- 17 minutes ago
Protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process have taken place in Delhi and Mumbai. In Delhi, an earlier demonstration involving the Aam Aadmi Party and Left parties ended after around 1,100 protesters were detained. In Mumbai, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), led by Abhijeet Dipke, held a gathering at Shivaji Park, drawing public figures including Shabana Azmi, Vishal Bharadwaj and Naseeruddin Shah. The protests come as opposition parties plan district-level demonstrations and the Election Commission begins a special voter registration drive across 20 states.
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00:03protest season returns
00:09it's an all-out war S.I.R.
00:18opposition in Delhi CJP in Mumbai
00:27CJP's protest war round 2
00:35Aamchi Mumbai turns battlefield
00:42Shivaji Park the new Jantar Mantar
00:47CJP turns up the heat on CEC
00:52from jail borough to go Gyanesh go
00:58CJP's protest gets a starry turn
01:03Gyanesh Kumar's exit countdown begins
01:11Dreaming viewers you're watching to the
01:13point I am Preeti Chaudhary the big
01:15question of course is will Jantar Mantar
01:19and the Kaukho Janta party be able to
01:21pull in the same crowds like it did the
01:25last time around we're going to get you
01:27the latest from ground zero but first up
01:31allow me to take you through the
01:33headlines
01:39historic gold medal for India at the
01:41Asian Games women's hockey team beat
01:43China wins gold medal Asian games after
01:4744 years 2028 LA Olympic spot sealed
01:58Nadi Shakti on display at the Asian Games
02:01Indian women's recurve archery team wins gold
02:04medal birthday girl Lavlina also clinches
02:08gold in 75 kilogram boxing category
02:17prime minister Modi speaks to captain smith on
02:20video call lauds his valour smith breaks
02:22down says he was chanting Hanuman Chalasa
02:25inside the cockpit prime minister Modi
02:27Vishwish Smith for a speedy recovery
02:31I can say that the country can say that
02:37we are Hindustani, we are not a place to
02:40live, we are not a place to save
02:43the place to save the place to save the place
02:48Season 2 of the CJP protest in Mumbai
02:51despite no police permission Bollywood stars
02:54like Nasiruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, Vishal Dadlani
02:57join the protest, CJP demands
02:59Gyanesh Kumar, CEC's resignation
03:09High Drama, Delhi's Janthar Mantar as well
03:12Congress and Amadmi party agitate in Delhi
03:14against CEC Gyanesh Kumar
03:16around 11,000 protesters, 1,100 protesters
03:20detained, cops claim some police personnel
03:23also injured
03:45Alright viewers, it's protest season once again
03:48it might, the last time it would have been
03:49summers, now it is fall
03:51but the big question is, will the Cockroach Janthar Party
03:54and Shivaji Park attract the same kind of crowds
03:58that the Cockroach Janthar Party attracted in Janthar Mantar
04:02this time the battle is over
04:04the demand of resignation for the Chief Election Commissioner
04:07and the battle lines are clearly drawn
04:11from Delhi to Mumbai
04:13what will go down in terms of the support
04:18we'll only know in time to come
04:19but this is how the day panned out
04:21...
04:28...
04:29...
04:29...
04:30...
04:34foreign
04:44foreign
05:05All right, those were the two splitting images.
05:07One protest in Delhi, one which has started at about 4 p.m. in Mumbai, Shivaji Park.
05:13Delhi protest after the detention of 1,100 protesters that came in from the left parties as well,
05:20as the Ahmad Me Party has ended this afternoon.
05:24But the focus now on Shivaji Park, and joining me from there is our Maharashtra and Goa Bureau Chief,
05:31who is on ground, getting us the very latest.
05:33My colleague Sahil Joshi joins us live.
05:36Sahil, over to you. What kind of crowds have come out?
05:39Has the CJP been able to instigate the same kind of protest mode in the people of Mumbai?
05:50Well, Priti, there was a fundamental difference between the earlier protests,
05:53that is the protest against the paper leak and specific demand with respect to Dharmendra Pratahan
06:00and the protests now, because, you know, this has sort of become like a political issue,
06:05whereas the need protests had reached out to the parents.
06:08But despite that, it's very interesting that, you know, you can see here,
06:13just behind me at Shivaji Park, there is still crowd here.
06:18And I can say for a fact that it may not be as big as the protests during the need
06:25time,
06:25but despite that, there is a sound against the election commission,
06:30and the CJP has managed to bring in the younger crowd on the ground,
06:35which is not linked to the political parties.
06:39But I would also like to add to this, because when Abhijit Dipke announced that there will be a protest
06:44on 2nd of October, the first party to support that protest was Shiv Sena UBT.
06:51Aritya Thakere had tweeted about it.
06:53So I'd seen many supporters from Shiv Sena UBT as well,
06:56but there is now a separate march which is going to happen.
06:59Shiv Sena UBT and MNS Raj Thakere and Uddav Thakere are going to have a separate march
07:04on 4th of October, where the other political parties like NCP, SP and the Congress Party
07:09are also going to be part of that particular protest.
07:12But it is interesting that despite police not giving permission to hold such kind of protest
07:19at the Shivaji Park, because Shivaji Park is a declared silence zone,
07:24and only particular days are allowed to hold any kind of a public gathering at the Shivaji Park,
07:30and that is also depending on whether the government or the authorities allow it to happen.
07:35But despite that, the CJP anyhow went ahead with the protest,
07:39and the police has kept the security around.
07:41As you can see, there are police personals, but there is no punitive action against the protesters,
07:46and they are allowing this protest to happen.
07:49And a lot of people I've seen carrying the tirangas in their hand,
07:54the tri-colour flags in their hand, the national flag in their hand,
07:57various posters with specific demand for the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner,
08:03Nyanesh Kumar.
08:04So, this is unusual, a little bit, that at the Shivaji Park, on the holiday,
08:09Mumbaikers have managed to come down, not in the as big numbers as that of NEET,
08:15but yes, on the ground at this point of time, and since 4 o'clock in the afternoon,
08:19the protests are still on.
08:21Abiji Dipke is right now speaking from the stage.
08:24I saw a couple of Shabana Azmi had joined the protests.
08:29Vishal Bharadwaj was also part of the protests earlier in the day.
08:32Nasiruddin Shah met Abiji Dipke.
08:36But the political leaders have not come here for the protests,
08:40the way we have seen during the Jantar Bantar protests,
08:43or the protests happened in Mumbai,
08:44where Uddav Thakri, Raj Thakri had openly come out in support of the CJP protests.
08:49This time, they are having their own protests,
08:51because it is more of a political issue,
08:53and the political parties which are picking up this issue,
08:56and the CJP has been allowed to have their own protests
08:58with the youngsters on the ground, actually.
09:02You know, Sahil, the political leaders had only joined the CJP protests after day 22.
09:08This is day 1.
09:09Now, the CJP leaders like Abiji Dipke were expecting that they would be detained,
09:15or, you know, the protests would not happen.
09:18Do they have a game plan from here on?
09:20Because in Jantar Bantar Sahil, the protests hinged on the fast by Sonam Wangchuk.
09:27What's the plan of the CJP?
09:35Well, the difference between the protests at Jantar Bantar was that it was a prolonged protest,
09:39and they had already planned it for a longer time,
09:42and till the time the resignation doesn't happen.
09:45Now, this time, they have planned to have these protests in different cities across India,
09:50and they will be starting from Mumbai, is what they have announced.
09:53So, there is a particular time limit for this particular protest,
09:56and they have kept two hours for this particular protest.
09:59I think it will go on till one and a half hour more.
10:05The police, what they have told us is that they will not be taking any punitive action against it
10:10the way they tried to detain last time, and they have allowed the protest to happen.
10:14There is a makeshift stage made here at the entrance of the Shivaji Park,
10:19and from there, the protesters and the CJP leaders are making their speeches.
10:23So, the strategy right now of the CJP is to have such kind of protests,
10:27to conduct such protests in different parts of the country.
10:31The same team will travel along with the protests.
10:34At every city, they are planning to have this protest.
10:36Similarly, the opposition parties have decided that from 2nd to 6th of October,
10:41there will be protests at the district levels,
10:43and then a large protest in Delhi on 6th of October,
10:46and finally, there will be a bigger rally in Delhi.
10:49Similarly, CJP has also planned different protests at different cities at this point of time.
10:54This is what is the plan looking at it.
10:56They are not planning to station here till the time their demand is not met.
11:00But, Sahil, there was a pressure on the government,
11:04especially the last time around, because there was Sonam Wangchuk,
11:07who became the poster child of the entire protest on a fast unto death.
11:11And picking him up, you know, was that trigger which led to the kind of support,
11:17an outpouring of support that the protests saw.
11:20How does the CJP hope to build on the pressure for the resignation of the CEC,
11:27if it's only going to conduct these flash protests in each city?
11:30Where are they going to gather the momentum to put pressure on the CEC to step down?
11:40Well, you know, the basic difference between the protests happened during the need paper leak
11:46and the protests happening against the CEC or the conduct of the election commission during SIR
11:51is that there was a specific demand with respect to the need paper leak protests.
11:56Also, the issue itself had a wider reach across the political spectrum, across the ideologies,
12:04because it was a very basic issue with respect to the parents, the students,
12:10and the way things are happening around during different exams
12:16and the continuous paper leaks have created a lot of anger against the whole system itself.
12:24And Darbindra Pradhan sort of, of that protest, had become kind of a symbol of the whole thing.
12:30Right now, the SIR process was already challenged by the opposition party.
12:34So it had already taken a kind of a political turn even before the CJP got into this protest.
12:41The CJP is planning to be a kind of a political pressure group,
12:45and that is what they are trying to achieve through this.
12:48Now, very interestingly, today the protests were about to start,
12:52and yesterday, on 1st of October, election commissioners suddenly declared
12:56that there will be a special drive across India in the 20 states where the SIR process is over.
13:02Now, this is for the first time in India this is happening,
13:05that after the special intensive revision is over,
13:07the election commissioners announced a separate drive, a special drive,
13:11to re-register the voters who have been left out during the SIR process.
13:18Maybe they have shifted their address,
13:20maybe they have been kept out of the final list
13:24because of not being found at a particular address.
13:27So they will be having this special drive for form number 6,
13:33that is for newly registering voters,
13:36and also form number 8,
13:38they will be filling up the form number 8 for the shifting of the address.
13:42So there is a pressure building up on the election commission.
13:45The way they are taking reactions,
13:47the way they are addressing this particular issue,
13:51there is a pressure building up.
13:52Sahil, I'm going to ask you one very quick question.
13:55It will actually cultivate into resignation of Ganesh Kumar.
13:58Sahil, one final question before we let you go.
14:00I know you need to now go back to our sister concern, Ajitak.
14:03But the question I want to ask you is if you look around yourself,
14:06you know, at Shivaji Park,
14:08and you estimate how much of this crowd is actually organic.
14:12Because there was a sense by many that possibly Gen Z of the country might not react
14:19or people in the country might not react in the same emotive issue that they did during need.
14:24Have people come out organically of their own volition
14:27or are these engineered crowds that you see around you?
14:34Well, this is definitely not an engineered crowd.
14:37That I can definitely see because I don't see,
14:39you know, usually at the political protest,
14:42we see larger trucks, the buses,
14:44through which the people are being brought at a particular protest site.
14:48Most of the people around here have come on their own.
14:52They might be having some kind of a political linkage
14:55or political lineage or political linking towards a particular ideology.
15:00But they have come on their own.
15:01That's for sure.
15:02I will not put any particular number to the number of protesters at this point of time.
15:07But I can definitely say that whoever have come here have come on their own.
15:11Somewhere they have started realizing,
15:13especially after the Indian Express report
15:15and the way that the media have picked up this particular election commission story,
15:19that somewhere the election commission will have to mold their ways
15:24the way they are going ahead with the whole SIR process.
15:27And that's what they have come on the ground
15:29to register their protest with, about.
15:33So the larger issue has been understood,
15:36has reached to a particular generation.
15:38They have understood that there is something which needs to be,
15:41because this new registration of the voters,
15:44the young voters want to register themselves.
15:46That is also one of the big issues
15:48which was picked up during this whole story
15:52and the speeches which have been made there.
15:54Interestingly, this is the first political line
15:57which has been taken by the CJP.
15:59As they have already said that,
16:01unlike Anna Hazare's agitation,
16:04where the India Against Corruption kept saying
16:06that they are a non-political organization
16:09and they don't want to be in any kind of a politics earlier
16:12before forming the Amadmi Party,
16:14here the CJP is very clear
16:16that they will take the political stand,
16:17they will take political stands at various levels,
16:22they will have their own statements on the political issues
16:26and they will work as a political pressure group as well,
16:29despite not being a registered political party.
16:32And that is the message which it looks like
16:34that they have been able to transform
16:37to the people who have gathered here at this point of time.
16:40Right.
16:42All right, Sahil Joshi, thank you there for joining us
16:45and getting us the very latest bird's-eye view
16:47of what Shivaji Park looks like this evening.
16:49Once again, we have to establish very clearly
16:52this is not an indefinite protest.
16:53It will last for another one hour
16:55and then the CJP will draw its roadmap
16:57to the next city it wants to take its protest with,
17:00with one singular demand,
17:01which is the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner.
17:05Let's now cut across to our political face-off this evening.
17:09Joining me is Ravisha Pradeep, spokesperson, CJP.
17:12Sanju Verma, national spokesperson, BJP.
17:15Gurmeher Kaur, spokesperson, Congress.
17:17We do not have a timer.
17:18I would hope all of you will respect each other
17:20and give each other equal time
17:21to put forward their points of views.
17:24I want to cut across first to the CJP spokesperson
17:27because right now all eyes are on Shivaji Park.
17:30Ravisha Pradeep, I see you not at Shivaji Park,
17:34but that aside, the question I want to ask you is
17:37what's the next game plan?
17:40You were allowed to protest at Shivaji Park.
17:43That protest ends in an hour and a half.
17:46Where do you take your protest from there?
17:49Right.
17:50So thank you for having me on the panel.
17:53Right.
17:53So like the earlier news reporter has presented,
17:57or he has said,
17:58the idea is to go from cities to cities
18:01and also to amplify this.
18:02Earlier when we were, you know,
18:04spearheading the entire need protest,
18:06the CJP was spearheading the entire need protest,
18:08though they were in Jantar Mantar,
18:10they managed to amplify the voice of CJP across India,
18:14even though it wasn't CJP that was going,
18:16you know, state to state and city to city.
18:18But then there was a fantastic ripple effect
18:20that basically, you know,
18:22mobilized people from various cities
18:23to come forward, protest and do it by themselves.
18:26But right now, I think CJP wants to be there
18:28in every city and in every state
18:30going forward until our demands are met
18:33with respect to Kumar's resignation
18:36and of course, all other things associated
18:38to the Election Commission of India.
18:40So that's basically where we're headed to.
18:43All right.
18:44Okay.
18:44So that's how you're going to draw your roadmap.
18:46I want to bring in Sanju Verma
18:47into this conversation.
18:48Sanju Verma,
18:48Well, the CJP was allowed by the Mumbai police
18:52to carry on its protest
18:54and with at least our reporters on ground,
18:58it wasn't not a success.
19:00Maybe not kind of crowds that,
19:02you know, the 22nd of July had drawn in
19:06where Delhi was concerned,
19:07but a fair amount of numbers there
19:10at Shivaji Park of their own volition
19:12and organic in nature.
19:15You know, Preeti,
19:16let's get one thing very clear.
19:17I always say that the people of this country
19:20are so smart,
19:21they can see through the charade
19:22of so-called neutral activists.
19:25And that is exactly how it panned out in Mumbai today,
19:28a city that I come from.
19:30From Mahim to Matunga,
19:31from Dadar to Mumbai Central,
19:33from South Mumbai to Navi Mumbai,
19:35there were people
19:35who gathered in and around Shivaji Park,
19:38people who absolutely abhorred the kind of political activism
19:45that the CJP finds itself doing,
19:48all under the garb of working for the youngsters of this country.
19:51The youngsters of this country do not want a bunch of charlatans.
19:55And I think that was amply evident today
19:57when the Aam Janta in Mumbai said,
20:00we don't have to take a look at the CJP.
20:01We don't have to take a look at the CJP.
20:04We have to take a look at the CJP.
20:05We have to take a look at the CJP.
20:05These are the Arvind Kajriwal's charn-chumpak.
20:08This is the Aam Aadmi Party.
20:12These people are the Stoogers of Aam Aadmi Party.
20:15This is the Aam Janta on the streets of Mumbai
20:18laying there,
20:19these so-called Abiji Dipke Saurabh,
20:23Das and Ashutosh Ranka's gang,
20:25who till now have been saying,
20:27we will take the CEC's resignation.
20:29We will take the schools.
20:31We will take the election commission.
20:33We will take the Mumbai police.
20:35Today, the people of Mumbai
20:36have taken the cockroaches and taken the mouth and answered.
20:41The CJP protest has been a damp squib.
20:44It has been a disaster.
20:46But it hasn't.
20:47But Ms. Verma, at least our reporters on ground
20:50don't seem to think it's a damp squib.
20:53I'm just telling you,
20:54Ma'am, they don't seem to think that it's a damp squib.
20:58They think that, at least on ground,
21:00the numbers were not parallel to what was Delhi.
21:02But there's a sizable chunk that's come out,
21:04that showed up.
21:06You know, Preeti,
21:07your reporters have the right to present facts
21:11as they seem and as they deem fit.
21:14Me, as the national spokesperson of BJP,
21:16have every right to say what I deem fit.
21:19And I will say this.
21:20True.
21:21When the protest at Jantar Mantar happened,
21:23people actually bought the Cockroach Janta Party's version
21:28that perhaps these people are not in
21:31for any kind of political one-upmanship,
21:35but,
21:35in truth,
21:36they want to work for the youth.
21:39But after that,
21:41the same people saw,
21:42when Ranchi protested against paper leak,
21:46Abiji Dipke was MIA,
21:48Saurabh Das was MIA,
21:49Ashutosh Ranka was MIA,
21:51MIA, as in missing in action,
21:53Abiji Dipke has said,
21:54MIA, MIA, MIA, MIA, MIA, MIA, MIA.
21:56Ashutosh Ranka got the right to know what the hell is.
21:58He got the right to know what the hell is going to be.
22:01You think people are stupid?
22:02Okay, fair point.
22:03You have a point.
22:03You can put your point forward.
22:05I just want to bring in the Congress spokesperson,
22:07Gurmeher Kaur,
22:08into this conversation.
22:09Gurmeher Kaur,
22:10the Congress hasn't quite supported
22:12or have been there where the protest in the evening
22:15or even in the day where certain opposition parties
22:18have taken to the streets to protest against the CEC.
22:21Your protests start from the 6th of October.
22:26Do you think these multiple flash protests,
22:29each performing in its own little silos,
22:33will really work on putting pressure on the CEC?
22:37I 100% think so.
22:39I think that's exactly what we need.
22:40And I think just pitting one protest against the other,
22:44we don't think it's very productive.
22:45I think if the Kaukera Janda Party wants to do a protest,
22:49it's brilliant.
22:50If ISA wants to do a protest, it's brilliant.
22:53Because the heart of the issue is this question
22:57that how did legitimate voters disappear from the electoral roll
22:59after their own officials have cleared them, right?
23:03So if there are multiple parties who want to do a protest,
23:07they should do a protest.
23:08Yes, it is a political issue,
23:11but it is also the issue about the soul of this country.
23:14You know, today is Gandhi Janti.
23:16We have fought really, really hard.
23:19We have given our life.
23:20We have given our blood for this country,
23:22for our right to vote.
23:23We have given everything.
23:25And the Congress Party will,
23:29Rahul Ji has always said,
23:30as a collective opposition,
23:33anyone who wants to fight for the soul of India
23:35will fight for the soul of India.
23:39And today, the Indian Youth Congress, NSUI,
23:41also joined the protest in Jantar Mantar,
23:44in and around Jantar Mantar,
23:45because they did not allow anybody to have protests.
23:48In fact, the funniest thing,
23:49the most heartbreaking thing,
23:53I'm interrupting you,
23:54but the fact is,
23:56in totality,
23:57the number that was put today
23:58in terms of detention,
23:59which includes the Ahmad Mee party,
24:01includes the SFI,
24:02it includes now the NSUI as well,
24:04did not exceed 1100.
24:06There is still lesser faith
24:08that the people have,
24:10in political outfits like yours,
24:12to come out and organically join
24:13the clarion call of coming to Jantar Mantar,
24:15while at Shivaji Park,
24:18there seems to be at least more trust
24:21in the political pressure group
24:23of the Kokoro Janata party.
24:25I do not,
24:26you know,
24:26I do not think it's also just about trust.
24:28I think it's also about the infrastructure
24:29that is laid out in Delhi
24:31to stop the protests.
24:32For example,
24:33all your metro stations
24:34in and around the center of,
24:36in and around the center,
24:38the site where the protests had to happen,
24:40were shut down.
24:41Your cab drivers,
24:42your internet were jammed.
24:44But Guru Mahal,
24:45did that stop the protests
24:48the last time around in Jantar Mantar?
24:5011 metro stations were stalled.
24:52People,
24:53if they wanted to come,
24:54made their way to Jantar Mantar.
24:56Whichever road they took,
24:57how they came.
24:58So I don't think it's the infrastructure,
24:59it's the intent.
25:00You and I both understand that.
25:02But I'll just come back,
25:03I'll circle back to you.
25:04I want to come back to,
25:05you know,
25:06and take final words now.
25:07I'll come back to Ms. Pradeep,
25:09spokesperson CJP.
25:10Ms. Pradeep,
25:11the fact is,
25:12you've been able to draw a bit of crowd.
25:14How do you build momentum?
25:15And that was going to be problematic.
25:18In Jantar Mantar,
25:18you had somebody like a Sonam Vangchuk,
25:21who was sitting on a fast.
25:23And then when he was picked up,
25:24that was your trigger.
25:26That led to a sea of support,
25:28because there was empathy involved.
25:29One flash protest right now in Mumbai,
25:32then you're going to pick another city.
25:33How are you going to build momentum and pressure
25:35for the resignation of the CEC?
25:37Pradeep?
25:38Right.
25:39Pradeep,
25:40so a vote,
25:41a citizen's vote,
25:42is one of the strongest voices
25:44he gets to express in this country.
25:47Now,
25:47when that is put at stake,
25:49when that is being taken away from a citizen,
25:52I feel now amplification,
25:53and how do you amplify,
25:55how do you voice out,
25:56and how do you express your dissent?
25:58You do it through protest.
25:59So while I understand that Sonam Vangchuk, sir,
26:01has been pretty much on the forefront
26:04of the need protest,
26:05when a citizen's fundamental right
26:08has been snatched away from him
26:09in the most undemocratic manner
26:12through everything that has happened
26:13with the SIR,
26:14I think to scale it
26:17and to reach it to people
26:18and to make people's voices heard right now,
26:22protesting is the only way going forward.
26:24When you snatch away
26:25a citizen's fundamental right
26:27in the world's largest democracy,
26:29now this is the only option
26:31that we as citizens
26:32kind of have to go forward
26:34and fight
26:35and to change the system.
26:37And what I would also want to flag is,
26:40it shouldn't be CGP's job
26:42to fix the school,
26:44to fix the elections.
26:45Fair point,
26:45but how are you going to build pressure?
26:48You have one demand,
26:49which is that Dyanesh Kumar steps down.
26:51By small flash protests across the country,
26:54where is the pressure?
26:55How are you building momentum?
26:57What you see today in Sivaji Park
26:59is just one small glimpse
27:01into what is going to spread
27:03like wildfire in all other cities.
27:05That's what you're hoping happens.
27:06Because I'll tell you what,
27:08when the Jantar Mantra protest started off,
27:10we would just see basic headlines
27:12of what CGP is doing
27:13at the Jantar Mantra,
27:14but at every passing day,
27:15then the heat and tension of the...
27:17All right,
27:17so you're hoping multiple protests,
27:19cluster protests lead to a major...
27:22Okay, okay, fine.
27:24You know,
27:24I just want to cut across
27:25to the BJP spokesperson.
27:26And to give citizens...
27:28I'll come back to you.
27:29Allow me to bring in
27:30Ms. Sanju Verma
27:30into this conversation.
27:31Ms. Verma,
27:32the BJP and you,
27:34even on the show yesterday,
27:35has made a spirited defense
27:36of the CEC.
27:38Why is it?
27:38Then,
27:39the CEC,
27:40in the last one week,
27:41there has been no press conference.
27:42the second press release
27:43that the CEC made,
27:45seemingly admitted
27:46to some of the charges
27:48that was highlighted
27:49in the Indian Express report.
27:51What is even astounding
27:52is today in itself,
27:53the CEC,
27:54after the SIR exercise,
27:56has closed in multiple states,
27:58has now announced a drive
28:00to add voters
28:03who have been left out
28:04of the voter rolls.
28:05All of this
28:06clearly seems to suggest
28:08that the CEC
28:09has understood
28:10that there were grave errors
28:11that were made,
28:12which were highlighted,
28:13and now is trying
28:14to cause correct,
28:15which is admission of guilt.
28:18You know,
28:19Preeti,
28:19let me make one thing
28:20very, very clear.
28:21The CEC has not admitted
28:23to any guilt.
28:24Point number one,
28:25Ritika Chopra
28:26and the Indian Express
28:27carried out a hit job.
28:28Point number two,
28:30the CEC is within
28:31its right
28:32to conduct
28:33the SIR exercise
28:36wide article
28:37324, 325
28:38and 326
28:39of the Indian Constitution.
28:40Point number four,
28:42in its verdict
28:43dated 27th,
28:44May 2026,
28:45the Supreme Court
28:46upheld the CEC's pass
28:47saying that a declaration
28:49to the SIR can be added
28:50and I repeat,
28:52the CEC simply added
28:53a declaration
28:54to Form 6.
28:55There was no alteration
28:56to Form 6.
28:57But my final point
28:58is this,
28:58when TN Session
28:59was the CEC,
29:00he saw dissent notes
29:02from his colleagues
29:02MS Gill
29:03and GBG Krishnamurthy.
29:05When VS Sampath
29:06was the CEC,
29:08he saw a dissent note
29:09from Naveen Chawla.
29:10When Naveen Chawla
29:12was the CEC,
29:13he saw a dissent note
29:14from N. Gopalaswami.
29:16But at that time,
29:17the same Darbari ecosystem
29:18said,
29:19so what?
29:20Dissent is routine protocol.
29:22But today,
29:23they are demonizing dissent.
29:25Dissent is kosher,
29:26even within
29:27the election commission.
29:28But my final point
29:29is this,
29:30Rahul Gandhi,
29:31if you feel
29:32Vokchori happened,
29:34then have the audacity
29:35to resign
29:36from your Lok Sabha seat
29:37in Rai Bareli.
29:39Priyanka Wadra,
29:40if you feel
29:40Vokchori happened,
29:42resign from your
29:43Lok Sabha seat
29:43in Vainat.
29:44And to the
29:45Kokro Janata Party,
29:46my simple message
29:47is this,
29:47you know why
29:48the CJP protest
29:50in Mumbai
29:51failed miserably?
29:52Because the same
29:53CJP did not ask
29:55for the resignation
29:55of Karnataka
29:56Education Minister
29:57Madhu Bangarappa.
29:58The same CJP
29:59did not ask
30:00for the resignation
30:01of Kerala
30:01Education Minister
30:02Roji John.
30:04The same CJP
30:05did not ask
30:05for the resignation
30:06of Jharkhand CM
30:08Hemant Sorain
30:09who is also
30:10the Education Minister.
30:11You think people
30:12can't see
30:12that Saurabh Das,
30:14Ashutosh Ranka
30:15and Abhijit Dipke
30:16are
30:17Aam Aadmi Party
30:18stooges.
30:19I repeat,
30:20Aam Aadmi Party
30:21Charan Chumbak
30:22has done a phenomenal
30:26job in Punjab.
30:27It's a little
30:27shame.
30:28The Punjab and
30:29Haryana High Court
30:30has put a stay
30:32on 454
30:33pharmacy positions.
30:34Madam, allow me
30:35to bring in
30:36I don't have a timer.
30:38That does not mean
30:39our producers
30:40are not timing
30:40the conversations.
30:41I want to bring in
30:42Gurmeher Kaur
30:43into this conversation.
30:44Gurmeher,
30:45the fact is
30:47do you think
30:48A,
30:49you have based,
30:50you know,
30:51you keep saying
30:51Rahul Gandhi
30:52has been speaking
30:52about the Election Commission.
30:53you're correct.
30:54But the major
30:55call for
30:57now the resignation
30:58of even the Prime Minister
30:59and the Home Minister
31:00has come at the back
31:01of a news report
31:02that has limited
31:03its investigation
31:04to the CEC.
31:05Do you feel,
31:06do you not think
31:07that the call
31:08for resignation
31:09of the PM
31:10and the HM
31:11is rather untenable?
31:14I do want to answer
31:15to what the BGP
31:16spokesperson said
31:16and I will come to you.
31:18You know,
31:18I want to answer
31:19to this,
31:19you know,
31:20invoking Naveen Chawla,
31:22I truly feel
31:23cannot answer
31:23your son,
31:25Sandhu and Joshi.
31:26So two sitting commissioners
31:27have objected
31:28to the decisions
31:29that were taken
31:29under today's CEC.
31:31So, Madam,
31:32you need to answer
31:32those objections.
31:33And today's BGP
31:34government has replaced
31:35the Chief Justice
31:36on the Selection Committee
31:37with a Cabinet Minister.
31:38It also added
31:39Section 16,
31:40you know,
31:41shielding sitting
31:42and former commissioners
31:42from civil or criminal
31:43proceedings over
31:44the official acts.
31:45So I want to ask you,
31:46why did your government
31:47change who selects
31:49the referee
31:49and strengthens
31:50the referee's protection
31:51from these proceedings?
31:52You know,
31:52the country,
31:53we have lots of questions.
31:55You know,
31:55the country deserves
31:56answers about Form 6,
31:58access to electoral
31:59roll database
31:59and goals.
32:01And, Ma'am,
32:01of course,
32:02of course we,
32:03you know,
32:03coming back to your,
32:04coming back to your question,
32:06of course we demand,
32:08demand accountability
32:09from the Home Minister
32:10and the Prime Minister
32:11because it is
32:12under them
32:12that all of these,
32:14this entire situation
32:15has been created.
32:17Your vote
32:18has been taken away.
32:19There are around
32:1913 crore people
32:20who have not been,
32:22who have not been...
32:22Miss Corgan,
32:23allow me to ask you
32:24a follow-up question,
32:24which is something
32:25that the BJP
32:26also makes up,
32:28you know,
32:28the BJP also asks,
32:29you allow me to ask
32:30you a question on that.
32:31Then,
32:31if there is no faith,
32:32if you are so convinced
32:33that every election
32:34under the CEC
32:35has been rigged
32:36and has been unfair,
32:39then why do you
32:40continue fighting elections?
32:41Why not boycott elections then?
32:43You have elections
32:44coming up
32:44in the next five months.
32:46We cannot boycott elections.
32:47It is our right
32:48to fight elections.
32:49We have to hold a space
32:50because what happens,
32:51because what happens
32:52if,
32:52Madam,
32:52please,
32:52please speak.
32:53Can I just get
32:54what happens when we...
32:55I think that would
32:58just create a great space
33:00for the BJP
33:01and the RSS
33:02to build up
33:03independent candidates
33:04that sort of favor them
33:05and completely wash away
33:07the constitution
33:07that we have.
33:09I think that would...
33:10What...
33:11To contest elections
33:12is resistance.
33:14To go on the streets
33:15is resistance.
33:15To break out
33:16in multiple...
33:17In districts and states
33:18in the nation
33:20is resistance.
33:20And today,
33:21at this point,
33:21the Congress Party
33:22is a resistance party.
33:23We will resist
33:24this erosion
33:26of the constitution
33:26that the BJP
33:28and the RSS is doing.
33:29And if we have to hold
33:30the Prime Minister
33:31and Home Minister accountable,
33:32we will hold them accountable.
33:33And we demand
33:34the resignation
33:35of Gyanesh Kumar.
33:36All right.
33:36So the Congress's
33:37main protest kickoff
33:38coming the 6th of October.
33:40Right now,
33:40the CJP has started
33:42its own protest
33:43from Shivaji Pak.
33:44We'll only know
33:46whether these protests
33:48reach fruition
33:48and for them
33:50to reach fruition
33:50would be the resignation
33:51of the CEC.
33:52We are closely following
33:53all aspects
33:55of the political developments there.
33:57Thank you,
33:58all three ladies,
33:59for joining us.
33:59With that,
34:00I want to cut across
34:00to the other political story
34:02that we are tracking
34:03just months.
34:04Before the Assembly elections,
34:05Punjab Congress
34:06is now facing
34:07fresh turbulence.
34:08Raja Waring's resignation
34:09as state chief
34:10has once again
34:11brought the party's
34:12internal fault lines
34:13into focus
34:14with rival camps,
34:15now openly jostling
34:17for control
34:17and the BJP and ARP
34:19turning up the heat.
34:20Take a look
34:20in this report.
34:25New challenge
34:26for the Congress
34:27in Punjab
34:28just months ahead
34:29of the 2027
34:30Assembly elections.
34:32As the Congress
34:33tries to put
34:34its house in order,
34:35its state chief,
34:36Amrinder Singh
34:37Raja Waring,
34:38has resigned
34:39after more than
34:39four years
34:40at the helm.
34:42Raja Waring,
34:43one of party's
34:43key leaders in Punjab,
34:45met Rahul Gandhi
34:46in Delhi on Friday.
34:47While Waring said
34:48Rahul had always
34:50shown him love
34:50and affection,
34:51he also added
34:52that the newly
34:53appointed Punjab
34:54in charge,
34:55Sachin Pilot,
34:55wanted him removed.
34:57Sachin Pilot,
34:58and then came
35:25another pointed message.
35:26this time
35:27for former
35:28Chief Minister
35:29Charanjeet Singh
35:30Chandni.
35:49A group of Congress
35:51leaders led by
35:52Charanjeet Chandni
35:53had been seeking
35:54Waring's removal
35:55since July.
35:57His resignation
35:58now ends a tenure
35:59that began in April
36:002022 after
36:02Navjot Singh Sidhu
36:03stepped aside
36:04following Congress's
36:05defeat in the
36:06Assembly elections
36:07at the hands
36:08of Amadmi Party.
36:10Raja Waring
36:11has described himself
36:12as a disciplined
36:13soldier of the party,
36:15ready to work
36:15wherever he is assigned.
36:16But his next exit
36:18also exposes
36:19the larger problem
36:20confronting the Congress,
36:21a party still struggling
36:23to settle
36:23its internal power
36:24equations in Punjab.
36:27India today
36:28has learnt
36:29that former
36:30Minister
36:30Vijayinder Singh
36:31La,
36:31Jalandhar
36:32Kintornment MLA
36:33and former
36:34hockey captain
36:34Pargat Singh,
36:36former Chief
36:36Minister
36:37Charanjeet Singh
36:38Chandni and
36:38Gurdaspur MP
36:39Sukh Jinder Singh
36:41Randhava
36:41are among
36:42the names
36:43in contention.
36:44The internal
36:44rift has given
36:45the BJP
36:46and the Amadmi Party
36:47fresh ammunition
36:48against the Congress.
36:51Punjab BJP
36:52Chief
36:52Keval
36:53Dhillon
36:53says the
36:54factional
36:54fight
36:54will not
36:55end
36:55with
36:56warring's
36:56resignation.
36:58He has taken
36:58and
36:58now
36:59we will
37:01He has cut
37:02the clays.
37:03He will never
37:04be able to
37:04He will never
37:05die.
37:06He will never
37:06He will never
37:07die.
37:07He will never
37:08die.
37:09He will never
37:26die.
37:38Because the question for Congress in Punjab
37:41is no longer just who replaces Rajah Waring,
37:44it is whether the party can zero in on its next leader
37:47without any more damage.
37:50With Mausmi Singh and Aseem Bassi, Bureau Report, India Today.
37:57She is a former actor, well, she still also acts, so actor,
38:01and someone who's moved to an idyllic life in Goa, Samira Reddy.
38:06Samira Reddy, thank you for speaking with us.
38:09And I know one of the reasons you've been wanting to speak out
38:12is in the recent past.
38:14Once again, and we're very glad that the conversation
38:17around how women are trolled over their appearances,
38:21constantly judged on how they look,
38:24especially women have been in the public eye,
38:26always put on a gauge meter where their looks are concerned,
38:30where their body weight is concerned.
38:34Everything is judged.
38:36So thank you for wanting to speak out,
38:38and welcome on to the point.
38:40My first question stems from your own experience,
38:44from someone who had, at one point of time,
38:48constantly been criticized for weight gain,
38:51her looks, what was the color of your skin.
38:54How do you see the current conversation?
38:58I unfortunately think that this has to change at a very core level.
39:02It's a level of conditioning from years of maybe
39:06how women are portrayed in advertisements,
39:09or how we look at our own mothers,
39:12our own sister-in-laws, our own daughter-in-laws.
39:15It begins actually at home, within the families,
39:17where there's so much pressure for women to bounce back.
39:21And then, of course, there is society,
39:22and then there's a lot of pressure.
39:24I always say we take away from the core matter of
39:28look at the woman for what she is,
39:30and who she is, and what she's achieved.
39:32Maybe Katrina did sell a certain image of herself,
39:36and she did an incredible job doing that,
39:38because she's an incredible human being.
39:41I call her a human being and not a woman,
39:43because aren't we all supposed to be equally looked at
39:46from that point of view?
39:48But, of course, being a woman has so many different attributes
39:51that we have to keep up with.
39:54Aging, putting on weight, having a child, bodily changes.
39:59These all are the things that we cannot keep up with,
40:02and men just don't have the same standards for themselves.
40:04So, coming back to Katrina and any other actress
40:07that we talk about, it is her prerogative.
40:09It is her choice.
40:11And how much she wants to take time with,
40:13come back, bounce back, doesn't take away
40:16from the fact that she is an incredible person,
40:20having achieved incredible things.
40:22So, that, unfortunately, is lost today.
40:25And that is very shameful.
40:27That post and those comments, they horrified me.
40:31In fact, they took me back to what I felt like
40:33when I came back into the industry after becoming a mother
40:37and being told I'm just not sexy enough.
40:40I should hide.
40:41I should not come out and speak about these issues.
40:44So, it is sad.
40:46Can it change?
40:47Yes, it can change if we speak about it today.
40:49And we are.
40:50And that's great.
40:52Samira, because you do speak of Katrina Kaif.
40:54However, you know, the minute we start offering,
40:57Samira, biological explanations,
40:59oh, it's postpartum.
41:01You know how hormones shift during that point.
41:04When women are pregnant, therefore, you know,
41:06she will put on weight.
41:08One doesn't understand what new motherhood is.
41:11All of these explanations.
41:12When we start offering these biological explanations
41:15for weight gain, we take away from the woman
41:17because postpartum, no postpartum.
41:19Pregnancy, no pregnancy.
41:21Who's anyone to judge a woman on her weight
41:23or whether she's put on weight,
41:25she's lost weight.
41:26The more we try and give an explanation,
41:29the more we feel comments and conversations
41:31like the one we're also having right now.
41:35So well said.
41:36Said, thank you so much for saying something like this.
41:40I have friends who have children
41:43who are in their teens going through PCOD and PCOS
41:47and they put on weight and they are depressed.
41:50They are in such a bad state of mental health
41:53because, you know, they're being told
41:56within their own colleges, within their own schools,
41:58within their own, you know, at a time in your 20s
42:01when you're trying to step into life
42:04and their bodies change.
42:06And because of the pressure of social media
42:08and the pressure of us supposed to look a certain way,
42:12it's taking a toll on women's mental health in general.
42:15Take, for example, menopause.
42:18It's not about having given birth.
42:20It's a woman who is entering a phase
42:22where the one thing that is, you know,
42:25the core of who she is,
42:26which is her biological system is changing
42:28and she's going through changes within her body.
42:30And she can't say, hey, I just gave birth
42:32because she's going from menopause.
42:34But nobody's understanding that
42:36because everybody just pays attention to the woman
42:38when she's pregnant.
42:39But when she's at the end of that, you know, tunnel,
42:42nobody's giving her that light that she needs.
42:44So, Preeti, you have actually hit the nail on the head.
42:48Nobody is supposed to judge any woman in general.
42:52Somebody recently told me,
42:53and I agree that, you know,
42:54Katrina has achieved so much.
42:56But do you know that even if she's not achieved so much,
42:59I'm not going to take away from a simple, beautiful woman
43:02who is going to get trolled
43:04just because she is a simple, you know,
43:06housewife or a woman at home
43:07or just a simple young girl or a teenager
43:09who needs to not be judged.
43:13So, I think you absolutely said it right.
43:15When we start giving explanations,
43:17and trust me, I have done that.
43:20I have also said, but look at me.
43:22I had a child and I had placenta previa
43:23and I had so many issues.
43:25And then, you know, the emergence of how I did on social media
43:29came with, why am I giving explanations here?
43:32To tell you the truth, I am, my son is 10, 11 years old,
43:36but I am definitely not my pre-pregnancy body.
43:38But I'm the healthiest, fittest, and trust me,
43:43mentally more stable than I've ever been
43:44through my whole life today at 47.
43:46And that only comes with you not letting them
43:50and not giving them the power to judge you.
43:53Unfortunately, not everybody can get to that point overnight.
43:58It's situations like these that bring voices up
44:01to make women right now watching this news channel
44:03to realize that they are not alone
44:05and they don't need to take this from anybody.
44:08Samira, you're right, because I hear you.
44:10And I think your own social media feed
44:11and how you have actively spoken about that
44:15is testimony to it.
44:17You seem to be at least at your fittest
44:19going by your social media feed and you look lovely.
44:21But how does one, Samira, change the conversation?
44:25How do you go beyond with what we were discussing?
44:28Constantly giving explanation for how a woman's body changes.
44:32You know, for those who think they're defending a woman
44:35by saying, oh, she was pregnant, she's allowed to put on weight.
44:37Okay, she's put on weight, but look how well she does
44:39in her career.
44:40You know, or for a woman herself, like you say,
44:43giving explanations, you know,
44:44it's postpartum, I've put on weight.
44:46How do we change this conversation?
44:49So I think there are two layers to this.
44:52One thing is to bring the change within our own children
44:56and our own families.
44:58I sometimes hear my dad say something
45:00and my dad's 93 years old
45:01and I realize it's his conditioning
45:03that makes him say something like that.
45:05Now, I can't change him, but what can I change
45:08is my 10-year-old son and my 7-year-old daughter.
45:11When I explain to him that
45:13this is not the right way to speak about somebody
45:16or if somebody's saying something, let's not do that.
45:19Let's not judge.
45:20I talk to my son so much about women and girls
45:23and how he should treat them.
45:25This is beginning at home with me.
45:27So the conversation needs to change
45:29at a core level at home.
45:31It needs to change on a society level
45:33within advertising,
45:35within the presentation of women.
45:37And the third most important point I bring to you
45:40is championing.
45:42So what do we mean by that?
45:43You meet somebody and he says,
45:45oh, you look so good.
45:47Have you lost weight?
45:48Yeah, I have.
45:49Now we're championing that.
45:51How did you, oh, she bounced back so fast.
45:53Oh my God, she's come back.
45:55I mean, Bipasha Basu in a recent cover
45:57looking stunning and everyone's saying,
46:00oh, look how she came back after motherhood.
46:02But I have news for you.
46:03She looked incredible during motherhood.
46:05She's incredible now
46:06and she always was incredible.
46:07We are championing the wrong things.
46:11We are giving accolades.
46:13The minute you give accolades,
46:14a simpleton is going to think,
46:16hey, I will only feel good if I reach that bowl
46:19and that will make me feel good about myself.
46:22So these are the three layers of how we can change the system
46:27and it's not going to happen overnight.
46:29It is going to happen slowly and surely.
46:32Very well said, Samira.
46:34We need to stop championing.
46:35Oh, you've lost so much weight.
46:37You know, it's bang on.
46:38But I want to ask you,
46:39because you've constantly been attacked by trolls,
46:41constantly been attacked on your parents,
46:43especially when you were active in the industry.
46:46I want to know from you,
46:47what was your rock bottom?
46:49That when you realized
46:51that your thinking needed to shift
46:53and you couldn't give a damn.
46:58My rock bottom was when I actually was,
47:02I had given birth to my son
47:04and after three years,
47:06I wasn't being able to go out there
47:08and redefine myself
47:10because a lot of women lose their identity.
47:13They go into this,
47:14who was I before?
47:16Who was that girl?
47:16Who's that teenager?
47:18Who's that, you know,
47:19that young bride?
47:20And then what happens
47:21after you become a mother?
47:22You actually lose your identity.
47:24So my biggest turmoil was,
47:27who am I today?
47:29Was it all this expression of,
47:31you know,
47:32these accolades that I got?
47:33Or is it today,
47:34this girl who's absolutely not close
47:37to that body or that face?
47:39That was my lowest point
47:40because I could not get up from it.
47:42And then as I did,
47:44I did take help.
47:45I'll be honest.
47:46I went through a therapist.
47:47I did homeopathy.
47:48I started working out.
47:50But I didn't do it
47:51to reach a goal and say,
47:52I will only be happy when I'm there.
47:54I had to go through it
47:55very systematically
47:56to almost redefine Samira Reddy.
47:59And which is why
48:00when I was pregnant
48:02with my second child,
48:03I was fearless.
48:04I was like,
48:04say what you want.
48:05And even when I came on
48:06to social media,
48:07and I did get trolled
48:08because I was like,
48:09what happened to her?
48:09What happened to her?
48:10She became a girl.
48:11She became a girl.
48:12She became a girl.
48:12She became a girl.
48:12And she's showing stretch marks.
48:13She was looking at her.
48:14She was a very successful actress.
48:16Right?
48:16I took it so well
48:18because I only felt sorry for them
48:20because I said,
48:21if you cannot be
48:22the part of my change,
48:24I will not give you cover
48:25to make me feel bad about it.
48:27So the rock bottom
48:29was right before
48:30that decision
48:31of not allowing people
48:32to have the power.
48:35Samira,
48:35thank you for sharing
48:36your story with us.
48:38And thank you
48:39for being fearless
48:39because being fearless
48:41where women is concerned
48:42is a tad contagious
48:44and we hope it is
48:45in this case.