00:00As the government has confirmed that there will be a special session to discuss delimitation,
00:04the politics has already kicked off.
00:06A week after, Congress Chief Malikarjung Kargay wrote to Prime Minister Modi
00:09on an all-party meeting to discuss any constitutional amendment bill to discuss delimitation.
00:15Kirin Rijiju has now responded.
00:18The union minister claims that in multiple occasions,
00:20he's spoken to both Rahul Gandhi and Malikarjung Kargay
00:23and sopped your cooperation for, in fact, the delimitation bill.
00:27And yet he says that never happened.
00:30Now, on one hand, there's the politics over the all-party meet.
00:33The other is the question of how the central government plans to get the numbers that they need.
00:39And in that front, on that front, the quick question is over DMK.
00:43Now, we put that question to the DMK on whether they're on board for delimitation or not.
00:48Because remember, repeatedly, when questions have been asked,
00:52they say terms and conditions apply if you want to ask support.
00:55Listen in to what the DMK has said today.
00:59Is the delimitation stand of the DMK still right?
01:02Are we still against delimitation?
01:04Fantastic question.
01:04This question keep reserved.
01:06Once the government brings the bill in the parliament,
01:08then we can discuss about that.
01:10Now, DMK has defeated the bill.
01:12We can say the pride and proud of that.
01:14DMK has defeated that.
01:16DMK previously would say an outright no.
01:20They'd say there's no way we are on board on delimitation.
01:23You see now that there is a change in their tone, change in really what they say.
01:28At this point, you've got them maintaining that we will see and we will clarify in parliament what our stand
01:33is.
01:34Let me bring in Maria Shakila on this for more details of what really the Modi government's game plan is
01:39on delimitation.
01:40Maria, that big question remains on how the government plans to get the numbers that they need,
01:45how the NDA plans to get those numbers.
01:47And for that, the DMK, the YSR, CP are all crucial.
01:50Are they on board?
01:52Yes, that's really the big question.
01:54And perhaps we'll have to wait a little bit more, Akshita, to get an answer to that.
01:58Because this is a constitution amendment bill.
02:01For that, government needs 360 in 543 member Lok Sabha.
02:06That's where the big challenge is.
02:08At present, government's own floor managers and those who have been involved in speaking to multiple political parties
02:14are of the opinion that they have garnered the number of 320.
02:18They were hoping that the DMK will come on board.
02:21At present, the DMK is not standing with India block.
02:26You don't see DMK MPs, you know, being part of Rahul Gandhi's anti-CEC movement.
02:33But only recently, MK Stalin passed a resolution against the CEC demanding a resignation of the chief election commissioner.
02:42So now what is evident is that the DMK needs an alibi.
02:45What will be that alibi? We do not know.
02:48Coming to the question of YSRCP.
02:50Yesterday, you heard from the party chief, Jagan Reddy,
02:54who said that, you know, the very support that they gave to the election commission bill earlier in 2024 was
03:02a wrong move.
03:03So for Jagan Reddy to actually question his own stand is also an indication whether they'll come on board for
03:10this.
03:11Because these are parties, Akashita, particularly YSRCP and even the BJD.
03:16I'll talk about BJD in just a bit.
03:17They have been unattached to either the NDA or to the India block and that they are seen as friendly
03:25parties in terms of giving issue-based support to the government of the day.
03:29In terms of the BJD, remember, BJD did come out in support when Mamata Banerjee reached out to Naveen Patnaya.
03:37And then the BJD MPs were seen along with the India block opposing the entire CEC movement, which was carried
03:44out by Rahul Gandhi.
03:45So whether the BJD will come on board, every MP counts here.
03:50And that's where the big challenge for the BJP and the ministers would be.
03:54Because just a few minutes ago, Kiran Rijuju has written a letter to Malik Arjun Kharge where he has spoken
04:00about why there is nothing unusual about the parliament not being prorogued.
04:06He says, yes, 64 days have passed since the House was declared synodized in August.
04:13But similar situation has happened multiple times in the past.
04:17So there is no constitutional crisis per se.
04:20But he has also added that on three occasions in the past, be it twice in March or otherwise,
04:27multiple efforts have been made by the government to reach out to the Congress.
04:30But the Congress has really not heard why the government is keen on bringing the delimitation bill.
04:36Okay. Still remains, clearly, a catch-trade to a situation of sorts for the NDN.
04:40We'll see how they figure this one out.
04:42But thanks for the moment, Maria, for joining us.
