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Rahul Gandhi’s Chai Pe Charcha: INDIA Bloc turns up heat against Gyanesh Kumar
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00:00Hello and welcome. You're watching 5 Live. I'm Sonal Merothra Kapoor.
00:04Three stories in focus today. We'll begin with something that's unfolding.
00:08While you have your cup of chai at home, the opposition is also sitting down for a chai pe charcha.
00:14The opposition and the India Alliance, which had a massive show of strength on the streets of the National Capital
00:19yesterday
00:20after registering that petition in court, is now meeting up for some high tea.
00:26Perhaps to discuss the further course of action. What happens next?
00:31The fight has been taken to the Supreme Court. But will the fight on the streets of the National Capital
00:35continue?
00:36That's something that we'll keep our eyes on.
00:39The other big story that we are tracking. Protests in Delhi.
00:43Is there a protest site available in Delhi as we speak?
00:49Remember, Jantar Mantar has been denotified. Three sites have been given.
00:54But when we sent our reporters to all those three sites to check what was the condition,
00:59it looks like they're all busy with Ramrela preparations.
01:04In fact, when it came to Ramrela ground itself, it had only three days available till the end of the
01:10year.
01:11And it needed a deposit of over 1,50,000 rupees.
01:14So effectively, today, if somebody were to, you know, protest in the National Capital, there isn't a site available.
01:24Is this the government's strategy of keeping them out of sight, out of mind completely?
01:29We'll decode that on the program and then the story that really should matter to you.
01:34This is a big push for hospital transparency.
01:37Now, a government notification says that the treatment that you're going for in a hospital,
01:43say you check in, the charges for it should not be hidden, should be displayed very clearly.
01:50What does this mean? Has a notification like this come earlier?
01:54Will this depend on state governments to implement?
01:57All of that, we'll tell you in our explainer.
02:00But first up, as always, let me take you through the top headlines at this hour.
02:06After Dharna and march to Supreme Court, it is time for opposition's chai pe charcha.
02:11Rahul hosts a meeting of the India Bloc leaders at his residence.
02:14Big joint briefing expected in a short while from now.
02:20After India Bloc's march for democracy, what's opposition's game plan really?
02:25Shashit Tharoor, in an exclusive interview, talks about voting rights snatched by EC and must be restored.
02:34The chief election commissioner must resign.
02:37We believe that the integrity of the election process is fundamental to the health of Indian democracy
02:42and to the credibility of the largest democracy in the world,
02:46both nationally to voters and internationally to the rest of the world.
02:50So we cannot afford to let up on this.
02:54Also, CJP leaders Saurabh Das, Ashutosh Ranka and Ajinkya Shinde detained after they forcibly entered Jantar Mantar today
03:04in making a statement of sorts on how they wanted to reclaim some site in the national capital
03:10where protests are freely allowed.
03:13They have been picked up.
03:15We are now hearing that they still haven't been released according to the founder, Abhijit Dipke.
03:23We'll bring you the latest on the story as well.
03:29And the UPI fee on your merchant transactions will be applicable post-Tiwali now.
03:35Decision citing upcoming festive season.
03:37Date for the UPI merchant fee to be announced a little later.
03:44Big statement by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitarraban.
03:47She says that she's open to hearing views on removal of long-term capital gain tax.
03:52And markets are cheering at that remark.
03:57Sensex ended a day with over 1,000 points in the green.
04:02The much-needed relief for the Indian stock market.
04:22All right, cutting across straight away to all the breaking news at this hour.
04:26Now, I told you that crucial opposition meeting is underway at the Lok Sabha speaker.
04:31Lok Sabha leader of opposition, beg your pardon, Rahul Gandhi's residence.
04:35Rahul Gandhi is hosting a congress and opposition leader, civil society members
04:38and protesting students for a discussion over tea.
04:43Now, so far, amongst the attendees, we have seen the Congress Chief, Mr. Karge.
04:47We've seen Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi.
04:50We've seen ISA President Neha Bora.
04:52We've seen MPs of other opposition parties also trickle in.
04:56And anytime now, there will be a joint opposition press briefing as well,
05:00which is expected to give us a little bit of a detail, if at all.
05:04And again, it's an anticipation at the moment of what will be the opposition,
05:08the united opposition strategy moving forward when it comes to the CEC,
05:13when it comes to the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar.
05:16Let's cut across to our reporters now who are bringing us the very latest on this matter.
05:21We have Aishwarya Paliwal and Anjali Pandey both with us.
05:25So, Anjali, who all have come?
05:28In the early hours, I saw a lot of Congress MPs, not many India Alliance members.
05:34Take us through who all have reached so far.
05:42Right. So, Sonal, earlier the Congress MPs and the senior leaders had arrived,
05:46but later on there were representatives from almost all the allies from the NCP.
05:52Anjali, Sharad Pawar, Supriya Sule is here. She's attending the meeting.
05:56If we talk about RJD, Manoj Jai is attending this meeting.
05:59If we talk about, Tejashwi Adav cannot be seen here.
06:04Akhilesh Adav is also not present.
06:06We spoke with Samajwadi Party MP Ikra Hassan,
06:09who said that Akhilesh Adav was present for the march yesterday.
06:12He's not here today.
06:14She will be attending the meeting.
06:15She's also said that we all are united in this fight against the CEC.
06:20And she also spoke on the seat-sharing matter,
06:23saying that that's completely different from this battle that we are fighting unitedly.
06:27If we talk about the other parties,
06:30the senior leaders from other parties are also attending this meeting.
06:35D.K. Shivakumar, there was a huge controversy,
06:37the Dhaka politics that was happening.
06:39D.K. Shivakumar is also in attendance.
06:41In fact, he also rubbish all the controversy,
06:44saying that BJP just loves me.
06:46And that is why BJP is making a big deal out of it.
06:49There's nothing like that.
06:51He also spoke on the disrespect part,
06:54how it is a disrespect for Karnadil Gaas.
06:56He completely rubbish all those claims.
06:59Malikarjan, and in fact, Sonia Gandhi is also here for this HIT meeting.
07:04In just a few minutes from now,
07:06the press conference will begin.
07:08We'll get to know.
07:08We also spoke to the leaders on what could be expected from this,
07:13what could be the further strategy,
07:14will there be any flash protests or any march that we could witness even today.
07:18But all of them chose to be tight-lipped about it.
07:21They were saying that anything could happen.
07:24But what we are witnessing on the ground right now,
07:27there are no buses that can be seen,
07:28which is completely different to what we were witnessing in the last few days.
07:32There were buses that were all set for the MPs.
07:35That's not being seen today.
07:37And my sources also tell me that it's highly unlikely
07:40that any sort of protest or a march would be taking place after this press conference today.
07:46Alright, so interesting there.
07:49No plans of protest of any sorts is what Anjali is saying
07:52when she means that there are no buses over there at the moment at least.
07:56So we'll have to see what really is the strategy moving forward.
07:59I also have with me Amit Bharatwaj and Aishwarya Paliwal joining us
08:02for the very latest on this story.
08:04Both covered the protest yesterday as well.
08:06So let me take that question to Aishwarya first.
08:10Aishwarya, 10 political parties plus Rahul Gandhi.
08:14There were total 11 petitioners in that.
08:16So there are 10 political parties, if one can say that straight at the moment,
08:20who are united in their cause and in their fight for the removal of the CEC.
08:27Can I come to you for a slightly different perspective on what the BJP is thinking at this point?
08:35You know, BJP is in a bit of a catch-22, aren't they?
08:38They're going to be damned if they do.
08:41They're going to be damned if they don't, right?
08:43Technically, the government cannot ask for the removal
08:47or cannot initiate a removal of the CEC.
08:50It has to go through impeachment.
08:52Technically, the Supreme Court can't do that either.
08:55But we also, the understanding at the moment is
08:58that if the government wishes, the CEC would resign.
09:03And if that happens, it would just prove the point
09:06that actually, you know, the CEC is working at the behest of the government.
09:11So at the moment, as pressure mounts,
09:15as there is changing of strategies every day by the opposition,
09:19as the Supreme Court weighs in, as the civil society joins in,
09:24what exactly is the government thinking?
09:26What's their game plan?
09:31Well, you know what the game plan at the moment for the BJP Sonal
09:34is to make sure that they win most of the elections
09:37that will happen in the course of the next six months.
09:39We have five states.
09:41All of them will go in for elections.
09:42And the BJP is looking at winning all of them,
09:46especially the state of Uttar Pradesh.
09:47And that is where the game plan has already begun.
09:49We have seen how most of the opposition parties, in fact,
09:53are out on the streets.
09:54But what the BJP is doing is that they have gone back to the drawing board.
09:58They are listening to the things that the people have to say.
10:00In fact, in the state of Uttar Pradesh,
10:02there are a spate of meetings that have been lined up.
10:04They will also make sure that those things that the people speak about,
10:09the grievances that they have,
10:10and there are certain sections of people who, in fact,
10:12have been speaking against the policies, those changes.
10:15That is something that the Bharti Janta Party at the moment is working at.
10:19But also making sure that they also give out the message
10:22that this indeed is democracy,
10:23because the opposition is not being barred from holding any kind of protest.
10:27They can gather as many people as they want.
10:29All of them are out here on the streets
10:31and making the point that they want to make.
10:33So the BJP also saying that, you know,
10:36you often say that there is no democracy in the country,
10:38but if there is no democracy, if this indeed is a dictatorship,
10:41then how is it that so many people, in fact,
10:43have started gathering in the heart of the national capital
10:46and you are able to protest?
10:47Yes, so that is something that the BJP has started saying.
10:49But yes, the idea is very clear.
10:52The mission is very clear.
10:53You need to win as many states as possible.
10:56We have five crucial states going in for elections in the next six months.
10:59All right.
11:00So the BJP there, Ashwarya,
11:01indicating is not blinking or not in the mood to blink at all.
11:04They are concentrating on what they know how to do best,
11:07which is win elections.
11:08And they've got their minds on that.
11:10Let me also at this point bring in Amit Bhardwaj and Rahul Gautam
11:14also joining us, you know, for different aspects of this.
11:17Rahul, how many opposition parties have you counted so far?
11:20Kitne log aya hai hai?
11:21Kitni political parties ka presence register ho gaya hai?
11:28Well, there are close to 24 political outfits who are part of India bloc.
11:32And I could count at least 20 parties being represented here
11:37at 5 Sunari Bagh Road,
11:39which is the opposite residence of Rahul Gandhi.
11:41I'll just show you what's really happening here on Ground Zero.
11:44There you can see that's the gate
11:46or the very entrance of House of Rahul Gandhi.
11:49And it is here.
11:51A press conference is going to take place a short while from now
11:54wherein all the senior leaders of India bloc are going to be there.
11:57You can see scores of media personnel here.
12:00We've been informed that not just politicians,
12:03in fact, members of civil society,
12:05for example, like Prashant Bhushan, Neha Bhora, student leader,
12:09all these people have also come for this important meeting.
12:13We've been informed from our sources
12:14that this meeting has been called primarily
12:17for recalibrating the future calls of action
12:21as to how they're going to keep up the momentum going.
12:24We have seen a very charged opposition on the streets
12:27in the last one week.
12:29The campaign has been very relentless.
12:32And it's been going on for the past one week with full momentum.
12:37Now, the idea is to keep it going.
12:38And that's why Rahul Gandhi himself said
12:40that, you know, all protests are won.
12:44Basically saying that we are aiming,
12:46we all people are aiming for one single target
12:49or one single objective,
12:50that is to get removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
12:54And also, he's been saying that this government should also be defeated.
12:58So, in a way, all these things are happening,
13:01these protest marches, these press conferences,
13:04just to, you know, set the optics right,
13:06that the opposition is united.
13:08And the very issue of,
13:10out of CEC Gyanesh Kumar and SIR,
13:13they have become a sort of a rallying point.
13:15And that's why you see, you know,
13:17parties like Samajwadi Party,
13:19RJD, NCP, Shiv Sena, CPI, CPM, ML,
13:24Kerala Congress, Indian Muslim League,
13:27all these parties coming together.
13:29And despite we all have seen in past as well
13:32that they all have, you know,
13:33the political compulsions,
13:35you know, political issues among themselves,
13:39but still they are coming together
13:41at this very platform.
13:42Coming together and they have signed on the dotted line
13:46because they are all petitioners in the case
13:47that goes to the Supreme Court as well,
13:49which is critical.
13:50It's not just standing in solidarity
13:51and not just being there for the protest,
13:54which is, you know, which we saw yesterday,
13:56but actually going to the court with that as well.
13:59Let me also bring in Amit Bharatwaj at this point.
14:03Amit, we speak about opposition unity on that matter,
14:06but if there's one person we do not see
14:08or one outfit we do not see
14:10standing with the India Alliance,
14:11it is the Kokro Janata Party.
14:13We haven't seen CJP and the, you know,
14:16the top three CJP leaders there
14:19stand with Rahul Gandhi.
14:20We did not see it in the protest last time around
14:22when it was regarding the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan.
14:26We don't see that happen even now.
14:28Many have said that, you know,
14:30yesterday's pictures when they went viral
14:32of Neha Bora leading the protest
14:35along with Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi,
14:37they said, oh, she was there,
14:39but where was the Kokro Janata Party?
14:42One, you know, thing that I've heard so far
14:44on this matter has been that AISA is still a political outfit.
14:49It is a student outfit or a student wing
14:52of a political party,
14:54which is why political parties have been there
14:56and CJP, you know,
14:57they don't want to be seen with other political parties.
15:00They're still a pressure group.
15:02Having said that,
15:03the counter to that really is that
15:05they did invite other political parties
15:07to their protest last time around.
15:09Is there an issue with Rahul Gandhi?
15:15Sonal, you know,
15:16if we speak about this particular meeting,
15:20Ashutosh Ranka and Saurabdas,
15:22both of them are detained by Delhi police
15:23because they tried to breach into Jantar Mantar this morning.
15:27Abhijit Deepke is in Maharashtra
15:28for the reason the entire country knows.
15:32Yesterday, both of them did not join the march.
15:34There are two or three perspectives to it.
15:37Number one, obviously, there are pressure groups.
15:39They want to maintain distance from the political parties
15:42at this point in time.
15:44And if at all,
15:45whenever they are able to set up a stage,
15:47protest days,
15:47they would want the opposition parties
15:49to come to their stage
15:52and build pressure on the government
15:54to ensure that CEC Ganesh Kumar is gone.
15:57Number one.
15:58Number two,
15:58if we speak about the mobilization,
16:01AISA is a student wing of the CPI ML.
16:05You know, CPI ML is very much part of India block.
16:08They fought the elections together
16:09in Jharkhand, in Bihar as well.
16:13And Neha Bora would not have any problems
16:16aligning with the Congress Party
16:18because their parent organization
16:20is very much part of the India alliance.
16:23But is there something wrong
16:25between the Congress Party and CJP?
16:28The answer is yes.
16:29Because we have seen those battles
16:31on social media
16:33between what I would call RG Sena,
16:36the social media warriors
16:37who support out and out Rahul Gandhi.
16:41Them lambasting the Kokhra Janta Party,
16:44Saurabh Das, Abhijit Dipke,
16:46Ashutosh Ranka
16:47have been on their target as well.
16:49And these people as well
16:50responding and hitting back
16:52at the Congress Party.
16:54So, will there be a bridge?
16:56Someone like Neha Bora,
16:57can she serve as a bridge
16:59between CJP and Congress?
17:00That is to be seen.
17:01But the CJP would prioritize
17:02to put up a stage of protest first.
17:05Back here.
17:05All right.
17:06Interesting.
17:07Interesting.
17:07Will Neha Bora become that bridge?
17:09And, you know,
17:10Amit really reflecting at that point
17:12that so far,
17:13there seems to be some issue
17:14between the Congress and the CJP.
17:16Although both are saying
17:17the same language
17:18and both seem to suggest
17:19at least on the social media platforms
17:22on their handles
17:23at least that we are all one.
17:24But we don't see them as one
17:26when it comes to optics,
17:27when it comes to pictures
17:27on the ground.
17:29I also have Anisha Mathur joining us.
17:31Anisha, when it came to,
17:34when it comes to really,
17:35you know,
17:36the ouster of the CEC,
17:38the battle,
17:39many are saying,
17:40has gone away from the streets.
17:41It might still continue.
17:4210 days of continuous protest we had.
17:44But the battle has now
17:45gone to the doorstep of the CGI.
17:47Could you categorically tell us,
17:50is the Supreme Court
17:51in a position to take a call
17:54on whether or not a CEC continues?
17:57Well, absolutely not.
18:00Look, if you look at
18:01the constitutional scheme
18:03and you look at
18:04the Election Commissioners Act,
18:07the Supreme Court,
18:08in fact,
18:09nobody outside of Parliament
18:11has the power
18:11to remove a sitting CEC.
18:14The power of,
18:15once a CEC,
18:16once the CEC
18:17and the ECs are appointed,
18:19the law is very, very clear.
18:21They can only be removed
18:23by an impeachment proceeding.
18:25In fact,
18:25that is one of the petitions
18:27that is before the Supreme Court
18:28which has challenged
18:30the Election Commissioner
18:31Appointment and Terms of Service Act
18:33on these very grounds.
18:35That why is it
18:35that Election Commissioners
18:37have been given
18:38more protection,
18:39more protection
18:41from any kind of sanction,
18:44more protection
18:44from any kind of ouster
18:45than even a sitting
18:47Supreme Court judge
18:47or even the President of India.
18:51Nobody,
18:53absolutely nobody in the country
18:55apart from the CEC
18:56has the immunity
18:58from prosecution.
18:59Nobody except the CEC
19:01has the immunity
19:02for any action done
19:04whatsoever
19:05while they are in office
19:07even after they resign.
19:09A Supreme Court judge
19:10can potentially face
19:11criminal action
19:12after they retire.
19:14But a CEC
19:15can not face
19:17any consequences
19:18or any criminal
19:19or civil action
19:20whatsoever
19:20even after they retire
19:21as far as the
19:222023 Act is concerned.
19:24So when the opposition
19:26is going to the Supreme Court
19:27or when any petitions
19:28are going to the Supreme Court,
19:29please remember,
19:30please,
19:30we need to clarify this
19:32for our viewers.
19:33they are not asking
19:34for ouster of the CEC.
19:36They know that
19:37that cannot happen.
19:38The court does not
19:39have the power to do so.
19:40What the court can do
19:41on the other hand
19:42is look at whether
19:44the Election Commission
19:45is doing its job
19:47according to the law
19:49as it stands.
19:50The Election Commission,
19:51if you see the petitions
19:52that are there,
19:52even the opposition
19:54India Bloc petition
19:55that was filed just yesterday,
19:56they are not calling
19:57for ouster of the CEC.
19:59What they are asking for
19:59is a stay on the decisions
20:02that the Election Commission
20:03has made
20:04and the audit
20:05of all decisions,
20:07all the ECINET,
20:09ERO NET,
20:10they are asking for
20:11a look into
20:12an investigation
20:13into how
20:15when people's names
20:16are cut from
20:17the electoral rolls
20:17and then they are returned,
20:19they are reinstated,
20:21what procedure is undertaken
20:23for reinstatement.
20:24They are asking for
20:25a look into
20:26the file notings
20:28of whether the CEC
20:29and the ECs
20:31are taking
20:31a unanimous decision
20:32or if as alleged,
20:35the CEC is taking
20:36a unilateral decision.
20:38Those are the things
20:39that the courts
20:39can in fact interfere in.
20:41If the Election Commission
20:43as the constitutional authority
20:44takes a decision
20:46which is unilateral
20:47and not by consensus
20:49of the three CECs,
20:51then the court can interfere
20:52but as far as
20:52the ouster is concerned,
20:54the court does not,
20:54simply does not have
20:55the power under
20:56the constitution.
20:57Back to you.
20:57So interesting details really.
21:01Technically the government
21:02cannot ask
21:03or ask for the removal
21:05of the CEC.
21:06The court cannot ask
21:07for the removal
21:08of the CEC.
21:09The only thing
21:09that can be done
21:10is impeachment.
21:12So for that
21:13you need numbers
21:14on the floor of the House.
21:15So how exactly
21:16will this really happen
21:17and will pressure
21:18on the ground
21:19really lead
21:21for this strategy
21:22moving forward?
21:23This is unlike
21:24for a lot of people
21:25who are saying
21:25that this is similar
21:26to the protests
21:28that unfolded
21:28during the time
21:29of Dharmendra Pradhan
21:30or during his ouster
21:31as well.
21:31This is different.
21:32This is a much more
21:33technical problem
21:34and this is something
21:36that we still have to see
21:37how the opposition
21:38really garners support
21:39and moves forward
21:40on this one.
21:41Considering this is
21:42such a technical issue,
21:43earlier in the day
21:44we also spoke,
21:45my colleague
21:45Maria Shakil spoke
21:46with the Congress
21:47MP Shashi Tharoor
21:48and asked him
21:49precisely this question.
21:51Listen in.
21:53Dr. Tharoor,
21:55the India bloc
21:56is questioning
21:57the credibility
21:58of Chief Election Commissioner
22:00Gyanesh Kumar
22:01and you are seeking
22:03accountability
22:04but the CC
22:05has constitutional protection
22:07and the removal process
22:09is deliberately
22:10and stringent.
22:11What is the legally
22:13viable route
22:14to accountability
22:14and is demanding
22:16his resignation
22:17a political demand
22:18or a constitutional strategy?
22:21First of all,
22:22he doesn't have
22:22constitutional protection.
22:23He has legal protection
22:24from a law passed
22:26by this BJP government
22:27to the end of 2023
22:29that grants him immunity
22:30and that law was passed
22:31with the entire opposition
22:33expelled from the House
22:34during the winter session.
22:35Let's be very blunt about it.
22:36This kind of lifetime immunity
22:38for actions performed
22:39as an election commissioner
22:41reeks of a certain
22:43malintent
22:44when you look at
22:45what the election,
22:46Chief Election Commissioner
22:47has done
22:47in the years
22:48since that law
22:49was passed.
22:50Secondly,
22:51the Constitution
22:51does provide
22:52for impeachment
22:53and the opposition
22:54is working on
22:55articles of impeachment
22:56but impeachment
22:57is a process
22:58that of course
22:58is determined
22:59by a parliamentary majority
23:00and if the BJP
23:01chooses to play
23:02petty party politics
23:04they will presumably
23:05issue a whip
23:06and their BJP members
23:07will vote to defend
23:08a tainted election commissioner.
23:10I think the election commissioner
23:11should have
23:12the moral courage
23:13to say
23:14with so much doubt
23:15being cast on my integrity
23:17with the opposition parties
23:18clearly having no faith in me
23:19how can I administer
23:21free and fair elections
23:22and all sides
23:23will support
23:24and consider credible
23:25I better step down
23:26in the interests
23:27of our democracy.
23:28That would be
23:28the gracious thing to do.
23:30But till then
23:30I think impeachment
23:31is the path
23:32that we would take
23:32if he doesn't
23:34have the moral clarity
23:35to fall on his sword
23:36right away.
23:43All right
23:43taking you through
23:44to some pictures
23:45that are coming in
23:46and this is a BJP protest now
23:48BJP doubling down
23:50in over Congress
23:51this is regarding
23:53what they are calling
23:54is a predator
23:55Nita
23:55BJP workers
23:56are staging a protest
23:57outside the Congress
23:58headquarters
23:59while the leaders
24:01of the opposition party
24:02and the Congress
24:03are all at
24:04Rahul Gandhi's house
24:05for high tea
24:07outside the Congress
24:08headquarters
24:09BJP has now gathered
24:10for a protest.
24:12Earlier BJP
24:13women Nita's
24:15met with
24:15Draupadi Murmur
24:17the president of India
24:18as well
24:18on the matter
24:20in fact listen into that.
24:55All right
24:56on your visual
24:57on your screens
24:57at the moment
24:58visuals coming in
24:59from outside
24:59the Congress headquarters
25:00this is a BJP protest
25:02remember
25:03BJP is protesting
25:05against the Congress
25:06leader
25:07who has been
25:09at the moment
25:10facing charges
25:11of
25:12who's facing charges
25:14of alleged
25:15molestation
25:16as well
25:17and now remember
25:18yesterday also
25:19the BJP
25:20had staged a protest
25:21saying that
25:22a Congress Nita
25:23who was just a couple
25:24of days ago
25:24his name is
25:26Akhoijam
25:26was a couple of days ago
25:28a professor
25:29at JNU University
25:30there were some
25:31serious allegations
25:31of molestation
25:32against him
25:33and they said
25:34that this is the reason
25:35that the Congress
25:36who's been raising
25:36the slogan of
25:37smash the patriarchy
25:38should look within
25:39and look at the kind
25:40of leaders
25:40that they have
25:42within them as well
25:43now you saw
25:44the other visual
25:45that you see
25:45on your screen
25:46is of a delegation
25:48of women leaders
25:49of the BJP
25:50who went and met
25:51the president
25:52exactly on this matter
25:54my colleague
25:54Miush Mishra
25:55is on the phone line
25:56and joins us
25:57for more details
25:57on this
25:58Miush take us through
25:59what are the numbers
26:00looking like
26:01how many people
26:01do you see
26:03well that's right
26:04we are now getting
26:05the visuals
26:05coming in from
26:06the headquarters
26:07of the Congress
26:07where the BJP
26:09workers have
26:10congregated
26:10and they are
26:10protesting
26:11against the
26:12top leadership
26:13of the Congress
26:14Party
26:14for maintaining
26:15balance
26:15on Congress
26:16anti-Gemol
26:17angumcha
26:18you would remember
26:18that BJP
26:19has been
26:20beyond this entire
26:22matter
26:22for the last
26:24two days
26:25why
26:25because you would
26:26remember that
26:27JNU
26:27in its internal
26:28committee
26:29had dismissed
26:32Congress MP
26:33from the JNU
26:35as the professor
26:35of the university
26:36and after that
26:37BJP has been
26:38saying that
26:39the Congress MP
26:40is accused
26:40of sexually
26:42harassing
26:42around 11
26:42female students
26:44in the
26:45Tawala
26:45Nari
26:45University
26:46BJP is also
26:47saying that
26:48despite these
26:49allegations
26:49coming to
26:51before
26:51Congress leadership
26:52is not taking
26:53any kind of
26:53action
26:54Daghul Gandhi
26:54has maintained
26:55complete silence
26:57on this entire
26:57matter
26:58they are protesting
26:59on the issue
26:59of JNU
27:00but they are not
27:01speaking anything
27:02on the allegations
27:04those have been
27:04faced by Congress
27:05MP
27:05now it remains
27:06to be seen
27:06for how long
27:08BJP leaders
27:09will continue
27:09to raise their
27:10voice
27:10you would also
27:11remember
27:12that today
27:13various BJP
27:14MPs
27:15and workers
27:16had approached
27:17the office
27:17of President
27:18of India
27:18where they
27:19submitted
27:19a memorandum
27:20demanding
27:20that
27:21Congress
27:22MP
27:22should be
27:23terminated
27:24from the
27:25parliament
27:25his membership
27:26should also
27:27be taken
27:27away
27:28all right
27:29Pesh Mishra
27:30there
27:30reporting
27:31on that
27:31protest
27:32that has
27:32broken out
27:32right outside
27:33the Congress
27:33headquarters
27:38all right
27:39Jantar Mantar
27:40may have been
27:41denotified
27:41as a protest
27:42side
27:42but it
27:43continues
27:43to be
27:44the hub
27:44of
27:45dharna
27:45and drama
27:46in dramatic
27:47scenes
27:47the CJP
27:48the Kokro
27:49Janta Party
27:50the conveners
27:51there
27:51Ashito
27:51Ranka
27:52Saurabh Das
27:52along with
27:53Ajinkya
27:54Shinde
27:54and several
27:55other party
27:55volunteers
27:56were detained
27:57this morning
27:57by the Delhi
27:58police
27:58after they
27:58climbed over
27:59a gate
28:00to enter
28:01this protest
28:02site
28:02just yesterday
28:03it was
28:03denotified
28:04today
28:04they wanted
28:05to make
28:05a statement
28:06and they
28:07managed
28:07to sort of
28:08reach there
28:09the CJP
28:10founder
28:10meanwhile
28:10Abhichit
28:11Dipke
28:12shared a
28:12video
28:13of flash
28:13protest
28:14on social
28:14media
28:15as well
28:15and visuals
28:15of Ranka
28:16and other
28:16volunteers
28:17jumping
28:18over the
28:18gate
28:18raising
28:19slogans
28:20raising
28:20the national
28:20flag
28:21as well
28:21and managing
28:22to make
28:23a statement
28:23by being
28:24at
28:25Janatar
28:25Mantar
28:25first
28:26see
28:26how
28:27exactly
28:27that
28:28protest
28:28unfolded
28:29then
28:29I'll tell
28:30you more
28:49I'll tell you
28:51I'll tell you
28:56I'll tell you
28:58I'll tell you
29:19you see they're not trying to run away they went there they wanted to make a
29:23point they wanted to make a statement and then quoted arrest as well but now
29:27we are hearing abhijit dipke in fact has taken to has taken to a social media
29:31handle to say that they have still not been released he has slammed the
29:36detention and reiterated that cjp will not accept the denotification of jantar
29:41mantra as a designated protest site they refuse to take the removal of
29:45jantar mantra as a designated you know protest site and in a fresh attack the
29:49cjp founder has also alleged that his detained colleagues are being detained
29:53uh without any access to their lawyers also describing the situation as
29:59kidnapping and also accusing the police of failing to follow the rule of law
30:04listening
30:07mania abhi ratna se bathe ratna mujhe batari t ki ashutosh ajinkyo and sorov ko alag
30:12alagra gaya unke saab joe gara volunteers are humare unko kai or liquor gaya or
30:16job humare lawyers wa haa par pooch a police station may the police humare lawyers
30:19ko police station ke andre bini gusse de rihay a police station ke andre bini gane de rihay a
30:24or job humare baakilok police station may ja ra te pooch ne ke liya ki unlogopo kyu and
30:30karling me itarra hur ur poory teresa puri teresa de jesh min tanashahi chalree
30:58interesting when a protest happens by any other political party any student outfit we see them
31:05being detained sometimes heavy handedness you know over the weekend we saw a massive police
31:10presence nobody was allowed to you know gather then yesterday we saw a protest when almost like
31:15a free pass was given for these political parties to protest then cut to today morning where they
31:21have gone in they've made a statement they were not running away from the police they're very
31:25clear that they want to court arrest they want to be detained but is the delhi police treating all
31:31protesters alike or do you feel at the moment how they deal with political parties versus how they
31:40deal with may say a cjp or a civil society group or student protests there seems to be a you
31:47know
31:47difference in that strategy
31:49uh sonal picture speaks louder than words and uh we have seen that unfold in the past three four days
31:59at least uh as far as the question is concerned but cjp uh did breach that barrier of uh janitor
32:07because yesterday itself uh it was denotified as the protest site uh and uh the people in delhi
32:15has uh anybody across the country have been given an option if you want to yeah but generally when
32:20you detain you also release you release quickly right in this case why haven't they been released
32:26this is my question yes yes that that that is a big question because even the last time on 10th
32:35of
32:35october when abhijit saurabh as well as ashatosh were actually taken from inside a flight which is
32:43very unprecedented by the way in itself because these these were not any wanted criminals they were
32:48taken from the flight itself uh so that was a lot of question were asked around that as well
32:53until the morning they were not produced in front of the magistrate uh the cjp had made claims that
32:58uh these people were not given access uh to their lawyers either these are the claims of the cjp we
33:03have claims different type of claims coming from the delhi police as well but today uh they were
33:08picked up in the morning because they were inside jantar mantar uh they haven't been released yet i've
33:12seen the video of their lawyers saying that we are not being given access uh to meet ashatosh or saurab
33:17ideally in detention you can have your mobile phones we do not know whether the mobile phones
33:22are with these two individuals or not but no videos have been posted by them either uh so yes
33:28there is a question about that whether you know when it comes to the political protesters it is a
33:33different uh uh sop and when it comes to protesters like this sort it could be a different sop that
33:39is
33:39a question at this point in time but i also need to underline that uh uh late in the noon
33:45what i saw was
33:46a left student organization called desha uh they tried to reach to the jantar mantar and they were
33:54all detained they were taken away in a bus i we do not have the details as to whether they
33:58have been
33:58released or not but in case where women protesters are involved uh as per the sop they have to be
34:03released uh after this around the sunset itself and which has been done in the past as well
34:08but as far as ashratos and saurabh is concerned cjp is claiming they are not being given access to the
34:13lawyers back to you all right amit they're bringing us perspective into what exactly is the delhi police
34:19strategy are they treating all protesters alike or is there a special treatment kept for few as well
34:24that's something that we'll have to wait and watch for thanks amit for joining us with the very latest
34:30but sticking with jantar mantar delhi's iconic protest hub jantar mantar is no longer a designated
34:36venue for protest and demonstrations for decades it's been the go-to spot for political protests
34:42public campaigns movement seeking to draw government's attention to key issues its location
34:48close to the parliament made it a preferred destination for protesters wanting to make their
34:53voices heard the anti-corruption movement you'll remember spearheaded by anna azari actually started
34:58there before it moved to ramri lamadan the outpouring of anger over delhi's gang rape in 2012 started
35:04there the anti-cea protest started there and the ongoing anti-cec stir and the opposition also
35:13wanted to begin from there in fact the removal of dharvindra pradhan the entire protest was jantar
35:18mantar this time it was said to be jantar mantar 2.0 so you name it any protest has its
35:25root in delhi
35:26has its roots in jantar mantar jantar mantar you can say was the hub of countries most iconic movements
35:33but now no more because in an order dated october 11th the delhi police commissioner anura kumar has
35:41removed jantar mantar from the list of authorized protest sites and designated three new venues
35:47instead of jantar mantar what are these venues it's ramila maidan it's burari ground it's cbd ground in
35:54east delhi but before i tell you why the opposition is not buying these protests some would say that well
36:00it'll just you know make traffic a little more easy if they remove the protest site why is the
36:06you know opposition saying this move is actually out of sight out of mind let me take you through
36:12some graphics in the map of delhi to actually make you realize why this matters okay let's move to our
36:20graphic wall to show you how the placement of these three protest sites is let's throw up the map here
36:29so this is jantar mantar the capacity of this place is about 5 000 and let's see the distance it
36:36has
36:37to the first ground
36:41ram leela maidan this is the closest site that you have from jantar mantar it's about
36:46three kilometers but why we've written 25 minutes over here is because is because a lot of times if
36:55uh you are stuck in traffic that's how long it actually takes also telling you that this area is very
37:02traffic packed most of the time so nobody is denying that this leads to traffic jams etc but here uh
37:08the pro next
37:10the closest the closest jantar mantar site that you can get or the closest protest site you can get is
37:15ramila maidan let's go to the other one let's go to burari ground burari for anybody who's not in delhi
37:21is
37:22very very far away in fact it's about 20 kilometers away and what and that is supposed to be the
37:31furthest
37:32away from jantar mantar this is exactly what and this is exactly what the protesters mean when they
37:40say this is out of sight out of mind because who's gonna go 20 kilometers away almost a hour away
37:45from
37:46the heart of the protest site from heart of the country or for heart of the city really and go
37:52all
37:52the way over there so that's burari this is the third one cbd ground capacity here is about 2500 13
37:59kilometers it will again take about an hour or so to get there these are again on the extreme right
38:07the extreme east and left of the national capital which is why people think an opposition is saying
38:13this is not feasible how will you actually have people go there but i have a different you know
38:18proposition when it comes to these three protest sites at the moment since navratri celebrations are on
38:26since the shaira is around the corner diwali is around the corner all these three sites at the
38:32moment are busy with those the shaira celebrations navratri celebrations as of today if somebody was to
38:41hold a protest in the national capital there is no ground available jantar mantar was the only ground
38:47available in fact it is a small lane for those who don't know it's a lane which is blocked on
38:51both sides
38:52which is the only place available and that place also has now been denotified so how do we go about
38:59this entire process but what exactly is a problem with the other protest sites as well let me give
39:05you in detail first up let's look at ramnila maidan okay located in the heart of old delhi ramnila maidan
39:11has a long history of hosting political rallies public meetings mass movements as well it is around three
39:17kilometers away like i said from jantar mantar making it the closest of the three new venues the
39:22ground can accommodate around 1.25 lakh people at a time making it the largest sort of of the three
39:29designated sites but organizing a protest here comes at a steep price civic officials say that booking the
39:37ground costs about 50 000 rupees per day along with the refundable security deposit of 55 000 rupees
39:44add that you know add taxes etc to it and if you want to book jantar mantar for a protest
39:51for a
39:51single day you have to pay at least 1.21 lakh rupees 1 lakh 21 000 rupees has to be
39:59given that's the cost of
40:00one day of booking there are smaller areas that can be used as well for protests which is free of
40:06cost
40:06but there's a catch it can accommodate only 150 people the ground also has to be booked through the
40:14municipal corporation of delhi's horticulture department and organizers also need a no
40:18objection certificate from delhi police before they can even get permission to hold there
40:24right and that's not the only hurdle according to reports the ground is booked for the rest of the year
40:31there are three dates available as of now if today somebody wants to make a booking there are three
40:36dates available 29th 30th and 31st of december basically the new year's eve but even for that
40:43you have to go through the entire process so basically abhi protest karna hai you can't protest there are
40:50traffic concerns as well ramri lamaidan is located as a very busy commercial area with hospitals civic
40:56you know offices nearby it is just the gateway to entering old delhi as well large gatherings can put
41:01pressure on the surrounding roads as well and this is why a lot of nearby people who have businesses
41:07are not very happy with this decision in fact my colleague ashitosh visited ramlila maidan to understand
41:13what's the sentiment like that now without jantar mantar this is going to be the closest place
41:18where any protest can happen take a look
41:22delhi's this ramlila ground has its own significance till 1930 it was a huge pawn
41:29and during the british era the pond was filled up with the muck and sand and then it shaped into
41:34a ramlila maidan eventually that used to be a gathering from pond to ground before 1930 the site
41:40was large natural pond and then pond was filled in level to shift the traditional annual ramlila celebration
41:46that started in 1930 when it also has a cultural roots tradition of staging ramlila in delhi dates back
41:53to 19th century near rajmeri gate and it was patronized by local merchant patrons and khatri community
41:59shri ramlila committee that was formed in 1932 however post-independence during the partition 1947
42:06parts of surrounding were developed in 1951 uh this is also has been stage of national politics for the
42:41global leaders
42:42me
42:44is
42:45the
42:45Absolutely
42:48I
42:49I
42:49I
42:50I
42:58I
43:00this process you will see, maybe in such a big state, people are not used in Delhi.
43:10This is the first time that all the young people, all the young people, and all the people
43:19you see, then I don't want to say much about it.
43:23I don't want to know the plan that I am going to expose all the people to prepare for it.
43:36I would like to say that I would like to say that Rahul Ghazi Ji,
43:43is
43:44please
43:46I
43:47have
43:48a
43:48a
43:49a
43:50a
43:50a
43:51Yes, absolutely.
43:53You all know that in which way Gyanesh Gupta Ji has
44:06Thank you very much.
44:36And this country, the people who are in this country are trying to hijack to the people who are trying
44:42to hijack to the people of this country are trying to hijack to the people of this country.
44:44Whether it's ED or CBI or income tax.
44:47But the election commission and Gyanu Gupta Ji are going to go to 10 steps.
44:53According to this country, Gyanu Gupta Ji has a job done.
45:01This country has a job done.
45:04These people are not dead.
45:07These people are dead.
45:09And this is the fear of them.
45:11This is the fear that Gyanu Gupta Ji has a protest that has been happening,
45:17which has been happening, which has been happening,
45:21has been replaced by the border.
45:26This is their fear.
45:27What we have done is the fear that Gyanu Gupta Ji has worked on this fight.
46:16friends we are at the meeting of senior leaders of india block
46:26we discussed the prevailing situation in the country we discussed how to carry forward
46:34the campaign demanding the resignation of chief election commissioner janish war
46:44during this period the whole country is agitated people across the country are angry and agitating
46:56demanding that chief election commissioner should go delhi is national capital and
47:04delhi is our city but you see everywhere barricades and people are not allowed to move freely
47:14and they say it is because of protest yes protest will take place and you cannot suppress
47:21crush protest now government has denotified janitor banter who is strongly condemned
47:30this janitor banter should remain as place for our protest by the people because earlier rajput
47:40we used to have protest it was banned earlier we used to have protest in parliament street it was
47:48banned now janitor banter then where do they want people to go the national capital people so we
47:56strongly condemn the denotification of janitor banter we will fight to regain the janitor banter for the
48:05place for the place for protest by the people we are not asking anything new it is constitution which
48:11has been given to us by dr ambedkar makes it clear people have the right to express their dissent express
48:20their opposition to the policies of government of the day and for that people should have space and they
48:29cannot stretch away space we will fight and regain janitor mandat to be the place for protest for the people
48:37while other people should be on the street we will fight and fight to be the sole and the
48:50for protest the march will be the opposition which we will fight for the public of the people who
49:01are in the発表 the court who signed under the law of the people who were not in the district
49:05and who is not in the wrong place there is this one of the people with the help from the
49:07people
49:07they have been reaching out for such a moment to be united to the community the people have been
49:07سرکار اسے کچل نے کی بہت بڑی بھول کر رہی ہے اور اس کے لیے اس
49:12خلاف اس انجائے اور اتیار چار کے خلاف ہم پوری طاقت سے ساتھ
49:16ہے اور لڑتے رہیں گے اور آندولن جاری رہے گا ڈلی میں لے کے گلی
49:22تک انسی پی ایس پی اور شف سے نا اور ہم سارے انڈیا لائنس پوری
49:27طاقت سے ساتھ میں رہیں گے اور ہر بھارتیہ کو اس کا عدیقات دے
49:40foreign
49:41foreign
49:45foreign
49:47foreign
49:47foreign
49:47foreign
49:49foreign
49:58foreign
50:04foreign
50:21We will live until the end of the year.
50:23We will fight against the men's fight.
50:25We will fight against the men's fight.
50:27When the king has become a battle,
50:29we will increase their values.
50:30We will fight against the men's fight.
50:33We will fight against the men's fight.
50:36And now, the solution?
50:38The solution is done.
50:40The solution is done.
50:42It's done.
50:44Please come.
50:47Look,
50:47on October 2,
50:51in Delhi,
50:52against the election commission,
50:55against Kyanesh Kumar,
50:56against the vote,
50:57against our people,
50:58and against the people,
50:59and against the people,
51:01we have called the paramilitary forces.
51:08We are closed.
51:09We are closed.
51:09We are closed.
51:10We are closed.
51:10We are closed.
51:17We are closed.
51:19We are closed.
51:21We are closed.
51:31We are closed.
51:37We will be given a very big battle for the UPA alliance and the civil society and all the people
51:51will fight and now we will see that there will be farmers and organizations, workers, trade unions and all kinds
52:02of student organizations.
52:03All kinds of organizations will come to the civil society because we are fighting for this people and all the
52:11people will fight and we will win.
52:14Now, there was no secret in front of you.
52:21This is unexpected.
52:24No, no.
52:25You see, we all know.
52:28You are me.
52:32Nishpesh Ambayorabh ka khaam karna tha.
52:36Yanish Kumar.
53:05We are ruling party ka team join kiya.
53:07Sangharsh aage jaye ga.
53:09Aap sabka madat iske liye.
53:12Maan karke name khadam.
53:15Sagarika Ghosh ji.
53:17Thank you very much.
53:24Every day it is becoming clear that the Gyanesh Kumar headed election commission is destroying free and fair polls in
53:35India as long as the Gyanesh Kumar headed election commission continues.
53:40All right.
53:40No particular plan being laid out at the moment from the India bloc, but the leaders from different political parties
53:46are reinstating their demand for the removal and ouster of Gyanesh Kumar.
53:50We'll just take a very quick break and come back with all the very latest.
53:53Stay tuned to India Today.