- 7 hours ago
Union Home Minister Amit Shah sought to dispel misconceptions surrounding the FCRA among Christian leaders, while the Centre indicated it would strengthen regulations to tackle AI-generated deepfakes and curb the misuse of emerging technologies.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Hello and welcome. Good evening. You're watching Super 6 here on India Today.
00:03I'm Akshita Nandakopal. Over the next one hour, we'll decode the day's big stories for you.
00:08We've got lots lined up on this edition of Super 6.
00:11So we'll begin by giving you a quick roundup of what to expect.
00:14First, on the show, there's been so much speculation.
00:17The FCRA bill is coming up today. It's coming up tomorrow.
00:20It's coming up the day after in Parliament.
00:22So far, no sight of the bill.
00:24What's leading to the delay in tabling of the Modi government's FCRA amendment bill?
00:28We'll break it down for you.
00:29But it's a catch-22 situation that the government finds itself in,
00:32courtesy of the delimitation bill.
00:34What do I mean? Wait for just a moment to find out.
00:37Also on the show this evening, as we track all the southern states,
00:41we're going to be focusing on what's happening in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.
00:45Session is underway. There's been a controversy that's played out
00:48over ministers in the Vijay government wearing their religion on their sleeve.
00:53It's led to a political showdown which we'll dive deeper into.
00:57And also finally on the show, is the Dhanush political demaka next?
01:02Hint after hint, statement after statement.
01:04The latest being on language, which as we know, is a touchy poet in Tamil Nadu.
01:09So are we seeing Dhanush kind of set himself,
01:12prep himself up to be the next star turned politician?
01:15We'll decode that for you.
01:17So like I said, lots lined up for you in this edition of Super 6.
01:20We begin with the headlines.
01:26Ex-Tahelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal convicted for rape,
01:30sent to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment.
01:32Bombay High Court sets aside Goa Court acquittal.
01:35Tejpal to challenge verdict now in the Supreme Court.
01:42Key details from round two of Meta Modi government talks.
01:46Technical details were discussed during the meeting.
01:48Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnav makes it clear.
01:51Platforms cannot run in India as per US law.
01:59Protesters in Ranchi form an 11-member panel for talks with the Jharkhand government.
02:03Eight students, one lawyer, two technical experts part of panel.
02:06Chief Minister Sourian also forms a four-member delegation for talks.
02:14A war of words over rosary with the Tamil Nadu budget.
02:18BJP leaders jibe over rosary with budget questions.
02:21Secular TV case gesture says Hindus and their feelings suppressed.
02:30Black shirts and protests in Tamil Nadu Assembly.
02:33DMK MLA is led by Odeni D. John Black in protest.
02:36DMK turns assembly black over the water issue of a Cauvery fight.
02:44An actor, Dhanush's big Tamil pitch says not knowing Tamil is shameful.
02:48Dhanush urges students to value Tamil.
02:51Says knowing English, yes, is a bonus.
02:53But focus on your mother tongue.
03:09The FCRA amendment bill, the foreign funding bill, it's being told will be brought into parliament very soon.
03:15But amid the deadlock, there's been an attempt by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to reach out to those who
03:21have reservations over this legislation.
03:23Whether it's the southern states, whether it's the northeast states.
03:26And the latest we can tell you is that the Mizoram Chief Minister has met with Home Minister Amit Shah.
03:32Now, what in fact the Mizoram Chief Minister has said is that Home Minister Amit Shah has given an assurance
03:38that provisions of the law would not apply with retrospective effect.
03:42That only going forward it will come into effect.
03:44Now, according to the Chief Minister, he claims that there will be a conversation on this going forward with other
03:51stakeholders.
03:51He also says that Home Minister Amit Shah briefed him that the bill will come up for a discussion next
03:58week in parliament.
03:59Now, I will reiterate and highlight that this is what the Mizoram Chief Minister has said.
04:04There's still no clarity or no communication from the government on exactly when they will table the FCRA bill.
04:11But Home Minister Amit Shah is personally reaching out to several of, in fact, these leaders, chief ministers, church representatives,
04:19to get their support and lay to rest some of the speculations, some of the reservations they have over this
04:25bill.
04:27But it's not going to be retrospective that assurance was given to us.
04:33And the rest of the points will be given a Paraguay's comment by him.
04:39And he is going to start discussion on 12th of his monthly parliament.
04:47Amit Bharatwaj is joining us live with more details on this.
04:50Amit, good evening.
04:51Run us through the steps being taken right now by the central government, led by Home Minister Amit Shah,
04:56to reach out to different players across the country, representatives of the church, states that have reservations.
05:03What are the steps being taken to kind of ensure that all of their concerns are addressed, Amit?
05:08Akshita, you know, the government has already started two kind of consultations.
05:13One, obviously, to the opposition parties.
05:15The other, more importantly, with the stakeholders.
05:18What we are given to understand that the delegation from Mizoram,
05:21which included the two very senior representatives from the, you know, stakeholders community,
05:28that is the church, churches, as well as the chief minister of Mizoram was also part of the delegation.
05:33He met the co-minister.
05:35It was a five-page letter that was handed over to Home Minister Amit Shah,
05:40including six key demands, which also, you know, included the very important aspect,
05:46which has actually triggered concern amongst the stakeholders and religious minority communities
05:52who receive funds under the FCRA.
05:55That is the retrospective powers or retrospective effects that have been mentioned in the draft bill.
06:01Now, what we are given to understand that when Mizoram chief minister met Home Minister,
06:06and the delegation met the Home Minister,
06:08he said after that meeting that we have been assured that there will be moderate retrospective effect
06:13or imposition of this particular law.
06:16It will be prospective, which means that,
06:19suppose any organization, institution receiving foreign funds,
06:23and if the FCRA violations are there,
06:26it will come into effect only after, from the day this bill is passed,
06:31and it will not dispute the properties which were taken about in the past.
06:35Amit, my apologies for interrupting, but we've got another news break coming in.
06:39As we pointed out, Home Minister Amit Shah,
06:41beyond just meeting with the Mizoram chief minister,
06:43is also meeting with Christian community members.
06:46That meeting is underway in parliament.
06:48We understand the Home Secretary, Govind Mohan, is also present in that meeting.
06:52Now, the idea of holding these meetings is that the Home Minister intends to bust some myths
06:57and doubts related to the FCRA with new provisions.
07:00The government has constantly said that this doesn't throttle NGOs.
07:04It most definitely doesn't go after religious institutions.
07:06There's been a lot of questions being raised over the FCRA amendment bill,
07:10particularly among church bodies.
07:13And that's why it's with representatives of the church that Home Minister Amit Shah is currently meeting.
07:18He's attempting, essentially, to reach out to the community.
07:21You will remember that months ago, in the run-up to the Kerala election,
07:24this was one of the big talking points.
07:26And even then, the Home Minister had repeatedly, in several of his rally speeches,
07:31had spoken out, saying that there's a lot of narratives being spun over this particular legislation.
07:38It will not affect religious groups.
07:41I'll bring in Amit once again for a quick update on that.
07:44Amit, an outreach particularly to the Christian groups,
07:47because they've had the maximum reservations over this bill,
07:50whether you look at what's happening in Kerala, in Tamil Nadu or in Mizoram.
07:55You're right, Akshita.
07:56You know, ahead of the Kerala elections, we had seed Kerala elections.
07:59We had seen as to how this particular issue, the FCRA issue,
08:02had become one of the pain points for the Bharatiya Jinta party.
08:06A lot of explanation was also given out.
08:08And now, that is why, when this key amendment is being brought,
08:12the FCRA Amendment Bill 2026 is being brought,
08:15the stakeholders are being consulted,
08:18and more so, those from the Christian community is being consulted.
08:20We had seen the government, you know, adopting similar approach.
08:24They had, in fact, gone for a detailed discussion
08:27when the vote amendments were being brought in by the government.
08:30So, the JPC was formed, the Joint Parliamentary Committee was formed,
08:34stakeholders from across the country were called in to get their suggestions.
08:37So, similar approach is being taken right now.
08:39But we'll also have to see, Akshita, it is very important,
08:42if at all, as being mentioned by the Chief Minister of Mizoram,
08:45that this bill will be taken up in the Parliament for discussion on 12th of August.
08:49So, we'll have to see whether,
08:50what I've been given to understand to my sources within several parties,
08:54which the government would want to come on board,
08:57even more for the delimitation purpose which awaits in the future.
09:02Whether the JPC or any committee is demanded by opposition parties on to this,
09:06and whether the government agrees with it.
09:08Okay. All right.
09:10Thanks very much, Amit, for joining us with those details.
09:12Amit did mention how this is, in a sense,
09:14a catch-22 situation for the government,
09:16because of the issue of delimitation as well.
09:19What exactly do we mean by that?
09:21I'll break that down for you.
09:24There's a growing buzz that both the delimitation bill
09:26and the FCRA amendment bill could be introduced in Parliament.
09:30And yet, it hasn't happened so far in this session.
09:32The government needs only a simple majority
09:34to pass the Foreign Contribution Regulation Amendment Bill, the FCRA bill.
09:38Whereas, the proposed delimitation bill,
09:41being a constitutional amendment,
09:42presents a much bigger challenge.
09:45And that leads to a political catch-22 for the NDA.
09:48What do I mean?
09:49The NDA has comfortable numbers for a simple majority,
09:52but it still needs support beyond its alliance
09:54to pass the delimitation bill.
09:57In the Lok Sabai, and we've got those numbers on our screens,
09:59the NDA has 318 seats.
10:02In the Rajas Sabai, it has 145 members.
10:05Now, to ensure that they can get the numbers required,
10:09two-thirds of the House, essentially, for the delimitation bill,
10:12the BJP is looking towards parties such as the DMK,
10:15the Vistar CP, the NCPSP for support on delimitation.
10:19Winning that support, however, won't be easy.
10:22If I were to break that down party by party,
10:24the first key player is the DMK.
10:2622 Lok Sabai MPs, 8 Rajas Sabai MPs.
10:29The party softened its stand on delimitation,
10:32saying it will first study the bill before deciding its position.
10:35But it's firmly opposed to the FCRA bill.
10:39So, there's a concern there.
10:40What happens if they bring the FCRA bill
10:42and whatever progress has been made on dialogue with DMK,
10:45they move back on.
10:46Second crucial player, YSRCP.
10:48Four Lok Sabai MPs, 11 Rajas Sabai MPs.
10:51The party is broadly supportive of delimitation,
10:53but again has reservations over the FCRA bill in its present form.
10:57For obvious reasons, they have a huge Christian Woodbank as well.
11:00The NDA is also watching the NCPSP.
11:03Eight Lok Sabai MPs, one Rajas Sabai MP.
11:05As of now, the NCPSP is yet to take a final call on delimitation,
11:09but again has vocally opposed the FCRA bill.
11:13The common concern among all of these parties,
11:16they're all regional parties.
11:17The TDP also is part of the NDA
11:19and yet has reservations over the FCRA bill.
11:23And so with 16 Lok Sabai MPs,
11:24there's no way they'll vote against NDA,
11:26but it could lead to problems for the NDA.
11:29The common concern for all of these regional parties
11:31is that Christian and minority communities
11:34form a significant part of their support base.
11:36And the FCRA bill in its current form
11:39could trigger resentment among these voters.
11:41The TDP, despite being an NDA ally,
11:44is expected to back the delimitation bill.
11:47It's expected to also back the FCRA,
11:50but has as of now expressed concerns over certain provisions.
11:54The southern states are extremely wary of delimitation.
11:57Getting them on board by itself is a challenge.
12:01In Tamil Nadu, Lok Sabha seats are projected to rise
12:03from 39 to 59, an increase of 20 seats
12:06based on the proposed, promised 50% formula.
12:10Yet its national vote share changes only marginally
12:14from 7.18% to 7.23%.
12:16Similar story really in Karnataka.
12:19Seats increased from 28 to 42,
12:22but the vote share remains virtually unchanged,
12:255.16 to 5.15%.
12:28But if I were to break down
12:29what you're seeing currently on your screens
12:31is we have put out certain permutations
12:33and combinations of how the NDA
12:35can get the support that they need.
12:37In which case, for delimitation,
12:39they need two-thirds.
12:40The two-third mark of 360,
12:43Mission 360 as we've been calling it,
12:44to get those numbers.
12:45Even if they have the TMC rebels,
12:47the SENA UBT rebels,
12:48they're still short by 42,
12:50which is why the DMK is important,
12:52which is why the YSRCP is important.
12:55All of these numbers must come together.
12:57And if we show you a couple of scenarios here
12:59where the NDA has the DMK,
13:01the YSRCP, the NCPSP on both,
13:03the number comes to 352,
13:04it's still not enough.
13:07They still need more numbers than that.
13:09So besides the DMK,
13:11besides the YSRCP,
13:12besides the NCPSP,
13:14there is of course those number
13:15and that big chunk of independence,
13:17those who've moved away from the TMC
13:20who will also come on board.
13:22And that's what we're also showing you there.
13:24Independence at 7.
13:25All of them come together.
13:27They will be in fact at 360.
13:30So this is in fact the scenario too
13:33that we're showing you right now.
13:35If you look at these numbers,
13:36you know why the NDA is facing a challenge
13:38as far as delimitation goes.
13:40366, comfortable majority.
13:43This is in the Rajasabha.
13:44How are they achieving this?
13:45Look at the number of parties
13:46they have to get on board.
13:47It's a tough ask
13:48to get the JMM, VCK, MDMK,
13:52the DMK of course,
13:53the YSRCP, NCPSP, RLP,
13:56all of them on board.
13:57Not easy.
13:57And so the NDA has been working very hard on this.
14:00They believe that if
14:01they bring the FCRA bill into parliament,
14:03introduce it in its current form
14:05with so much of opposition to it,
14:08all the work they've done
14:09in bringing these parties on board
14:11will be erased.
14:12And so they have this particular challenge
14:15that they're still figuring out.
14:20So now we'll have to wait and see
14:22if in fact the FCRA bill
14:25is brought to parliament next week or not.
14:28Because at this point,
14:30there's still a big question about it.
14:32It all depends really on the meetings
14:34that are happening right now
14:35between Home Minister Amitra
14:36and these church bodies
14:38to see if they're convinced
14:39by the government.
14:40Let's get across to breaking news coming in.
14:49And let's get you details really
14:51of the talks that have been taking place
14:53through the day
14:53between Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi
14:55and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiran Rajiju.
14:58Rajiju spoke to Rahul Gandhi on call today.
15:03Primarily the conversation focused on delimitation
15:05as well as the Women's Reservation Bill.
15:08Here's what we're picking up.
15:09Rajiju told Rahul Gandhi
15:11that failure to implement Women's Reservation
15:14could lead to growing resentment
15:15and therefore has sought the support of the opposition.
15:18But Rahul Gandhi has informed the government
15:19he will discuss the matter with the Congress,
15:22with the allies in the India bloc
15:24before deciding exactly what their stamp is going to be.
15:28Remember that yesterday there was a similar meeting
15:30that had happened between Kiran Rajiju and Rahul Gandhi.
15:33Now another one.
15:34There's clearly an attempt here by the government
15:36to extend an olive branch
15:37to the Leader of Opposition,
15:38to the opposition,
15:39get them on board for the necessary support.
16:26And after round two of the talks and meeting between the Meta officials and the Modi government,
16:32the government has now strengthened regulatory framework to address AI-generated deepfakes.
16:38And this particular framework has been issued by the Ministry of Electronics and IT.
16:43There will now be mandatory AI content labeling.
16:46A three-hour takedown rule for any unlawful AI content.
16:51There's also going to be stricter liability for social media platforms.
16:54So the likes of Meta will be liable for whatever's on their platform.
16:58They can't wash their hands off.
16:59There will also be greater accountability to curb deepfakes and to curb the misuse of AI.
17:05Remember one of the big issues that was raised by the government in that meeting yesterday
17:09with Meta officials was the use of deepfakes on their platform,
17:14for which Meta did issue an apology too.
17:16But now the government now taking steps to ensure that they strengthen the rules as well.
17:21And most importantly, to make these platforms liable,
17:25they will be held accountable for the content on their platform.
17:27They cannot get away.
17:28Remember that we also got you details of the round two of the meeting that took place today
17:33in which the government very clearly communicated that you must comply with our law.
17:38You can't comply with US law in India.
17:40Let me bring in Shivani Sharma for more details on this.
17:43Shivani, the government planning an all-out crackdown on AI deepfakes,
17:47which many would say is the need of the hour.
17:49But how do they plan to go about this?
17:51Is the focus largely on accountability?
17:55Shrita, I'm right now at Reel Bhavan and the presentation on Deepfake,
17:59how Meta is handling the complaints and all the other content that should not be on these platforms.
18:07The algorithms, how they are biased, all those complaints, how Meta has been addressing.
18:13So all these presentations are going on at Reel Bhavan and it has been continuing since the last 50 minutes.
18:18This is a long meeting, it seems, because yesterday when the meeting was happening,
18:22it happened only for 20 minutes.
18:23It seemed and the sources indicated that the Meta executives were not prepared for all the answers.
18:29Today they are here with the presentation.
18:31They are being asked tough questions from the mighty ministry.
18:35And this is the third meeting in the last two days.
18:38Yesterday, the secretary had grilled the executives from Meta, the global affairs chief, Joel Kaplan,
18:45who is here in India for this specific summon, for this presentation,
18:49and all the other executives who are in India.
18:52At Reel Bhavan, the meeting goes on.
18:54And we also see, we are seeing some engagement.
18:57It seems that the meeting is over.
19:00The movement will begin here.
19:01But yes, I'll keep talking to you.
19:03I'll try and show the visuals too of the movement out here in Reel Bhavan.
19:08Stricter guidelines from the government have been issued now.
19:12This is the car that is moving out now.
19:16These are the representatives.
19:18Okay, so we are going to stand by for any updates that come in further
19:24on what really transpired in that meeting.
19:26For the moment, Shivani, thanks for joining us.
19:33Okay, let's move on, focus on what's been making headlines in the southern states.
19:38The Tamil Nadu assembly proceedings are underway.
19:41And we've seen a showdown over several issues.
19:43From the Tamil Nadu finance minister presenting the budget with a rosary in hand
19:48to the Tamil Nadu minister who presented the agriculture budget after visiting Tirupati.
19:54It's all led to a controversy.
19:55You had DMK leaders led by Udiniti Stalin arriving in black in the assembly.
20:01Why?
20:01We break down all that happened for you.
20:06High voltage political drama is unfolding in Tamil Nadu.
20:13Tamil Nadu finance minister, Mari Wilson, has been targeted by the BJP for carrying a rosary
20:19along with the budget in the assembly on Wednesday.
20:26A video of him making the sign of the cross before presenting the budget has also gone viral.
20:36On August 1st, Tamil Nadu agriculture minister, Vinod Ravi, took the budget draft to the Tirumala temple before its presentation.
20:44However, he was criticised by TVK-Li CPIM, which accused him of giving the budget a religious colour.
20:54The BJP is questioning targeting of Hindu rituals and the silence over Christian symbolism during budget
21:01and claims suppression of Hindus in Tamil Nadu.
21:07If a Hindu sentiment could have been expressed in this way, all the leaders, the whole of Tamil Nadu would
21:15have boiled
21:16and they will tell Tamil Nadu is with BJP, he is sowing the seed of separatism and they are not
21:24secular
21:24and they are against the secular fabrication of this country.
21:35But that wasn't the only moment that grabbed attention.
21:39While presenting the Tamil Nadu agricultural budget, the minister described Chief Minister Vijay as the OG farmer.
22:09The remark was immediately countered by the AIA-DMK.
22:15The general budget as well as today's agricultural budget of TVK is a huge disappointment.
22:22They try to lay hands on each and everything so that they can give an answer saying that we have
22:26done it in the future.
22:29Meanwhile, rejecting the Tamil Nadu budget, the DMK staged a protest in the Assembly by wearing black attire.
22:38The
23:03Mudhyan Nidhi also questioned Chief Minister Vijay
23:05silence on the Kaveri issue.
23:35This session concludes on Friday, but the political drama shows no sign of settling down.
23:41With Pramod Madhav, Apoorvajaya Chandran and Ananga Keshav, Bureau Report, India Today.
24:06Thank you all very much for your time.
24:08Mr. Sumansi Raman, I'll begin with you.
24:10What did you think, sir, of the fact that you had the Tamil Nadu Finance Minister holding
24:14a rosary just before presenting the budget, the minister visiting Tirupati before presenting
24:20the agriculture budget?
24:21You think it's okay to do that?
24:23Absolutely okay.
24:24I don't see any problem.
24:26It's a matter of personal faith.
24:29Whether the gentleman visited Tirupati, the agriculture minister or the finance minister carried a
24:34rosary and made the symbol of a cross in the assembly, I don't see any problems.
24:40These are matters of faith.
24:41They are not disturbing anyone else.
24:44They are not inconveniencing the public.
24:46So, I don't see any problem with this.
24:49And if we go down this path, it will only lead to more tensions among communities.
24:56Now, somebody will say, why is someone wearing a tilak or a vibhudi on their forehead, ash
25:01on the forehead and so on.
25:02So, there will be no end to all of this.
25:04And some people, you know, you have temples give the threads which people wear around their
25:10hands.
25:11So, where do you stop?
25:12So, I don't think that these are issues at all.
25:15I think this government should be judged by the fact that this budget was pretty lackluster
25:20and did not have anything great in it rather than worry about whether he carried a rosary
25:25or whether he made the sign of a cross.
25:27I think that that's far more important.
25:30And honestly, I think we should be discussing better things.
25:33Okay.
25:34Harish, your opening comments.
25:36Do you think that there's anything wrong with these images that we're showing of the agriculture
25:39minister, you know, visiting Tirupati or for that matter, the Tamil Nadu finance minister
25:44carrying a rosary?
25:46No, personally, I don't have any second thought about everyone's religious belief.
25:52It is up to them.
25:53It is an individual perspective.
25:54And as a Tamil Nadu, as a heterogeneous state where we hold all the temple churches and
26:00every religious institutions near to nearby, each and every institution.
26:04And also everyone celebrate each and every functions all together.
26:08So having said that, whether the government has any protocol or the procedures, yes, of course,
26:14the constitutional mandate that gives certain procedures should be followed by the constitutionally
26:20abided representatives, both inside the state assembly as well as in the central assembly.
26:26So you don't have religious faith of a particular individual to be represented as an awesome thing.
26:33That is where the BJP is getting backlash across India.
26:37And the same thing which can't be...
26:38So let me bring in the BJP.
26:40And I apologize, Harish, for cutting you short.
26:42But we've lost your video connection.
26:44So we'll reconnect with you and bring you back in on the conversation.
26:47Mr. Narayanan Tirupati, why is the BJP upset over that particular symbol being shown by the
26:52Tamil Nadu finance minister?
26:54No, no, BJP is not upset with what they have shown.
26:57See, my question is only one thing.
27:00It's, you know, personal faith and absolutely there is no issue.
27:03But I asked only one question that when in assembly, when he brings that grocery,
27:10leave alone all these Thirma 11, DMK and all those people, they are Hindu hitters.
27:16For them, Sanadan Dharma is worse compared to other religions.
27:20If Christian or Muslim fights, they will accept and they will welcome.
27:24Only Hindus they are against.
27:25But my question is this.
27:27On May 12th, Mr. Udhiniji Stalin said that he will eradicate Sanadan Dharma in the assembly.
27:34At that time, crores and crores of people who are having faith in Hindu Dharma, Sanadan Dharma,
27:42they really felt very bad.
27:44So as a chief minister, Mr. Vijay should have stood up and said that this is not correct.
27:49You should not speak like this.
27:51Why he has not said like that?
27:53When you accept that this faith is once a religious faith, that is also a religious faith.
28:00There are so many Hindus are there.
28:01So I think Mr. Vijay should have spoken.
28:04He should have condemned Mr. Udhiniji Stalin that time itself.
28:08That's what I am saying.
28:09But are we mixing two completely separate issues, sir?
28:12That here is someone who is expressing his faith versus you saying that someone should condemn what was said.
28:17No.
28:18See, this is a rosary being carried inside the assembly.
28:22When people say inside the assembly, the rosary should not be carried.
28:26If it is carried, it's their faith.
28:30Same faith applies to Hinduism also.
28:33Same faith applies to Sanadan Dharma also.
28:35So as a chief minister, responsibly, I think Mr. Vijay should have condemned that.
28:41That's what I am saying.
28:42Okay.
28:42Mr. Murali Dharan, do you want to respond to that?
28:44That, you know, the chief minister should have stepped in then.
28:46That one religion is okay, the other isn't, essentially.
28:51Everybody has the right, I mean, like, you know, it is guaranteed in our constitution, that article 2526, you know,
28:59whichever way.
29:00And if my faith is like Christianity, and I believe strongly in my God, and I want my God to
29:05support the budget I'm going to present for the first time,
29:07I walked into the assembly for the first time, and I need all that support.
29:11I need that, you know, blessing from my Almighty.
29:16So I take a rosary.
29:18So what?
29:19So as far as, you know, Narayanthar Padi can carry, you know, a statue of Ganesha inside, and my friend
29:25Harish can, you know, carry his faith inside.
29:28So all this is welcome.
29:29I don't think anybody has an issue here.
29:31The problem, the main point here is the budget is being presented.
29:35So Mr. Sumantharavan had a view on that, saying that there's nothing hunky-dory about it.
29:42It's very subtle budget.
29:44Yeah, the budget will be subtle, but for a simple reason, the last budget, if you'll see, the DMK, whenever
29:49they come to power, they promise the, you know, sun and the moon.
29:54And that's mainly for infrastructure development.
29:56And we also know every, every, every contract of DMKs, 30 to 36 percent is taken by, shared between the
30:05chief minister, minister, and the officials, the government officials.
30:10This is what we have come to know.
30:11The party fund, you'll remember that, you know, uproar in the assembly.
30:16Yes, sir.
30:16The moment Vijay said party fund, they all started jumping out of their chair.
30:20So those things are there, and those things have been, you know, I mean, I think, you know, that 36
30:26percent, if that money can come back into the kitty, that will reduce the burden.
30:31They are left us with something like 11 lakh crore, you know, debts, and that can offset all this.
30:36So the budget has to be subtle, and he needs to walk the talk.
30:40He's already walking the talk.
30:41Most of the places, corruption is being, you know, handled with a iron hand, and things are improving.
30:48And that's definitely not okay for ADNK and DMK.
30:53They're not able to digest that.
30:54Okay, Mr. Burlidharan, you know, we've had a conversation about the budget, and we'll continue to do so.
30:58But I just want you to also answer the specific question raised by the BJP.
31:02When they say that, you know, Chief Minister Vijay didn't step up, didn't object, when comments were made about Sanatan
31:08Dharm in the assembly.
31:12That's up to Mr. Narayan Tripathi and his party to find it out.
31:15But if somebody is taking about it or taking, you know, supporting that view, BJP should be at least having
31:2235% vote share in Tamil Nadu.
31:24That shows they have only 3.5% vote share.
31:27So obviously, the Tamil people do not really, you know, bother about caste, creed, or religion here.
31:32It's substance, you know, that's substance.
31:34So having said that, yes, it's true that DMK keeps taking a dignity at Hinduism, and for them, the other
31:41religions are okay.
31:41So that's also a fact. And let BJP fight that with the DMK, and TVK do the governments.
31:49That's the answer for that.
31:50Mr. Tirupati, do you want to respond?
31:52No, no. See, this is silly. This has nothing to do with election or vote.
31:56And I don't understand why Burlidharan is bringing votes into this.
32:00We are talking about faith.
32:02So everyone has got the right to talk about faith, and when we say that my chief minister, our chief
32:07minister, has not responded to what, you know, Mr. Udineji Stalin said, I think it is everybody's right.
32:16What is there only if I get votes, I should talk about religion means?
32:19I think Mr. Burlidharan is totally misunderstood.
32:22And my question is very, very simple.
32:26If Mr. Vijay welcomes this, if he doesn't object the rosary to be carried, same way he should definitely have
32:33objected for Udineji Stalin's comments on Sanatana Dharma inside the assembly.
32:38See, we are not talking anything, you know, inside the assembly, why these things should happen?
32:44When you have a faith on some religion, the same faith should be on that religion also.
32:51This is what we are discussing.
32:53We are not discussing, as you rightly said, about budget, or we are not discussing anything about Hinduism or Christianity.
32:59We are discussing inside the assembly, is it right or not?
33:03When I say it is right, then Udineji Stalin spoke was wrong, and Mr. Vijay should have condemned, if he
33:10is not condemned, that is also wrong.
33:12That's what I'm saying.
33:13Okay, Mr. Burlidharan, quickly your response, and I'll bring in the others.
33:17Actually, it's a very simple, Akshara.
33:19The majority of Tamil Nadu are Hindus by 80%.
33:21The minority are something like less than 20%.
33:24I mean, if somebody wants to, you know, exhibit and, you know, show their faith in a public forum, doesn't
33:30matter, because 80% of the Hindus, you know, really don't care and they support it.
33:34They want a secular place to live, that's all.
33:37And that's for people to decide.
33:40I don't think, you know, that government should really worry about caste freedom and religion.
33:45Okay, you know, before I wrap this up, I think the reason that we also, at least I personally, wanted
33:49to have this conversation is because I think the fact that all the gentlemen on our screen right now are
33:54saying very clearly it's perfectly all right.
33:56It's perfectly all right for someone to showcase their religion, kind of highlights what Tamil Nadu is all about, Mr.
34:01Subhatsi Raman, because something like this would be extremely divisive in other states.
34:06In Tamil Nadu, it's not led to a full-blown political fight.
34:10Everyone says everyone has a right to practice his or her religion, whether it's in the assembly or outside.
34:16Absolutely, and I think that we need to make this distinction here, that Tamil Nadu traditionally has enjoyed excellent communal
34:24harmony.
34:25So, and despite attempts of certain political parties to try and change that, that has, they have not succeeded.
34:31Now, the point is, there are issues which do come up.
34:36So, for instance, the Tirparam Kundram issue and others are emotive issues.
34:40But as far as individuals practicing their faith, whether it is in a public place or in the privacy of
34:46their residences, I don't think people really make it an issue.
34:50Which is why Maria Wilson is perfectly at liberty to carry the rosary with him and the agriculture minister is
34:58perfectly at liberty to go to Tirumala.
35:00For instance, Israel, before every rocket launch, they always visit Tirumala with a model of the rocket.
35:08So, I think that these are things which do not harm or impact on other people.
35:14They do not inconvenience anyone.
35:16And I don't think that, I think that we should not really be cracking down on such.
35:22So, there will be no end to it if we get into that.
35:24So, I think the people of Tamil Nadu are very wise.
35:27They are not going to make this an issue despite the efforts of media to create controversies around it.
35:35Mr. Subhansi Raman, not true at all.
35:37I think the only reason we did it is what I said.
35:40I'm happy that I've got all the panelists agreeing that it's perfectly all right.
35:44That one minister goes to Tirumala Tirupati because that's his faith.
35:47The other carries a rosary before he presents a budget.
35:50That's his faith.
35:50As long as they all mean good for the state, that's all that matters.
35:53Thank you very much, Mr. Subhansi Raman, Mr. Narayan Tirupati and Mr. Harish for joining us on this broadcast.
35:58Thank you very much, Mr. Harish for joining us on this broadcast.
Comments