted former BJP MP and former Wrestling Federation of
34:47India President,
34:48Bridge Prussian Sharan Singh.
34:50The court, along with Bridge Prussian, also acquitted former WFI Assistant Secretary Vinod Tomar in the sexual harassment case.
35:03Bridge Prussian Sharan Singh and supporters have hailed the verdict as a vindication.
35:24When the charges were leveled against Bridge Prussian three years ago, he had famously declared, even if a single allegation
35:31against him proved,
35:32he was ready to be hanged.
35:36He was ready to be hanged.
35:40He was ready to be hanged.
36:02He lost hope and the wrestlers will continue their fight.
36:06The acquittal has now reignited a massive political storm.
36:10BJP MP and Bridge Prussian's son, Karan Prussian, claimed that opposition drama now stands exposed in front of everyone.
36:35The opposition has branded BJP anti-women.
37:05The wrestlers now have the option to move high court.
37:09But this verdict has sparked a fresh bout in Indian wrestling.
37:17Bureau Report, India Today.
37:24And staying on the story, let's also get understanding in detail about what really transpired in the court.
37:31I'm tossing over to my colleague, Pooja, who's got an exclusive chat lined up for you.
37:41Call it relief or vindication, but for Bridge Bhushan Sharan Singh, former BJP MP, who's also been the chief of
37:48the Wrestling Federation of India.
37:50This has been a long journey of serious allegations and now acquittal.
37:54Joining me, the advocate who represented the Wrestling Federation of India chief, Rajiv Mohan is now joining me.
38:00Sir, what exactly did the court say that led to the acquittal of the former Wrestling Federation chief?
38:06The court was of view that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond all reasonable doubt.
38:17And I think the inconsistencies, contradictions, unexplained delay and post-incident conduct, these were viewed by the court to arrive
38:34at the conclusion that it's a case of honorable acquittal.
38:38Inconsistencies is what you're saying in the statement, sir.
38:41Then I remember the serious allegations that had come in.
38:43This was a sexual, physical, mental harassment case against Bridge Bhushan Sharan Singh, now acquitted by the Delhi court.
38:50But how do you see the impact of this judgment?
38:53Because I remember the allegations that led to street protests, political face-off and that was said to have possibly
38:59could have led to a certain influence over the case.
39:04There was no doubt there was some pressure from the outside, but the victims appeared in the court, deposed, but
39:16because of some inherent contradictions which they left during the trial.
39:21Because the sequence of events in this case was that, first of all, they sat on the protest.
39:28Till sitting on the protest, there was no allegation.
39:33After the protest, they filed the affidavit before oversight committee.
39:40Now, when the FIR was lodged, they were examined and during the trial when charges were framed and they were
39:49produced before the court.
39:50The statement given during the investigation and before the court during the trial, those statements were on major issues, were
40:05contradicting their earlier affidavit which they filed before oversight committee.
40:08Okay, okay.
40:10Now, place of occurrence was changed in the affidavit, the place of occurrence was somewhere in other country and when
40:21they deposed before the court, the place was in some other country.
40:24Okay.
40:25So, during the cross-examination, this fact was brought to the notice of the court that the name of the
40:33country which was taken in the affidavit was the country where Mr. Bresbushar was not travelling at that relevant time.
40:42Okay.
40:42So, it was tried to be built up by the side of the defence that perhaps when victims came to
40:50know about this fact, they changed their version.
40:53And in all the criminal trials, when victim is not consistent with his version or coming with the contradictory version
41:02which is not inconsistent, always the benefit goes to the accused.
41:06So, but this is interesting what you are saying here, Mr. Rajivohan.
41:10Then I have one more question.
41:11The wrestlers have also spoken up and they have said their fight will continue.
41:15They believe the whole system has conspired against them and made a powerful man win.
41:20They are said to appeal to the higher court.
41:23Can that turn the tables for Bresbush and Sharan Singh, Mr. Mohan?
41:28Because whatever case which has been built during the trial, in the appeal, that case will be argued.
41:37Yes.
41:38So, for the purpose of the appeal, the evidence given by them during the trial will be of much more
41:47importance.
41:48So, if the contradictions are existing at this stage, how those contradictions will be covered during the argument while arguing
41:57the appeal, it's a separate issue.
41:59But certainly the platform is being built up during the trial.
42:04So, the contradictions, inconsistencies, delayed, unexplained delay, forced incident conduct, all these things have already been come on record.
42:13So, it will remain the matter of argument and the matter of appreciation as to how the court, superior courts
42:20are going to interpret this aspect.
42:22But London trial court interpreted the manner that the version given by all the victims goes to the roots of
42:31the case and because of these factors, the court was of the view that the benefit of doubt must be
42:39given to the accused.
42:40All right. So, it looks like the wrestlers will have to work on their strategy again.
42:44Nevertheless, it's been a long journey for Bruce and Sharan Singh as well in this case.
42:49Acquittal for him for now from the Delhi court.
42:51I appreciate you joining us, Mr. Rajiv Mohan, for speaking to India today.
42:54Thank you very much.
43:01All right. Monsoon mayhem has swept the country from Kashmir to Kerala and from Assam to Gujarat.
43:08Relentless rain is unleashing a trail of destruction across states.
43:12Homes are submerged, roads have disappeared under floodwaters and standing crops have been destroyed, leaving thousands battling also under rising
43:22water.
43:23Rivers are in spate, rescue teams are on high alert and fresh spells of heavy rain continue to threaten several
43:31states.
43:31For many, it's familiar and a painful story.
43:35Another bonsoon, another season of flood fury.
43:39Assam, let's speak about that first, is reeling from its worst floods in decades.
43:45Heavy rain continues to lash Kerala as well and causing rivers to rise all across the state as well.
43:53Chief Minister Satishan has conveyed and in fact he's gone ahead to take care of a review meeting as the
44:00death toll in Kerala alone has gone to 15.
44:03Here's a report taking you through the length and breadth of the country.
44:17Kerala is reeling under heavy rains, multiple deaths, many missing, thousands homeless and the forecast is bleak.
44:32Water levels in all major rivers across the region has risen sharply, triggering fresh flood fears in Kotayam, Patnam Titta
44:42and Adapura district.
44:43The Meenachal has surged nearly three feet overnight, while the Pampa and Manimala continue to swell under relentless rain.
44:53At Aranmulla, the Pampa has breached its bank yet again, forcing authorities into another round of evacuations.
45:02Officials are now sounding the alarm on flash floods across the entire Pampa basin, as the river shows no sign
45:09of receding.
45:09This is very close to the famous temple in Aranmulla also, where this main road leading to the temple is
45:16completely filled with water.
45:18Yesterday also the region was facing water logging, today also the scenes are no different.
45:22And you can see the NDRF now using speedboats to rescue some people who are stuck there.
45:28We're learning that some older people, elderly are stuck in the houses there, so they're going there.
45:34A high level meeting was called today by Chief Minister to access the situation, because yesterday there was a relief
45:41from rainfall.
45:41Even today there's no rainfall, but at night it starts raining heavily and in the morning the regions are left
45:46inundated.
45:50In Kotayam, the swollen Meenachal river has created waterlogged danger zones.
45:55Homes in Kotayam suburbs have all been inundated.
46:05The worst of it is in Patnam Titta.
46:08The upper Kutnath region is locked in a severe flood crisis, and condition remains alarming.
46:15We are here in Valam Kulam, this is a region connecting Tiruvalla and Aranmulla in Patnam Titta.
46:22Both of these places are one of the worst affected regions.
46:26In fact, even though it stopped raining in Aranmulla, the water logging continues,
46:31and it is being said that the place will take some more days to recover from the water logging.
46:38People living close by says that it did not face water logging yesterday, but in the overnight rainfall that lashed
46:46this region, in the morning the place is filled with water.
46:50Chief Minister Vidhi Satishan has convened an emergency meeting to assess the ground situation.
47:16As a precautionary measure, a holiday was declared for educational institutions in 12 districts of Keralam.
47:24The India Meteorological Department has forecast heavy rainfall in the coming days as well, accompanied by strong winds with speeds
47:33of 40 to 50 km per hour.
47:36With Shibhimul KG, Bureau Report, India Today.
47:41All right, let's get a live update there. My colleague Shibhimul joins us from Patnam Titta over there.
47:47Shibhimul, we saw the report. Oh my God, look at the water that you are under at the moment.
47:53Take us through where exactly you are. It's again started to rain there. What exactly is the condition?
48:03Well, Sonal, we are in Patnam Titta itself, very close to Aranmola, and you know, since morning it was not
48:10raining that much.
48:11The rains at least, but that's not the case right now.
48:14Ten minutes ago, it started raining and started raining heavily.
48:17This is the main road that connects Patnam Titta to Kortem district, and you can see the entire region, the
48:23entire road filled with water on both the sides.
48:26We have shops in houses. They're all facing severe waterlogging.
48:30We're learning that all of them have shifted to camps at this point because it's very risky to stay here,
48:35especially in the last two days.
48:37As we see, it's not the daytime rainfall, but the overnight rainfall that's caused this kind of, you know, waterlogging,
48:44and it has also caused some mudslides in some hili regions also.
48:48So, very risky to stay inside, you know, close to these regions.
48:53The Chief Minister says that the condition in the other part of the state, in the last few days there
48:59was heavy rainfall reported in North Kerala also, but that has been eased.
49:04The situation across the state is very much under control, but in Patnam Titta, there is still waterlogging, and it
49:11is going to take a few more days to get freed from that.
49:15But if it continues raining, it is going to be very, very difficult because this is heavy rainfall right now
49:20taking place in Patnam Titta.
49:22So, if it continues like this, because a lot of people we spoke to, a lot of places we visited,
49:27the residents were telling that this is, you know, a more scary situation than the 2018 floods.
49:33The only positive thing is that it's just affecting one part of the state, unlike 2018, where, you know, across
49:39the state, we reported heavy floodlights, heavy floodings.
49:44That's not the case this time, that's the only positive, but otherwise, in a long time, we have not seen
49:48this level of water and this level of waterlogging in these districts.
49:52The most affected are Patnam Titta, Kottem, Iduki, the hilly and the central part of the state.
49:58The northern part also received heavy rainfall, but thankfully, the situation right now there is under control.
50:03The focus will now remain on these districts and the rescue and relief activities.
50:08As of now, more than 11,000 people are staying in various camps across the state, is the information that
50:14the government is telling us.
50:15All right, Shibi, thanks so much for joining us. Stay safe over there and not a good time for Kerala.
50:20Just, you know, a couple of weeks ago, we were talking about the death toll rising when India Highway had
50:25collapsed and now the death toll already at 15.
50:27We'll keep tracking the updates there with you. Thanks so much for joining us.
50:30But the story is similar, not just in Kerala, in Assam as well.
50:40All right, we unfortunately don't have time to sort of bring you those reports today.
50:44Apologies for that, but we'll continue to track all those updates.
50:46Stay tuned to India Today. Lots more coming up.
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