- 2 days ago
On To The Point, anchor Preeti Chaudhry reports on major political developments in Jharkhand and national party politics. Following a 24-day student protest, the Hemant Soren government cancelled the JSSC CGL examination and exams conducted by TDPL while ordering a CID probe into state examinations held since 2014.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:03Good evening, you're watching To The Point. I'm Preeti Chaudhary. We're going to get you the latest coming in from
00:07Jharkhand on where do the students and the job aspirants stand, especially after yesterday where the Jharkhand government has given
00:16in to nearly all their demands, say one. All of that coming up first. Allow me to take you through
00:20the headlines.
00:24The Supreme Court to act against the crackdown against students during July 20th Jhantar Mantar protest says it will set
00:32up a high-powered committee to examine allegations of police excesses.
00:40Delhi and Bihar cops deny using brute force on protesters. Bihar cops say AK-47 used but injured no one.
00:47Sevan SP also transferred after incident. Delhi cops claim no excessive force used against CJP protesters.
00:59Protesting students end strike after Sorain government cancels JSSC GSL exam but protesters insist on CBI probe.
01:08Three factions where protesters are concerned. Matodo ends his strikes as phase 2-ster will be launched for corruption-free
01:16exams.
01:23Vijay chief minister's office tender sparks political row. Chief minister's office work started in July.
01:29Tenders in August. India Today visited Vijay's CM office on July 28th. BJP says 90% work complete. Tenders in
01:37eyewash.
01:43Trisha once again dragged into Tamil Nadu politics. DMK mouthpiece takes on Chief Minister Vijay over the presence of the
01:50actor in the stands during Independence Day events.
01:53Calls it vulgar and disgusting.
02:01Super showdown over one-day matrim. Congress President Karge sparks another row. Only two stanzas played at Karge event. BJP
02:09launches big attacks as Congress governed by the Magi Naksal ecosystem.
02:26Let's begin with the latest news break that is coming in. The leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi has now rained
02:31fire on union minister Kiran Rajiju.
02:33That after Kiran Rajiju in multiple interviews has said that excessive force on student wasn't used.
02:40The leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi now says half a kilometer from parliament pellet guns were fired at peaceful students.
02:47Latis studied with nails. Were used. One child's eye was lost. One girl's ear was severed. Should we praise this
02:56brutality?
02:57The fundamental mantra of this government is untruth in violence.
03:00The truth is that the biggest danger to this country comes from those empty-headed people who neither seek their
03:07own mistakes nor admit them, even when they do.
03:12Alright, so this is Rahul Gandhi reacting to what Kiran Rajiju, Parliamentary Affairs Minister, has stated in multiple interviews.
03:20And I want to bring in Moshmi Singh, my colleague at the back of it.
03:24Moshmi, the Congress is of course going all out. They continue to push for the apology coming in from the
03:31Home Minister on what they allege was excessive use, something that played out in the courts as well today.
03:39That's right, you know, Kiran Rajiju, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, has given a battery of interviews and Rahul Gandhi there
03:48responding to those interviews with a remark where he says,
03:55Now it's Dimaghi Naksal versus the Dimaghi Naksal Jai that's actually going on with Rahul Gandhi saying that, you know
04:04what, they are not ready to accept the truth.
04:08And don't you worry, it's the students of this country and the youth of this country, they have a good
04:15memory and they have seen what has happened to them.
04:17So they are not going to forget. So clearly, you know, Rahul Gandhi there, you know, seeing that the entire
04:25government has been trying to, in fact, elaborate on what has happened and that the things could have turned more
04:32untoward if Delhi police had not, in fact, used restraining measures.
04:39But clearly, the leader of opposition isn't really pleased with what Kiran Rajiju had to say and has hit back.
04:49All right, Moshmi, thank you for joining us. This is something that the Congress intends to bolster on, even when
04:56Rahul Gandhi now takes his chhatron ki gunj to Pune.
04:59My colleague Moshmi getting us the inside details on what the Congress is thinking in terms of mounting the kind
05:05of counter-attack post-Kiran Rajiju's statement.
05:08Meanwhile, viewers, I'm going to take you from one protest to the other. Of course, all of this was regarding
05:12the Jantar Mantar protest.
05:14But let's shift focus to Jharkhand, Ranchi.
05:16After 24 days, the Jharkhand student protest finally has come to an end with the Hemant Sorain government, the chief
05:23minister, conceding to all demands save one.
05:26The government has cancelled the JSSE, CGL and TDPL, carried out examinations, ordered a CID probe into the exams held
05:35since 2014 and announced reforms to the state's examination system.
05:40But the agitation is not over for one set, with one group now still demanding the CBI probe, while the
05:47two other big factions have decided that they will break their fast
05:52and agree to the government accepting nearly all their demands save one, which is the CBI probe.
06:01Here's more.
06:12A major breakthrough came on day 24 of the student protest in Jharkhand.
06:20The Hemant Sorain government conceded to one of the key demands of the protesting students and cancelled the JSSE, CGL
06:27examination, as well as the examination conducted by the TDPL.
06:31The government also ordered a CID probe into examinations held since 2014. It also announced sweeping reforms to the state's
06:38examination system.
06:39The TDPL does have to cancel the TDPL.
06:42The TDPL's also cancelled the TDPL.
06:43The TDPL's also cancelled the TDPL.
06:49The TDPL doesn't have to cancel.
06:49If we create a law, then we keep the law to avoid the law.
06:58And the citizens' responsibility, the state of the Ngun, the peace and the peace and the peace of the state.
07:10We are always in the back of the world.
07:15Student leader Devendranath Mahathur, who has been on a hunger strike, ended his fast
07:19after the government's decision calling it a historic victory for the students.
07:24But he made it clear that the larger demand remains unchanged.
07:27A fair, transparent and credible examination system.
07:30Student leader Devendranath Mahathur, who has been on a long-term basis for the government
07:34We are in the official notice.
07:38What do we do?
07:39We have seen the CBI, CID, and the CID in our lives.
07:45I want to say that we need such a system in which the government gives us a guarantee
07:50that in the future it will never happen again.
07:54It will never happen again.
07:56We need such a system.
07:59The agreement also drew praise from alliance partner and leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha,
08:04Rahul Gandhi.
08:05He called the understanding between the students and the Jharkhand government the right way,
08:09with Chief Minister Himant Sorain opting dialogue, while the students maintained restraint and
08:14ultimately got several of their demands accepted.
08:20But despite the celebrations, the agitation is far from over.
08:24A section of students is still holding out for one key demand, a CBI probe.
08:29Student leader Ravindra Paswan says while the cancellation of the exams has been accepted,
08:34the demand for CBI probe has not been fulfilled.
08:36and his group has made it clear.
08:38The protest will continue until that demand is met.
08:41The protest will continue in the likes of the resistance.
08:47The president is wont to join the competition.
08:58The government are nototted to the rest of the restrictions.
08:59Now the government can be received from the public conversation.
09:15The Surin government now faces another challenge.
09:18The cancellation of the JSSC CGL examination has triggered a counter-protest outside Jharkhand secretariat.
09:25These are job aspirants who had cleared the examination and are now worried that the cancellation can put their possible
09:31job at risk.
09:32Some of them have already joined the government service.
09:35They say they are not opposed to any investigation but want a fair opportunity to defend themselves before any decision
09:42affects their career.
09:54The U.S. Department of Justice
09:56The U.S. Department of Justice
10:32The U.S. Department of Justice
10:39The U.S. Department of Justice
10:41The U.S. Department of Justice
10:49So while the 24-day agitation has forced the government to concede several major demands, the battle over Jharkhand examination
10:56system is clearly not over.
10:58The U.S. Department of Justice
11:02The U.S. Department of Justice
11:09The U.S. Department of Justice
11:28The U.S. Department of Justice
11:42The U.S. Department of Justice
11:43The U.S. Department of Justice
12:09The U.S. Department of Justice
12:12The U.S. Department of Justice
12:15The U.S. Department of Justice
12:37The U.S. Department of Justice
12:55Honorable
12:55We have been protesting for many days, and the government has seen it before,
13:01two or three times the delegation had been passed.
13:06During that election, 80-90% of the election was passed.
13:11They believed it yesterday.
13:13I have hope, but I would like to say this,
13:47Thank you very much.
13:57Thank you very much.
14:21Thank you very much.
15:16Thank you very much.
15:41Thank you very much.
16:09Thank you very much.
16:28Thank you very much.
16:41Thank you very much.
17:28Thank you very much.
17:59Thank you very much.
19:03Thank you very much.
33:04And that's where Deepak Maske enters.
33:07A data and analytics professional from Chhattisgarh, Maske's career is anything but conventional.
33:14A master's degree in chemistry, a diploma in cement technology, training in computer programming,
33:21and even a stint in teaching.
33:24Now he has been handed the task of helping reshape the BJP's social media strategy.
33:29The priorities of the BJP's is that the BJP needs to win for the BJP's.
33:36The BJP needs to win for the BJP's.
33:37And with the social media, we and our whole team will work in this.
33:43Maske will lead a new team of co-conveners, Preeti Gandhi, Shivanand Divedi, Alok Bhatt, and Arun Yadav.
33:51But the new team comes with its own baggage.
33:55And this time, it is not just about electoral strategy.
33:59It is about digital footprints.
34:02The ex-accounts of Preeti Gandhi and Alok Bhatt currently show little or no visible historical activity.
34:09While Arun Yadav's account is protected.
34:12That has inevitably turned the spotlight on their past posts.
34:16Preeti Gandhi, the BJP's newly appointed social media co-convener, is facing renewed scrutiny over old posts on X that
34:25critics say expressed admiration for Nathuram Gautse, the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi.
34:32Alok Bhatt, meanwhile, has been associated with the right-wing digital platform, the Pamphlet.
34:38His old social media posts have also come under scrutiny over what critics describe as derogatory and inflammatory remarks targeting
34:47political opponents, Muslims and women.
34:50One 2012 post targeting Congress leader Sonia Gandhi used deeply offensive and misogynistic language has also gone viral again.
35:00And then there is Arun Yadav.
35:03His controversial social media history is not new.
35:06In 2022, the BJP removed Yadav as the head of its Haryana IT cell after an old 2017 post targeting
35:14Muslims and Prophet Muhammad triggered a major controversy.
35:19The hashtag, Arrest Arun Yadav, also trended at that time.
35:23For the BJP, this is a bid to reset its digital politics.
35:27But with old posts never truly disappearing, the question is, are these battle-tested faces the BJP's digital advantage or
35:38its next controversy?
35:40Bureau Report, India Today.
35:44Before we cut across to our face-off this evening, I'm joined by BJP spokesperson Sanju Verma for a quick
35:51comment before we let her go.
35:52Sanju Verma, you know, it's often said that you can delete everything from the internet, but the internet never quite
35:57forgets.
35:58I just want to ask you, the curious case of the new co-conveners where it comes down to the
36:03IT cell, strange that one can't access their accounts.
36:07Why? How? And how is it that it's all gone private or deactivated in the last 24 hours, ma'am?
36:15You know, Preeti, I've done so many debates with you. It is national spokesperson.
36:19Ma'am, national spokesperson? Sorry, everyone so touchy about that. I'm sorry. I apologize. National spokesperson.
36:26Go ahead. Go ahead.
36:28Sorry, I'm apologizing. I'm saying I'm sorry. Go ahead, ma'am. Make your point.
36:32Yeah, no, don't be sorry. I said that on a lighter note. I just want to say one thing, Preeti,
36:38that let's not try and make a mountain out of a molehill.
36:43Now, there have been some posts in the past which may have been incendiary and inflammatory, but I think the
36:50larger point is that what are these people who have now been given very responsible positions?
36:56What is going to be the trajectory going forward? You know, if we keep digging into the past, I think,
37:01you know, this is not about the Congress, but I have to bring them into the equation because they are
37:08the largest, you know, political party after the BJP.
37:12You look at posts from Supriya Srinik, who has their national social media team. I mean, saying, you know, what's
37:18going on in Mandi?
37:19And they're saying, oh, that was posted by some junior and he did not have access to my account.
37:25And look at somebody like a problem, he says, Narendra Dhamudar Modi Modi, you know, there was a defamation case,
37:34he apologized.
37:34So, I wouldn't say that, oh, because the Congress did it, so what we did, I need to justify that.
37:41But I can just say this, I'm sure better sense will prevail, point number one.
37:45I'm sure anyone who has made it to the new list of Nitin Nabeenji, there has been scrutiny.
37:52I'm sure people have been told, whatever happened, that happened, but you have to show restraint.
37:59You have to ensure that you're not playing to the gallery by indulging in comments which are reckless.
38:06And I think rather than judging them for what they were, let us judge them for what they will be.
38:12Fair point.
38:13They have done great work also.
38:15All these people, be it Alok Bhatt, be it Preeti Gandhi, I mean, they've contributed significantly to BJP's positive narrative.
38:23So, I think it's very unfair to pick and choose some of their posts and try and tarnish them with
38:28a black brush.
38:29Sanju Verma, thank you.
38:31Thank you for joining us.
38:31It's not some of their posts, but it's a lot of their posts.
38:34But if you say, jo hoa so hoa, they need to be judged from their new benchmark.
38:38We'll know very soon.
38:39But thank you, Sanju Verma, for taking the time out and joining us.
38:42I want to go to our political face-off.
38:44I have with me, Shehzad Poonawalla, commentator, political analyst in a newly minted avatar.
38:49Welcome, Shehzad.
38:50I think this is the first time we have you as a not, as the national spokesperson of the Bharatiya
38:56Janata Party.
38:57I'm also joined by Sanjay Jha, once again, commentator, political analyst.
39:03And let's begin with Shehzad.
39:05Shehzad, you tell us, because you've now been an insider who's an outsider, but still is firm on the ideology.
39:13What's really going on where the co-convener list is concerned?
39:21Firstly, you can call me as people's pravakta.
39:25And you can also see that Sanjay is suspended pravakta.
39:29I have resigned as a pravakta.
39:31So you have pravakta, but one is suspended, one is resigned.
39:35But having said that, Preeti, look, I saw a lot of the coverage on India today.
39:40And, you know, when the Gen Z protest was going on, a lot of people used a lot of language,
39:44which was not good language.
39:45And at that time, many people rightly said that, look, and in fact, the Prime Minister said that, let's go,
39:50this is a language.
39:51It was a wrong language.
39:52We should not use it.
39:53Why we can't extend the same yardstick to Arun Yadav?
39:57I know Arun Yadav for a very long period of time.
40:00I know he's not anti-Muslim, otherwise he would not be friends with me.
40:03And Arun Yadav has done exceptional work for the party.
40:06And forget just about Arun Yadav, let's take the convener of our cell, of BJP cell, still the old habit
40:13is not gone.
40:14Convener of the BJP's social media cell.
40:17Deepak Musk has done exceptional work in Chhattisgarh, where he has used and leveraged the social media to create a
40:25great narrative for the party, which led to the victory of the party in an area where Bupesh Bagel was
40:30very strong.
40:30You had gone to Chhattisgarh, I think, for coverage, you know, Bupesh Bagel was a strong CM, one of the
40:35Congress's strong CMs.
40:36So in that circumstances, when people have delivered, Preeti Gandhi, look at her contribution from so much time she has
40:42been with the party.
40:43See, people like me, we became Prabhakta, we got position.
40:46She has been there fighting from a very long period of time.
40:49So this list, if you see the list of Nitin Naveen Ji, it has two or three markable things.
40:56One, they are rewarding youth, but they are rewarding meritorious youth and they are rewarding people who have done something
41:02in the organization.
41:03Two, they are making a balance between Nabeen team and Anubhavi team, new team and Anubhavi team.
41:08And thirdly, it is also giving a good step up to people from the, like Smriti Rani Ji's back.
41:14She has been dedicated Karikarta of the party. Women have got prominent position.
41:1813 mein se humara six vice presidents are women.
41:21So I think that that is a good balance that has been put forward and therefore everyone should welcome this
41:27thing and give them an opportunity.
41:28We should not be too quick at judging them.
41:30Okay, fair point. Sanjay Jha, don't be quick at judging them. The sheer fact that most of these accounts are
41:35private or have been deleted, are being scrubbed, means that there is an attempt to change.
41:42Preeti, a leopard never changes his spots. It's a very classic saying that applies to the Bharatiya Jatta party.
41:50Since Shahzad could not but help himself and make a personal comment at me once again, this is an obsession
41:56with everybody from the BJP and the RSS where I'm concerned.
42:00I need to point out to the benefit of the viewers, guys, you need to check out what Shahzad felt
42:05about Mr. Modi, the RSS, the BJP and Amit Shah before he joined the party for as long as he
42:11did.
42:11But anyway, let's move on from that point. I mean, it is very easy to say, give these guys a
42:17second chance.
42:18You know, Preeti, this is the same right wing and I call it right wing because it includes a whole
42:24vast number of organizations and people who believe in the ideology.
42:28We all know how they hounded a 15 year old girl and her mother because she made certain comments that,
42:36yes, we do agree was unparliamentary and definitely not charitable towards the prime minister.
42:41Yes, it had certain content that we cannot approve of, but you would know how they went after her.
42:47So then by that same analogy, I think these distinguished people in the eyes of my dear friend Shahzad need
42:55to apologize, right, before they take up their jobs.
42:58Can you imagine celebrating the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi?
43:02Preeti, it's like somebody in America today. In America, they will get arrested if the Abraham Lincoln's murderer or John
43:08F. Kennedy's murderers are lionized as heroes.
43:12But this is what you heard from this new brigade. But I think there is an important message, Preeti, that
43:17is being sent out.
43:18You know, we all tend to get very euphoric and charitable and there is an organizational change. But let's look
43:24at the truth.
43:25The BGP cannot but be driven by the kind of bigotry that actually is that political business model, which is
43:34divide, divide and subdivide.
43:36Think about it. The prime minister, Demaghi Naxal, has captured the public imagination all over again.
43:42This is the prime minister of India who takes an oath on a constitution.
43:47And he leaves behind a very ambiguous, amorphous statement called Demaghi Naxal.
43:53And then the others come up to clarify what he meant.
43:56Clearly, there is an attempt to send out a message to the people at large in India that we are
44:01going to target anybody who we don't like.
44:04And I think, therefore, that is the fundamental point that this party is, through these appointments, sending out a message
44:11that we are going to be even more dangerously polarizing going forward.
44:16You know, I'm going to give final comments because, you know, it's a change. We don't know what it brings.
44:20We have bought in, like I said, the Internet doesn't quite forget their past history, but they've taken it down.
44:26Will they change? We'll only know in times to come. But, Shahzad, the final points. Go ahead.
44:34Preeti, first of all, I'm sure you would know that the first time the term urban Naxal was used by
44:41the Congress, UPA government in an affidavit submitted to court, I think Sushil Kumar Shinde was the home minister then.
44:47So, if the mindset of somebody who is an overground, open supporter of Naxalism and during the Congress regime, 150
44:56districts were afflicted by Naxalism and you saw people celebrating the killings in Dantewada, saying that the forces deserved it.
45:02Or you even see the current day avatar where you celebrate an Afzal Guru or Yaakob who has been given
45:07capital punishment by the court, then what would such people be called?
45:11They would be called as the supporters of this kind of malaise. So, what is wrong if the Congress uses
45:16it, it is Chamatkar and if the Prime Minister coins it, it is Gunegaard.
45:19Secondly, Preeti, now I want to ask you because I feel that you are one of the most liberal voices
45:24across the various platforms. Do you think that a person's comment, however you may hate that comment, should a person
45:32be condemned for his life or her life for one comment? Is that your world view? Just yes or no,
45:37Preeti?
45:38If you are asking me, of course not. No matter how distasteful you may feel it is. No, of course
45:42not. Of course not. And that's something, but that cuts both wings.
45:45So, Preeti, I think, of course, Preeti, I think that Sanjay is one of the champions of liberalism. But when
45:54it comes to the BJP or the right-wing side, Sanjay becomes so conservative and he becomes so un-liberal,
46:02illiberal, that he wants that people should be condemned for comment.
46:05And if that is the standard, then Rahul Gandhi has said, Rahul Ji has said that Lathi maro Prime Minister
46:10ko, then let's condemn them. Somebody, some persons have abused Prime Minister's mother, let's condemn them also. See, Prime Minister
46:18Modi has a big heart. He said that Bacchon ko maaf kar do, but Sanjay does not have that liberal
46:22heart.
46:22Allow me to bring in Sanjay. Sanjay, final comments, because then I'll need to close the show.
46:26Well, I think, Preeti, you gave an appropriate answer to Shahzad. Shahzad, as Preeti rightly mentioned, you know, you can't
46:33cherry pick, right?
46:34The source for the goose is source for the gander. And you have been a spokesperson. You and I have
46:39debated multiple times.
46:40And every time when it's convenient, the whataboutery comes in from the BJP.
46:45So I think it's about time the opposition paid you back with, I think, an additional amount of interest.
46:50But there are two very quick points, Preeti. Under the previous BJP communications head of the IT cell, we found
46:58a very dubious distinction that India got worldwide.
47:01We were called the misinformation and disinformation capital of the world.
47:07I thought that was shameful. And I think that's something that damages democracy. It's not just politics.
47:12My last point, my last point, you know, end of day, I think Mr. Modi has very cleverly indulged in
47:19dog whistle politics all the time and got away with it.
47:22Now he's being challenged. You know, when in the past,
47:25aapka bhaiz kaon chori kar lega, mangal sutra, mutton, etc., etc., he got away with it.
47:31Now he's being challenged for anything he says, which is why Dimagi Naxal has caught on and made people say,
47:38what do you mean by that?
47:39It's really not about Dimagi Naxal. That's, you know, another debate, which both of you brought up.
47:43So that's another debate. Let's just focus right now on what the debate was, which is a new IT cell
47:49team.
47:49You know, that's all the time that I have for now, but I'd love to get both of you back
47:52and we can actually debate Dimagi Naxal or Be Dimag.
47:57I think that's the current connotation, but we're going to leave it at that.
48:02But thank you, Anshahzad. Good luck with your new winnings. Thank you for joining us.
Comments