- 7 months ago
Political dynamics are shifting in Tamil Nadu as friction intensifies within the Congress-DMK alliance, a key part of the INDIA bloc.
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00:00Hello and welcome. You're watching Super 6 here on India Today.
00:04I'm Akshita Anandakopal. Over the next one hour, I'll be getting you all the top stories
00:07that we're tracking, particularly from the southern states.
00:11We're going to be talking about the big showdown between the Tamil Nadu allies,
00:15between Congress and DMK. More and more Congress leaders are now speaking out,
00:20saying there should be a power-sharing deal too with the DMK.
00:24What's prompted these statements from the Congress leaders?
00:27We're going to be talking about that. We'll also tell you how the DMK has chosen
00:31to respond to these comments. But sticking to Tamil Nadu, because of course
00:36it's the year of the Tamil Nadu election, we're also going to be getting you highlights
00:39of Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to Tamil Nadu. Whether in Pudukote,
00:44where he said that the NDA will seal the win, or in Trichy, where he was a part
00:48of a Pongal event, Home Minister Amit Shah sent out a message of confidence.
00:53But is it really possible? Because the NDA is also being rocked
00:57by a slew of issues, which I'll break down for you on this broadcast.
01:01I'm Akshita Nandakopal. Here are the top headlines.
01:06An intruder alert has been sounded off at the Ohio home of U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance.
01:11Shots were allegedly fired and the Secret Service is arrested,
01:14a suspect fleeing the scene. The intruder is now in custody.
01:18Setback for Sharjee Limam and Umar Khalid in the 2020 Delhi rights case hearing in top court
01:25as Supreme Court denies bail, citing that the duo stood qualitatively on a different footing
01:30from the remaining accused. Five other accused granted bail.
01:35Rapist, murderer, self-styled Godman Ram Rahim, meanwhile, gets his 15th parole in nine years,
01:41sentenced to 20 years in jail for rape and a life term for murder.
01:45The 40-day parole makes it 400 days now out of jail for the convicted baba.
01:52Indoor's filthy water continues to affect more residents.
01:5520 new diarrhoea cases reported in Indoor.
01:59Over 142 hospitalized, 10 dead due to filthy water.
02:02And screening continues across Indoor now.
02:06MP Minister Kailash Vijay Vargya's controversial remark to a TV journalist makes it a government record.
02:12The government order cited Vijay Vargya's ghanta remark and that led to the suspension of a senior officer and his assistant.
02:22Jaundice alert near Odisha capital, Bhubaneshwar.
02:25Over 150 to 200 students reportedly fell ill due to contaminated water.
02:30Due to the worsening condition, a large number of students have left the hostel,
02:33while one teacher has also been infected.
02:35Suspected gas leak was reported at an ONGC Valley in Andras Konosima district, triggering panic.
02:42As a precautionary measure, officials have evacuated people living in nearby homes.
02:46The exact cause of the leak, details of damage, are yet to be asserted.
02:51A major global medical breakthrough for thalassemia patients.
02:55The U.S. drug regulator, FDA, has approved a new drug that could dramatically reduce dependence on lifelong blood transfusions.
03:03A chilling show of hooliganism in broad daylight sent shockwaves through a residential neighborhood in Delhi.
03:09A group of men brutally assaulted a man and his son in Delhi's Lakshmi Nagar.
03:13The miscreants even stripped the son naked as bystanders looked on without intervening.
03:18And when U.S. struck Venezuela in the early hours of Saturday,
03:23netizens dug out an episode of 2019 TV show Jack Ryan that has an eerie similarity with the current operation.
03:30The show didn't just guess the headlines.
03:32It seemingly wrote the storyboard for the entire operation.
03:38And our top story here on Super 6.
03:40All is not well within the Congress-DMK alliance in Tamil Nadu.
03:44There's been rumblings about this.
03:45But now it's out in the open.
03:47Because you've got one Congress leader after another saying enough is enough.
03:51We need a slice of the power pie.
03:53We want a power-sharing deal.
03:55Remember, while the Congress is a part of an alliance with the DMK,
03:59they have no representation whatsoever in the state government in Tamil Nadu.
04:03They want that to change.
04:05With months to go for the elections,
04:07there are questions being asked on why the Congress is saying this now.
04:10Has anything changed in the political landscape of Tamil Nadu?
04:13As long as the Congress found itself in a place where they seem to think that they have more options
04:17and so can afford to go ahead and bargain for power with the DMK.
04:21We'll decode all of that.
04:23But first, let's get you all of those updates in our report.
04:25The stage is set for the Tamil Nadu assembly polls.
04:37All major parties are gearing up with the alliances.
04:40But amid the preparations, the India bloc appears to have a shaky start.
04:48The Congress has accused the DMK of expanding Tamil Nadu's debt burden,
04:53raising questions over the relationship between Chief Minister MK Stalin and Rahul Gandhi.
04:59Adding to the tension, Congress MP Manikam Tagore has now spoken about a power-sharing model
05:04for the Tamil Nadu elections.
05:06We have been having negotiations with DMK for long years and there is a process into it.
05:13And this time there is a huge demand from the ground, from the Congress workers,
05:19that we should be having some power-sharing in the state government.
05:25The DMK, however, has rubbished Congress's sudden push for power-sharing,
05:32saying the Granul Party is reading the writing on the wall.
05:36Meanwhile, the Congress is also battling internal dissent.
05:40The power-sharing demand comes soon after Congress MP Jyoti Mani claimed that the Tamil Nadu Congress
05:45is going against Rahul Gandhi's line of policy-driven politics,
05:49exposing a widening rift within the party.
05:52Sources say a section in the Congress is eager to lie with actor Vijay's TVK.
05:59Sources also suggest behind-the-scenes talks between O.Paneer Selvam, TTV Dinakaran and TVK.
06:08However, the BJP is also keen to include former AIM-DMK leaders O.P.S. and Dinakaran in the NDA.
06:15But E. Palanisamy has not yet agreed to an AIA-DMK reunion with the expert leaders.
06:23As alliances remain fluid and negotiations continue,
06:27the power struggle in Tamil Nadu politics is intensifying by the day.
06:31With Naga Arjun, Dwarka Nath and Pramod Madhav, Bureau Report, India Today.
06:36Now, the Tamil Nadu Congress is attempting to firefight this entire crisis.
06:48This isn't manufactured.
06:49Remember that there are Congress leaders on record who are questioning why there's no power-sharing deal.
06:53But amid that, the Tamil Nadu Congress chief is clearing the air, saying the India bloc is united in Tamil Nadu.
07:00He is denied any differences and the Tamil Nadu Congress chief Selva Perindagaya has also maintained that this is the AIA-DMK and BJP spreading lies.
07:09So, they're saying that this is a narrative that's being created by the AIA-DMK and BJP.
07:13The reality, however, is that the likes of Congress MP Manikam Tagovar are the ones who have put forth this pitch,
07:20saying there should be a power-sharing deal.
07:22And you've had DMK leaders even responding to that.
07:24I'll bring in Pramod Madhav for more details on this.
07:27Pramod, what do you think has triggered these reactions suddenly from the Congress?
07:33It's always been the case that there's been no power-sharing deal whatsoever.
07:36The Congress has never been a part of the Tamil Nadu government.
07:40And suddenly now, in the run-up to an election, they've decided to speak out.
07:43And the Tamil Nadu Congress seems to be firefighting this.
07:49Well, Akshita, interesting developments ahead.
07:51One thing is very certain because, like, this is not just start with Manikam Tagovar because it was earlier.
07:54Veerish Srodhankar, the observer for Tamil Nadu, who initiated this almost a week ago.
07:59We also caught him on camera and we directly questioned, put forward this question.
08:02What is it about, like, you know, Tamil Nadu Congress showing interest on now power-sharing since 1967,
08:07which was not possible in the state of Tamil Nadu.
08:09And he claims that things will change.
08:12Change is the only inevitable stuff.
08:13So we will also have to get used to it.
08:15And I told him very clearly that Dravidan parties did not accept power-sharing for since 1967.
08:20He says, so that could be the history.
08:22But right now, it is time.
08:23So this seems to be the only kind of explanation where Congress wants to go ahead.
08:27And we can simply say discussing, discussion or arm-twisting DMK to talk about power-sharing.
08:32But on the other hand, important aspect through our sources within the Congress party is that
08:36one thing is very certain, TVK is trying to invite them with open arms.
08:40And, like, you know, based on surveys and such, Congress now believes, at least from the state,
08:44believe that they have a high chance to go and ally with TVK.
08:48This seems to be reflecting in every other move.
08:50And that seems to be the one aspect of Manikam Tagore's recent data.
08:54Because he is also trying to show one of the datas, that kind of survey, and he is trying to project it.
08:59But a very big, important question is that what Stalin decides and what Rahul Gandhi decides is the final factor.
09:05Will Manikam Tagore or Girish Chodankar accept that that is the final factor?
09:10But it seems like before even talks could begin on this matter, Manikam Tagore wants to initiate this.
09:16But is this national headquarters of Congress aligning with them?
09:20It's a big question, Akshita.
09:21It's definitely not, you know, setting the stage right for these talks to actually take place between the Congress and the DMK.
09:27The DMK no doubt will tell the AICC, look, if you want us to progress with these talks, with this dialogue,
09:33you have to ensure these kind of comments don't happen.
09:35And will they be willing to do that is the question.
09:38Thanks, Pramod, for joining us.
09:39I'm going to come back to you in a bit for more details on what's really happening in Tamil Nadu.
09:43But let me open this up to Dr. Sumanci Raman and Shekar Iyer who are joining us on this broadcast
09:48to kind of decode what's happening right now in the India block.
09:52Dr. Sumanci Raman, to you first.
09:54Good evening.
09:55Happy New Year.
09:55We're starting off the New Year on what is a rather politically stormy note in Tamil Nadu.
10:01A lot of question marks, sir, on whether we're going to see the Congress-DMK alliance coming through.
10:08Happy New Year to you, Akshita, and to the viewers.
10:10I think what we are actually seeing in Tamil Nadu is more brinkmanship on the part of the Congress.
10:17Now, until Manikam Tagore fired his salvo, it was just local elements in the state unit are not happy and all that.
10:27But Manikam Tagore is seen as having the year of Rahul Gandhi.
10:31And it's extremely unlikely that Manikam Tagore would have gone on his own without a nudge from somewhere
10:39or at least without being in the loop on what the proposal or plan was.
10:44So, clearly, this is a tactic by the Congress high command.
10:50And it's what is unfair about it.
10:52I mean, without the Congress and the other allies, the DMK cannot win, period.
10:59So, to ask, saying that for decades the Congress has been part of the alliance and has got nothing except a handful of MLAs.
11:07So, asking for a share in the power is absolutely right.
11:11Now, the point is they will be persuaded by the relationship that Mr. Stalin and Mr. Rahul Gandhi have eventually.
11:19Because I think the important part is the DMK is a very significant part of the India alliance.
11:25Now, the India alliance, for all practical purposes, collapses if the DMK exits the India alliance.
11:30No, but ultimately also, can I just add here, Mr. Subhansi Raman, we'll put out those numbers of why the Congress also needs this alliance.
11:36Just look at how they've performed.
11:38Whether you look at 2016 or 2021.
11:40Granted, they weren't given a big chunk of seats.
11:4341 seats contested.
11:44They won just 8 in 2016.
11:46But you look at 2021.
11:48They did better the tally.
11:49But they were given just about a handful of seats of 25.
11:52They won 18 of those seats.
11:54And there was no power-sharing deal whatsoever.
11:56Can I just highlight here, Mr. Subhansi Raman, that yes, they were given a very limited number of seats.
12:02They can't afford to, you know, fight on their own, can they?
12:04They need the DMK too.
12:05There's no doubt about it.
12:07No, no.
12:08But what do they have to lose?
12:09They have 18 MLA's to lose.
12:11The DMK has the government to lose.
12:12So who has more to lose, Sakshita?
12:15And logically, look, without the Congress and the VCK and the Communist parties and the big alliance of, you know, the phalanx of parties in the DMK combined,
12:24the DMK will not win.
12:26The Congress is now saying, give us our pound of flesh, which is actually quite fair.
12:32But I don't believe that they will actually execute this threat.
12:35I think that this is more bargaining to make 25 seats, which they contested last time, into 30 seats.
12:42Because at one stage, after the Bihar result, there were people saying that the DMK will reduce their number of seats to 20 for the Congress.
12:50So this is probably a pressure tactic to say, look, we have other options.
12:56We could go with TVK.
12:58TVK is completely untested.
12:59I want to...
13:00There's no way a Congress plus TVK alliance is going to win the election.
13:04So definitely, I think that there will be a lot...
13:06Yesterday, Mr. Girish Chodhankar is on record saying that I wish we can conclude the seat-sharing talks with DMK very quickly,
13:12so that we can get into the next step of campaigning and so on.
13:16No, but I want to, Mr. Shekhar Iyer, I'll bring you in on this.
13:19You know, do you think that the reason the Congress is speaking out, there's lots of buzz about this,
13:23that Congress leaders are now speaking out because there are talks happening with the TVK.
13:28So they feel emboldened by that.
13:29And that's where they're kind of giving an ultimatum to the DMK, saying, look, you ensure there's a power-sharing deal.
13:33Do you agree with that theory?
13:36No, there is more to, you know, to what is happening between Congress and DMK than just pressure tactics.
13:44Because at the highest level, you know, led by Congress General Secretary KC Venagopal,
13:51you know, there is a view that, look, not just hard bargaining.
13:56We will start with the hard bargaining, but at the same time, that it is a desire of Rahul Gandhi
14:01that Congress is actually leading the campaign against the BJP, against Prime Minister Modi at all in the 11th,
14:09notwithstanding the electoral reverses.
14:11Therefore, these regional parties are also gaining from whatever campaign Rahul Gandhi is undertaking.
14:17And that should be reflected in manner in which alliances are concluded, seats are shared.
14:21But five years, they had no problem, Mr. Shekhar Iyer.
14:23Five years, they had no problem with not being a part of the government.
14:28But, you know, at the same time, there is also an assessment.
14:31And largely by people who believe that KC Venagopal is also looking at what would be the impact
14:39in case of an alternative arrangement in the state of Kerala, which is more interested.
14:46And with the talk that, you know, in case Congress wins Kerala civil elections,
14:53KC Venagopal would be the lead for the post of chief minister.
14:57So, there is a lot of personal investment by KC Venagopal as to what is happening in Tamil Nadu.
15:03So, therefore, first it started with Praveen Chakravarti holding talks with Vijay.
15:09And it is known that following the Karoor incident, Rahul Gandhi and Vijay have been in touch more than a dozen times.
15:16I mean, quite honestly, I don't know if Praveen Chakravarti was representing the party,
15:20was representing the Congress when he met with the TVK.
15:23So, while there is all of this buzz of Congress, TVK, Alliance of the Kats,
15:27there is still no concrete details of who is in talks with the TVK from the Congress.
15:32The Tamil Nadu Congress.
15:34Yes, Mr. Iyer.
15:34Yeah, that is true.
15:36I mean, whether he is speaking or not.
15:37But definitely, after Balikav Thakur entered the fray and said,
15:43look, because, you know, stories have been coming, quoting Congress sources and also DMK sources.
15:49The Congress is showing that, look, at least we cannot, just because,
15:52because it was a DMK, from the DMK side, it was made clear, as Subhanci Raman pointed out,
15:57that we gave it 25, you were only 18.
16:00So, you can have all those 18 seats where you have your MLA's.
16:03Okay.
16:03But we cannot give you what you want, which is two seats in every district.
16:08That is, 38 districts are there.
16:10Mr. Sumansi Raman, yeah.
16:11Yeah, there are multiple factions.
16:14I mean, the Congress has always had about half a dozen factions in Tamil Nadu for the 5% vote share.
16:20They've had a dozen factions, half a dozen.
16:21This time, there are two clear factions which are emerging.
16:25The one faction with Mr. Selvaparandagai, who is the state Congress president,
16:29and Mr. P. Chidambaram, who are batting very strongly for an alliance with the DMK.
16:34In fact, when the rumors of this TVK talk started, it was Mr. Chidambaram who put out a post,
16:40saying, you know, trying to scotch the speculation on that front.
16:44So, there are, and now you have Mr. Manikam Tagore, you have Praveen Chakravarti,
16:48you have a few others on the other side.
16:50Mr. Praveen Chakravarti, in fact, has sort of had informal talks.
16:54So, I think that either the reason I'm coming back to this having some kind of approval of the high command
17:03is because no action has been taken against Praveen Chakravarti,
17:08even though the state president asked for action to be taken.
17:12The TNCC president, Mr. Selvaparandagai, said action should be taken against him for speaking out of turn.
17:18And nothing happened. Now, Mr. Manikam Tagore, who is an insider of the high command, is speaking in the same voice.
17:26So, this is not something which does not have Mr. Rahul Gandhi's approval.
17:32It's obviously sort of, he is blessing it in some form.
17:36Whether he will pull the plug, I don't think so.
17:39You know, we're talking about the Congress DMK and how it's a rocky road ahead for them.
17:43It's clearly not, you know, perfect in the NDA as well.
17:46So, I'll request both of you to stay with me. There's one aspect of this.
17:49Here's what we're picking up. Amit Shah remembers on a two-day visit to Tamil Nadu.
17:53He was in Pudukote and then in Trichy.
17:55Now, here's what's interesting in that particular visit.
17:58Amit Shah, while in fact in Tamil Nadu, did not meet with Edipadi Parniswamy of the AIA DMK.
18:04There was no meet whatsoever, which was very surprising.
18:07Raised eyebrows as well.
18:08Again, when Amit Shah spoke, at no point did he refer, did he name EPS.
18:12He didn't refer to EPS even as the CM face of the NDA, which he has done previously.
18:16In his last visit to Tamil Nadu, he was seated with Edipadi Parniswamy and made that comment.
18:21And it wasn't just Amit Shah.
18:23No Tamil Nadu BJP Neda endorsed EPS either.
18:27And so, there's a big question mark of what's really happening within the NDA.
18:31Is there an issue, particularly over the fact, Mr. Shekhar Iyer,
18:35that because of EPS, there is no consolidated NDA right now.
18:39The likes of TTV, OPS, Sashikala, all out there, not joining the NDA because of the EPS factor.
18:46And this is why Amit Shah perhaps is refusing to really name EPS or refuse to meet him this time.
18:52No, I would not go thus far because BJP cannot afford to disturb this alliance.
18:57But definitely, Amit Shah is disappointed, even though ADMK-BJP alliance was announced last April.
19:04And since then, both ADMK and BJP leaders were supposed to go full hog,
19:09highlighting the failures of DMK government and trying to have a full-throated campaign.
19:15That apparently did not happen because all these months, the time was spent,
19:20who is in, who is out, what about TTV, Dhinakarayan, what about OPS,
19:25then these people rushing to meet Amit Shah, then Chengotain went there, came back, then joined TVK.
19:31All this has finally come to a point where Amit Shah feels, despite an early start to this alliance,
19:37this alliance has not really got, has not fired on on cylinders.
19:41That is why his visit yesterday, when he addressed them also, he said the same thing.
19:46That we need to, we need to fight this election as if we are winning this.
19:51So this is more of a kind of, I would say, to put all the soldiers on the ground to get going,
19:57rather than breaking a line.
19:58Dr. Sumansi Raman, the reality is the NDA is having an issue in getting everyone together.
20:02Yes, Mr. Iyer, quickly.
20:04No, no, other thing is, there is a lot of talk whether, you know, BJP is approaching TVK.
20:08That is not at all possible.
20:10No, I agree. That I agree is not possible.
20:13People trying to draw, you know, inference that BJP is looking at TVK.
20:18That is all...
20:19No, even the TVK has made it very clear that's not going to happen.
20:22Dr. Sumansi Raman, look, ultimately the NDA, if they want to really pose a challenge to the DMK,
20:27has to get the act together, in the sense, get everyone together.
20:30And that's not happening.
20:31Yeah, I think, see, there's no question of Mr. Amit Shah wanting to rock the boat.
20:38If the BJP breaks the alliance, the happiest party will be the AADMK,
20:43because then they can tie up without any qualms with the TVK and sweep the election.
20:48And they will almost certainly win the election if they go in for an alliance with the TVK.
20:52So, there is no question of the BJP now wanting to cut the AADMK down to size or whatever.
20:59Having said that, yes, it is a problem that Mr. EPS has not been accommodative.
21:05And I think that probably that we could see that change in the next one month,
21:11where whether it is Mr. TTV Dinakaran or Mr. OPS or Mr. Andrumani's faction of the PMK,
21:17all of them are brought on board probably before middle of February is my guess.
21:23So, if that happens, then the NDA becomes a competitive force.
21:28Yeah, but let's see if it happens, because that will be with the caveat.
21:31There is the outside option of Vijay contesting against the BJP,
21:37but aligning with the AADMK.
21:40That is always there.
21:41I have been maintaining that that remains open.
21:44Yeah.
21:44With BJP is expected to get only 20, I mean, maybe 25 to 30 seats at the most,
21:49out of the limit.
21:50So, why not have friendly fights in those 30 seats?
21:53That is definitely something that could perhaps happen.
21:56Let's see what plays out.
21:57But right now, as it stands, the NDA also has a whole lot of work to do on the ground.
22:01Thank you very much, Dr. Suman S. Raman and Mr. Shekhar Iyer for your time,
22:04for joining us here on India Today.
22:06Let's cut across to breaking news coming in.
22:15Now, the Congress too has alleged a rift between the AIA DMK, beg your pardon, and the BJP.
22:22The Tamil Nadu Congress chief has said that EPS has snubbed the NDA,
22:28and that's why he wasn't there for the meeting with Amit Shah.
22:32Now, you've got the Tamil Nadu Congress chief, Selva Perundhagai,
22:35saying that it's always AIA DMK, never NDA for EPS,
22:39and therefore, the confusion within the alliance is clear.
22:43So, you're seeing both sides essentially playing out the same game here,
22:47maintaining that, you know, there's a rift between the other alliance bloc.
22:52While you've got the AIA DMK suggesting the same of Congress and DMK,
22:56here now, the Congress saying that the fact that Amit Shah and EPS didn't meet
22:59indicates what's really happening within the NDA.
23:02So, on Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to Tamil Nadu,
23:10he chaired a Tamil Nadu BJP core committee meet earlier today,
23:15and here's what we picked up from our sources of what really the Home Minister's instruction was.
23:19He said that the Tamil Nadu BJP must ensure that the larger good of the alliance is kept in mind,
23:25and therefore, more parties, more individuals should join the NDA,
23:29and that they need to do it immediately so that no time is wasted.
23:34Now, Home Minister Amit Shah has reportedly also told BJP leaders
23:37to put the focus on corruption, on alleged corruption cases against DMK leaders,
23:42and talk about that particular issue.
23:44Those are pictures from the core committee meet that took place earlier today.
23:51I have come to say to the people of Tamil Nadu.
23:55I have come to say to the people of Tamil Nadu.
24:12foreign
24:19foreign
24:26foreign
24:40पहे अरड़या राममंदिर भुमी पुजन के वक्त अगोशित कर्फ्यूं लगाया जाता है हिंदुओं के प्रोसेशन पर प्रेल अचाता है हिंदुओं के मूर्ती विसेशन पर भी अचार करते हैं
25:03I want to say to Stalin, that you have worked on the Hindu society in order to break down the Hindu society.
25:20Accused of DMK, without any basis, it only shows that he does not know the politics of Tamil Nadu,
25:27South India particularly, and particularly Tamil Nadu.
25:30They are anti-Tamils.
25:31They cannot claim that they are for Tamil Nadu.
25:35They have acted as anti-Tamils and still they are doing it.
25:40So whatever they speak, the people of Tamil Nadu will understand and throw them out.
25:44They can never form a government in Tamil Nadu.
25:47That much the BJP should understand because of their anti-Tamil mindset, I am telling this.
25:54Okay, let me bring in Pramod Madhu for more details on this story.
25:58Pramod, take us through really what was the big outcome from Amit Shah's visit to Tamil Nadu.
26:04There is a big question mark on why there was no meeting with EPS.
26:07Well, one thing is very certain, Akshita, even though it's been said that the Home Minister was here for two days to maintain,
26:16like very important events and participate in them, one being Naina Nagendra's campaign ending and such.
26:21The important aspect seems to be that the Home Minister wants to come to Tamil Nadu and from the ground wants to know what is exactly happening.
26:27Because the last time when he came over here, he made sure that Edapati K. Parniswamy and AIDMK is with him.
26:32However, after that, TTV, Dinagaran and OPS have exited NDA and that doesn't look good for NDA.
26:38That's the reason now it looks like sources claim that during the court committee meeting, Amit Shah has given a very clear-cut mandate that the NDA must be unified.
26:46It means OPS, TTV, PMK and such. Even within PMK, we have an issue as the father is actually rebelling against the son.
26:53So, he wants to make sure that the leaders over here talk and make all these things clear out before the election.
26:58That seems to be a very important mandate for the day from the Home Minister in the court committee meeting, Akshita.
27:03Alright. Thanks, Pramodh, for those details. Let me open this up.
27:06Joining us on this broadcast is Kasturi Shankar, leader of the BGP.
27:10We have Salem Dhani Dharan, spokesperson of the DMK. Vanakam, thank you both for your time. Apologies to have kept you waiting for so long.
27:17Dhani Dharan, I'd like to begin with you. Your response to what Home Minister Amit Shah has said when he says, you know, that in the last five years, the people of Tamil Nadu have seen corruption, that it's been family rule essentially in Tamil Nadu.
27:29So, then the whole point is that the BGP has no sloker standard to speak about corruption.
27:36The same month later, after Prime Minister accused Ajit Pawar of looting 30,000 crores, he was made the Finance Minister of Maharashtra in the BGP Alliance.
27:46Praful Patel, who is very much a part of the BGP cabinet now, has been accused of 48,000 crores corruption standards.
27:53He's also been investigated by AJT.
27:55Hemantibiswar Sarma Shahadar, 48 crores, right? He's been accused.
28:06The Home Minister, Amit Shah has accused him. Now he's the Chief Minister for Assam from BGP.
28:11Suvendu Adhigari, again has been accused of corruption.
28:15He was earlier with the TMC. ED has investigated him. He was in jail for some time.
28:18Now he is leader of opposition in West Bengal for the BGP.
28:22So, what local standard does the BGP have to speak about corruption?
28:25If at all, BGP, DMK politicians are corrupt, why can't the BGP get conviction for any one of our politicians?
28:31What happened to the 2G scams? What happened to the number of other scams that they're mentioning?
28:36Why can't they get the conviction? They have the authority.
28:38Kasturi Shankar, your response.
28:40You've got several pointed questions there from Dhani Taran. Go ahead, Kasturi.
28:46I find it, in fact, I've gotten used to this pattern from DMK's spokespeople.
28:54Whenever they are questioned about the corruption and the people's displeasure and disappointment in their government,
29:07they always talk about everything else. They resort to water boundary.
29:12Now, whether or not…
29:13No, but this was a pointed question. Kasturi, this was a pointed question from Dhani Taran on the issue of corruption that was raised by the Home Minister.
29:19Are we now making it all right to just answer accusations with other questions?
29:28I mean, you have these issues in those states. Let's talk about Maharashtra. Let's talk about Manipur. Let's talk about Uttar Pradesh.
29:36Let's not talk about what is the actual question on the table, which is Tamil Nadu.
29:41But this seems to be the standard pattern in which they answer questions. Let's talk about Tamil Nadu, Mr. Dhani Taran.
29:48Let's talk about all the interest lobbies that are now rising up against you in protest because you have not fulfilled a single election promise.
29:58Let's talk about the corruption that is an open secret in the country. You know, they always talk about how Stalin, CM Stalin and his team boast about how Tamil Nadu is number one in all metrics.
30:16It's also number one in corruption. We have never heard of, you know, there is one MLA, one MP in his MPLAT scheme has launched 71 schemes.
30:29Mr. Arun Nehru in his constituency has launched 71 schemes. None of them are complete. Not even one of them is complete.
30:39No, but this is based on what has been doing the rounds on social media. I don't want to go into that. But Dhani Taran, your response, focus on Tamil Nadu. What about the allegations of corruption against the DMK in Tamil Nadu?
30:52I have replied to that question in my opening remark itself. I said, if at all there has been any corruption, the ED, CBI, income tax are all with the union government. Why could they not get conviction against any one of our ministers, one of our parliamentarians, one of our leaders?
31:06As simple as that. If at all, if they are corrupt and the ED, CBI, income tax are inefficient, then it also means that the BJP government is inefficient. Or if they are efficient, which means that there is no corruption.
31:16I can accuse anyone of anything. I can accuse Kasturi of something. I can accuse Akshita of something or Akshay, you can accuse me of something. Anyone can accuse anyone. But the point is you have to get a conviction.
31:26If a crime has actually happened, how will you do it? Do conviction. Get a conviction in the court. That is the whole point. We are not able to conviction in the court.
31:36Pasturi, we have seen allegations. Yes, we have seen allegations being thrown back and forth.
31:41No, no, no, no. Add, add, add, add.
31:44Okay, maybe, maybe.
31:46Okay, okay. Dhani, then finish your point here.
31:48The best marker to measure corruption would also be to measure the revenue to GDP.
31:55So the revenue to GDP of Tamil Nadu has only in percentage times increased, which means the revenue of the state that gets this percentage of GDP has increased from 9 point some odd percentage to about 11 point some odd percentage,
32:05which means that the revenue has increased, which means the institutional capacity has increased with a marker for much lower corruption or no corruption at all. This is a marker.
32:12Okay, Kasturi.
32:13Okay, so I think this is getting, descending to the comedy of the absurd because Mr. Dhani, then actually, did I even hear, right? He said, there's near to no corruption at all in the state. Clearly, he doesn't either live in Tamil Nadu or he never visits a government office.
32:33Or, I'm very, I'm very happy for you, sir. All I can say is I'm very happy for you if you do not, if you do not come across the everyday corruption and the everyday corruption of enormous magnitudes that the rest of us people are reeling under.
32:51We are talking about 10 rupees per bottle that is explained away by the prohibition minister as a recycling fee.
32:58No, so then…
32:59We are talking about CEP.
33:00So then, Kasturi, what about what Dhani Taran has raised that, you know, if there are so many cases of corruption against these leaders, why have none of them turned into convictions?
33:08These are allegations. Nothing found to be solid enough for a conviction.
33:13Give it time, madam. Give it time. The law takes its own course. I'm sure Mr. Dhani Taran does not have the same defence against Mr. A. Raja and Madam Kanimori who were convicted. In that case, he will play a different view.
33:30No, they're not convicted. They're not convicted. They're not convicted. It's factually incorrect.
33:35No, they were acquitted. They were acquitted lack of proof. They were acquitted lack of proof.
33:39No, no. Kasturi, go ahead. Let us finish your point, please. Let us finish your point.
33:43So, every time somebody is convicted, they have a different tune to play. They're also very quick to distance themselves from all their proxies.
33:53So, we are very, very proud of the DMK for teaching the world how to excel in scientific corruption.
34:01So, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. Frankly, in Tamil Nadu right now, you don't need to be an investigative officer. You don't need to be a corruption vigilance department to know that corruption has exceeded…
34:25That is the unfortunate reality of India, Kasturi. That's the unfortunate reality of the entire country that corruption is all around us. But, Danithana, come to the other point.
34:34However, no ma'am. Corruption is all around. But I, myself, I personally have not seen another state where corruption is normalized by the highest echelons, by the ruling dispensation to this extent.
34:50So, I want to raise, I want to raise the other issue. I have very little time. So, I'll just raise the other issue that WM Tamichar brought up, which is family rule, Dhani Dharan.
34:59This is an allegation that the BJP is constantly levelled at the DMK. That this is Chief Minister Stalin essentially setting the stage for his son to take over.
35:08And therefore, you know, the term sunrise within the DMK and in the government is what Stalin wants to achieve.
35:14No, no. See, it's a very simple answer to this. The people have elected the Chief Minister of Samanadu, right? People have elected the MLAs. And the MLAs, in turn, have elected the Chief Minister.
35:24It is not that the Chief Minister has magically appointed like the House of Governors appointed. And again, MK Stalin has been in active politics for about 50 years.
35:32No, but what about Ruday Nidhi Stalin? Let's talk about Ruday Nidhi Stalin then. He was, yes, elected as an MLA. Who made him deputy Chief Minister?
35:38He was elected as an MLA by the people. After he was elected as an MLA, based on the good work he did, there was a chorus.
35:45There are 100 plus MLAs. There are 100 plus MLAs, Dhani Dharan. Come on.
35:48No, it was not inter. It was not that the wish of the Chief Minister. It was the wish of the member of legislative assembly members to make him the Minister.
35:56Then he was made the Minister. Based on the good work, he was made the Deputy Chief Minister. It was the Peregrat who was the Chief Minister to appoint whoever he wants to be made as Deputy Chief Minister, right?
36:06So, another point is after he was made as a Minister, DMK did sweep the elections in 2024.
36:11So, which means that it had legitimacy from the people. If at all people are unhappy and it was nepotism, if they had thought, then why will people give DMK a 40-40 mandate?
36:19And again, there are many nepotistic politicians in the BJP itself. For example, in Maharashtra, the highest number of nepotistic MLAs in Maharashtra is from the BJP itself.
36:29So, it's not that the BJP does not have nepotism as parliamentarians.
36:36Okay. Kasturi, you know, ultimately it will come down to what also Dhani Dharan referred to here about the fact that you've got also support for the DMK showing in the 2024 elections.
36:48No, no. We all know why the 2024 elections went the DMK's way. Had the alliance of BJP and ADMK stood intact for the parliamentary elections, the numbers would have told a very different story.
37:01So, even before that, I will give you this. I will give you this, Padulji. I'm going to say, I don't even agree. I don't even accept that there is dynastic rule, family rule in Tamil Nadu.
37:15Because what does exist in Tamil Nadu now is dynastic misrule. A complete breakdown of law and order. Family misrule. That's what this should be called as.
37:27And, you know, why? I mean, I guess there are two reasons. As Mr. Dhani Dharan kindly pointed out, there are many, many Nepo babies in Maharashtra.
37:37There are a lot more lawmakers in Maharashtra than in Tamil Nadu, number one.
37:43And number two, we do have many in Tamil Nadu, it's even more prominent because I don't know any other state where more than one family of a lawmaker, more than the children from multiple wives of a lawmaker come into power.
37:58But that also we have seen in Tamil Nadu. So, I guess they just normalize that as well.
38:04Okay, I'll leave it at that. I've run out of time. I've run out of time completely. We'll leave it at that.
38:09Kasturi Shankar and Dhani Dharan, thank you very much for joining us.
38:12You've seen there the big issues that have been raised between the BJP and DMK.
38:16This is what they're bickering over, over family rule, over corruption.
38:19And ultimately, it's the people of Tamil Nadu in a few months from now who will decide which narrative has actually worked.
38:25Let's cut across to a news break coming in.
38:34Now, the Tamaruga Vetri Kargam, Vijay's party, has made it very clear once again that there's no question of any ties with the BJP.
38:42There have been some attempts to spread a narrative by some platforms that there are talks between BJP and TVK.
38:49Do not believe that. We are getting you the right information right now, verified information that the TVK, no, is not in talks with the BJP.
38:58The TVK has, at this point, made it clear no ties with a political enemy like the DMK or the BJP.
39:05But what we're hearing from our sources is that there's a possibility of an alliance with the Congress or the AIA-DMK.
39:11They are maintaining that 97% of Congress want an alliance with us.
39:1599% of the AIA-DMK want an alliance with us.
39:19So they're essentially confirming that, yes, there are talks happening with the Congress and the AIA-DMK.
39:24No question of the BJP.
39:26Not really surprising. I'll bring in Pramod Mahath for more details on this.
39:29Pramod, not surprising that there's no talks between the TVK and BJP and any platform that tries to peddle it clearly doesn't understand how Tamil Nadu politics works.
39:38But talking particularly about who Vijay and the TVK is in conversation with,
39:43is this a confirmation that, yes, there are talks with the AIA-DMK, with the Congress?
39:46Well, Akshita, one thing is very certain.
39:52Our top sources from TVK very clearly mentions that for now, there is no alliance with the political enemy or the ideological enemy.
39:59That is what Vijay has been constantly saying.
40:02And she says that the competition is between DMK and TVK.
40:05But the important aspect here is that at the same time, TVK also mentions that just like you mentioned,
40:1097% of one particular party, that is Congress, is ready to join alliance with TVK,
40:16which means there are three netas who are not ready for it.
40:18And 99% within AIA-DMK is eager to join hands with TVK except for one neta.
40:24It looks the main neta there does not want this because he is in alliance with BJP.
40:30So that seems to be the ground reality over here.
40:32However, TVK is also now giving an open invitation to any party who is ready to exit.
40:38Vijay, as the chief minister candidate, they are ready to go ahead and initiate alliance talks with them.
40:44Akshita.
40:44Okay, let me cut across to more breaking news that's coming in.
40:47This is on DMK MP Kani Murray.
40:50It's her birthday today and there's been a big hint that's been dropped by her team.
40:55They've put out an AI video that shows Kani Murray sitting on an MLA's chair
40:58and it's led to speculation on whether this is an attempt by Kani Murray to push for the fact
41:03that she wants to now have a bigger role in state politics.
41:06It's largely been like this, the power equation that Stalin handles the state.
41:10She looks at essentially the centre as a member of parliament.
41:13Is she attempting now to change that narrative with these AI pictures
41:16where Kani Murray, the MLA, is being blessed by Stalin
41:20and by her father, Karunaragi.
41:31We're cutting across to more breaking news that's coming in.
41:33Vijay's upcoming film, Jaranayagan, there's a huge showdown over it.
41:37Remember, the film is all set for a Pongal release in just a few days from now.
41:41But there's been no clearance from the censor board
41:44and the TVK therefore is alleging that this is a deliberate delay by the censor board.
41:48The TVK has said that the censor board watched the film on December 19th
41:53but nearly a month on, there's been no certification.
41:56Reality today appears to be borrowing from the world of streaming thrillers.
42:23Dramatic developments have unfolded in Venezuela and social media is abuzz with one question.
42:29If a TV show saw this coming, because there are parallels being drawn
42:33between real-world events and the political thriller Jack Ryan.
42:36It began as breaking news and quickly turned into a viral deja vu.
42:49Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump announced overnight American strikes in Venezuela,
42:55confirming the capture of the country's long-time leader, Nicolas Maduro.
42:59An image shared by Trump allegedly showing Maduro blindfolded aboard the USS Iwo Jima sent shockwaves across the world.
43:10According to the U.S. officials, Maduro and his wife, Celia Flores,
43:14were flown to New York State, briefly landing its toured Air National Guard base
43:18before being transferred to Manhattan and later moved to Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center.
43:23We're going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition.
43:33As the geopolitical fallout unfolded, the Internet did what it does best.
43:40It looked to pop culture for answers.
43:43Social media timelines were flooded with tweets claiming that Jack Ryan
43:48had predicted Venezuela's crisis years before it actually happened.
43:52Analyst's predictions, as of today, have the chances of Venezuela's total economic collapse at 87%.
43:59Clips from Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan scenes depicting U.S. involvement in Venezuela's political instability,
44:06covert operations and oil-driven power struggles suddenly felt uncomfortably familiar.
44:12So, Russia, China, can never be the most major threat
44:16until countries like Venezuela leave the door open to our very own backyard.
44:23One viral post reads,
44:27Pure nostalgia.
44:29Why and what is the Venezuela mess?
44:32Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan predicted the Venezuela mess
44:35while everyone else was busy arguing on panels.
44:39Wild times, even wilder accuracy.
44:41Another user wrote,
44:44Hollywood really feels like it manufactures consent to prepare people for future world events.
44:50The scene from Jack Ryan season 2 featuring John Krasinski is going viral
44:55as viewers note its striking similarity to current events in Venezuela.
45:01Venezuela?
45:01Anybody?
45:02No?
45:03Oh, yeah.
45:04One guy in the back.
45:05So, did the show predict the future then?
45:07Experts like political scientist Ian Bremmer say shows like Jack Ryan don't forecast events.
45:13They dramatize long-standing fault lines, oil dependency, foreign intervention, fragile institutions,
45:20tensions that have existed for decades.
45:23The fact is that Venezuela is arguably the single greatest resource of oil and minerals on the planet.
45:30When reality begins to echo fiction, audiences often return to these stories.
45:35Not because they are prophetic, but because they reflect patterns we have seen before.
45:41From streaming screens to global headlines, the Venezuela crisis is a reminder
45:45that sometimes fiction doesn't predict reality, it simply understands it.
45:51Analysts' predictions, as of today, have the chances of Venezuela's total economic collapse at 87%.
45:58And when the world starts to resemble a TV script, viewers can't help but hit rewind.
46:04If you've never heard that term, other examples of a failed state in recent history are Yemen, Iraq and Syria.
46:13The line between geopolitics and pop culture continues to blur,
46:17leaving audiences wondering where the script ends and real life begins.
46:22With Chitija Gosavi, Bureau Report, India Today.
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