- 1 day ago
The big focus of this episode of News Today is on the West Asia tension, which has escalated after the US and Iran exchanged a fresh round of strikes.
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00:03Good evening, hello and welcome. You're with the news today, your primetime destination news,
00:07newsmakers, talking points, our big talking point. Donald Trump is once again talking tough
00:13to Iran. Is it bluster or the real deal when he says the deal is over? Assault on a doctor
00:21near
00:21Mumbai. Will the Shiv Sena Neta get away? We will carry out that face-off tonight. Also,
00:28the FBI cracks down on the Lawrence Vishnoy gang. We'll tell you more on what that means for India's
00:36relations with US and Canada. And Vaichung Bhutia, football star, joins us on the Argentina versus
00:43Egypt war war. All that and much more on the news today. But first, as always, it's time for the
00:51nine headlines at nine. The West Asia war reignites. US and Iran exchange a fresh round of strikes.
01:00Donald Trump threatens now to take over Karg Island. Tonight says the ceasefire, as far as he is
01:08concerned, is over. Bloodbath at Dalal Street after tensions escalate in West Asia. Sensex tumbles by
01:20over 1,600 points. Rupee weakens further. Oil prices soar by over 5%.
01:30US to seek gangster Lawrence Vishnoy's extradition from India. Vishnoy Goldie Brar have been charged for the
01:39Hardeep Nijjar murder case in Canada.
01:47Sena corporator arrested for assaulting doctors and nurses at a government hospital in the Mumbai
01:53suburb of Dombibli. India today coverage forces authorities to act. Sena UBT now demands
02:00sacking of the corporator.
02:06Bengal rape and murder accused is killed in an encounter. Police say accused rapist snatched
02:12gun and tried to flee. Mamata Banerji protests against the rise in crime against women in Bengal
02:18amidst charges that encounter Raj has returned to a state.
02:25In a setback for the Trinamul Congress, ED freezes three bank accounts with deposits of over rupees 440 crores.
02:33TMC rains fire on the BJP, calls it a politically motivated move.
02:41In an exclusive interview to India today, Union Minister Nitin Ghatkari slams attacks over the government's
02:48ethanol policy, says attempts are being made to harm him politically, denies any personal benefit.
02:58After the Indonesia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Melbourne as part of his three-nation
03:03tour trade defence critical minerals on the Prime Minister's Australia visit agenda.
03:12Controversy erupts after Argentina beat Egypt and enter the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
03:17Egyptian team claims the tournament is being rigged to let Messi and Argentina win the cup once again.
03:35The story that we are breaking this evening, tensions continue to escalate in West Asia.
03:40Now Donald Trump has once again gone ahead and threatened Tehran.
03:45West Asia is on the edge again.
03:47There have been strikes on both sides in the last 24 hours and Donald Trump has again said,
03:54we will probably hit them again tonight, calling the Iranians come.
03:59Trump says, maybe we'll even take over Khark Island and crucially is claiming that the Iran ceasefire is over.
04:08So dramatic statements not for the first time being made by Donald Trump, virtually suggesting that Iran and the United
04:15States could be heading for a confrontation again.
04:19Listen in to what Donald Trump had to say.
04:50And so we hit him very hard last night.
04:52Very, very, probably hit him hard again tonight.
04:55I'll give him a little warning, we're going to hit him hard tonight.
04:58But we'll see how it all works out.
05:00No, I'm not happy with them.
05:03So is Donald Trump now resorting to brinkmanship once again?
05:07Is this brinkmanship Trump style claiming that the deal is over with Iran?
05:12Are Donald Trump and Iran in a stare down even as negotiations continue?
05:17Will the West Asia ceasefire hold or is it the end of the ceasefire?
05:23Joining me now to get perspectives from both Tehran and the United States,
05:28Daniel Block, Senior Editor, Foreign Affairs, joining me from New York.
05:32Sayyad Mustafa Kohashem is Iranian political analyst and academic, joins me from Tehran.
05:38I appreciate both of you joining us.
05:40Daniel, how are we to interpret what we've just heard from Donald Trump?
05:44He claims, and I'm quoting him here,
05:47Ceasefire deal with Iran is over.
05:49Dealing with Iran is a waste of time.
05:52Even goes along to call the Iranians scum.
05:54Do you really believe should we take Donald Trump seriously here or not?
06:01I'd say two things.
06:03The first is that it's almost always a mistake to take Donald Trump at his word.
06:08And so this may be the end of the ceasefire.
06:13And we may be about to resume continuous high-scale combat.
06:18But it may not be.
06:19It may be, as you said, him engaging in a little bit of brinksmanship in hopes of renegotiating the terms
06:26of the deal that I'm more favorable.
06:28But in some ways, when I look at this, what I really see is continuity of what we've been experiencing
06:33between the United States and Iran since the first ceasefire deal that they struck in April,
06:38which is that Israel and the United States are no longer bombarding Iran with the same degree of intensity that
06:45they were before.
06:46Iran is not retaliating against Israeli U.S. and Arab targets with the same degree of intensity.
06:52But you do see this periodic thing going on where the two sides are striking each other from time to
06:59time.
07:00They are threatening one another.
07:02You have Donald Trump saying stuff like this.
07:04So it seems like what to me this indicates is we're still kind of stuck in this phase of low
07:10-intensity combat with some negotiations going on.
07:14So how should we interpret this, that when Donald Trump says we're going to strike Iran tonight, we may even
07:20take over Khark Island, is that bluster?
07:23Because that spooked the markets in India and in several parts of the world.
07:26Many fear that if Donald Trump goes ahead with its threats, we could be back into a real serious conflict
07:32situation again.
07:33Is this, as I said, again, brinkmanship in your view?
07:36Should we take each statement that Donald Trump makes at face value?
07:42It's really hard to say definitively whether it is pure bluster coming from him or whether these threats are serious.
07:50You know, on the one hand, he has been threatening to take Khark Island since this conflict began at the
07:56end of February.
07:57And he hasn't done it yet.
07:58And it would be an enormous military undertaking to take it and then to hold it for the United States.
08:04So there's reasons to think that that won't happen because Trump is actually fairly casualty averse.
08:10On the other hand, especially the bit about striking Iran again tonight, you can never count out that Trump is
08:16going to do something dramatic or drastic, even if it's going to spook the markets as it has in the
08:24United States, as it has in Israel.
08:25It's kind of a tension between the saying that many people have in the United States and I assume elsewhere
08:30in the world.
08:31The idea that Trump always chickens out, the idea that Trump threatens something dramatic and then doesn't actually follow through
08:37on it, which we've seen time and time again.
08:39And the fact that sometimes he does, sometimes he does do something like start a war with Iran, even though
08:45it's going to send gas prices skyrocketing.
08:48So I'm sorry that I don't have a more definitive answer to you of what to make of it.
08:52If I were betting, I would bet that the United States is not going to take Carg Island in the
08:57next week, although we may strike them again.
09:00We, not me.
09:02Washington may strike them again tonight.
09:04But yeah.
09:04No, I can understand, Daniel, why you don't have a definitive answer, because no one knows what's going on in
09:09Donald Trump's mind apart from Donald Trump himself.
09:12I mean, the unpredictability, the uncertainty has been clearly weaponized by Donald Trump.
09:18There are those who have even suggested that this is making markets move, and thereby there is an ulterior motive
09:25in all of this.
09:26But is your sense, therefore, that the United States cannot risk going back to war?
09:31That's ruled out almost.
09:33Even if there are strikes on both sides, a full-blown war of the kind we saw in late February,
09:39March is extremely unlikely.
09:42I think that's certainly the main factor mitigating against it.
09:46And I think everything you said is right, and I'll take it one step further, which is that Trump has
09:51his mind on the upcoming midterm elections.
09:53And he does not want Republicans to lose control of Congress.
09:57And he is aware that the war pushed his approval ratings down because it led to inflation, particularly when it
10:04came to energy prices.
10:05And it caused the markets to experience a great deal of turbulence.
10:10So, again, yeah, I think that's right.
10:13I think that the odds of a return to full-scale war between Iran and the United States are unlikely
10:18for exactly the reasons you outlined.
10:21That said, they are far from impossible.
10:23Trump can also be quite impulsive.
10:25He can obviously be quite petulant.
10:27And so his instinct, I think, to avoid a return to war because he doesn't want the economic consequences, he
10:34doesn't want the political consequences that would follow from those economic consequences, could be counteracted by just raw frustration with
10:42the Iranians, a desire to appear strong, and a desire to get a better deal.
10:47Because he went into this war with so little thought.
10:50I mean, it was such a careless introduction to combat that he's now stuck in a really difficult political situation
10:57for himself.
10:58And I think he doesn't know how to get out of it because there is no good way for him
11:01to get out of it.
11:03Yeah, because he's, you know, my final question, the fear, of course, is sometimes the rhetoric can spiral out of
11:09control.
11:10And we've seen that happen in the past.
11:12It's one thing that if it is rhetoric, the fear, of course, is that it can spiral at times out
11:17of control, given the fragile situation on the ground.
11:20What you're saying very clearly is given that Trump has one eye on those midterm elections in November, he cannot
11:26afford, presumably, a war-like situation that spirals out of control.
11:32He would ideally like a quick ceasefire to hold and a quick negotiated settlement.
11:40Am I right?
11:42You're absolutely right.
11:43And I think Trump went into this in part inspired by and thinking about what happened in Venezuela, where the
11:50United States wanted to get rid of Maduro.
11:52And it did fairly quickly.
11:55It seemed to have some sort of agreement in advance with Maduro's vice president, Delcy Rodriguez.
12:00And it was able to go in to do a special operation that took Maduro out and then kind of
12:07install or have Delcy take control and negotiate with her.
12:11I don't know.
12:12Well, actually, I do know why the Trump administration has hollowed itself of expertise.
12:16So there wasn't really anybody there in the government, in the White House, who could tell him that's not how
12:21it's going to work in Iran.
12:22Iran is a larger, stronger, more complicated country than Venezuela is.
12:28The regime there is far more deeply entrenched.
12:31So the idea that you're going to be able to waltz in and conduct a quick, easy victory there is
12:37completely fantastical.
12:39Nobody was there to tell him that.
12:40That's what he expected.
12:42He thinks that he can solve every problem very easily and very quickly, either through military force or through his
12:47sheer supposed negotiating brilliance.
12:50And that's obviously, very obviously not going to be what's happening or what's going to happen in Iran.
12:56It's not what's happening now.
12:58And so he's trapped in a situation of his own making.
13:01He's deeply frustrated, but he still has an eye, I think, to those midterms.
13:04OK.
13:05I just want to get one quick Iranian viewpoint.
13:08Mustafa has now joined us from Tehran.
13:10The line is fluctuating with him.
13:12Mustafa, the Americans are upping the ante against Iran, raising the rhetoric, raising the pitch.
13:19What's the sense where you are?
13:21Do you believe that the Americans are trying to scare Iran?
13:25Will Iran be scared at a time when, of course, the funeral ceremonies are still on for the late Supreme
13:33Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei?
13:35What's the mood in Tehran at the moment when you hear the kind of comments coming in from Washington?
13:42Thanks for having me.
13:43Well, in Iran, millions of people who took part in the funeral procession, as well as many others, they now
13:51believe that there should be revenge from Donald Trump, his companions and accomplices in this crime.
14:00A campaign campaign by the public has been launched to bring Donald Trump to justice, as well as his companions.
14:12But on a wider scale, here, everyone's prepared to provide a powerful response to the American violation of the deal.
14:23As a matter of fact, they never showed respect for the MOU.
14:28You know, the MOU has two parts.
14:30Phase one includes five prerequisites, confidence-building measures that include releasing Iran's frozen assets, which never happened, giving Iran oil
14:39exports exemption, which was taken back by the Americans last night,
14:43and also withdrawal of the withdrawal of the Israeli army from Lebanon, that never happened, and they still continue attacks.
14:53And also, another point, which is very much, you know, important, is that in return, Iran would open this trade
15:03under Iranian protocols and unique authority.
15:07And this never happened, because as soon as Iran started opening up the corridor, the Americans, in violation of the
15:15deal, went for opening up the Oman corridor,
15:18which was a violation of the terms and the contents of the deal.
15:22The deal has phase two.
15:24It says once these five measures are complete, then negotiations start for a final deal.
15:32In that final deal, the Iranian nuclear issue should be wrapped up, all sanctions should be removed, and a joint
15:38mechanism between Iran and Oman should be worked out for the future of this trade or for most.
15:44But that will appear in a final agreement, if ever.
15:48Right.
15:49Because now we are still in phase one.
15:52This is a genuine violation of the deal that has been underway by the United States.
15:56I think Donald Trump said that the deal is now gone with the winds, that he doesn't care about.
16:04No, so does Iran, no, no, does Iran, no, no, Mr. Mustafa, does Iran also believe that the deal is
16:09over?
16:09Therefore, is Iran also preparing for a return to the conflict?
16:13Or do you believe that there is still hope?
16:16No, I don't think there is any kind of hope.
16:19So, you know, Donald Trump might be doing this in order to represent a credible threat to enjoy, you know,
16:28an upper hand in the negotiations.
16:31But in essence, on the ground, he is attacking our radars, our people, our shipping vessels, I'm sorry, our shipping
16:43vessels.
16:43He has killed Iranians, military and civilians, and they've been bombing Iranian missile and drone facilities and airports.
16:54So there has never been a deal.
16:58There was just an MOU, which was violated by the United States.
17:03There is a major difference between an MOU and a deal.
17:07No, so are you saying?
17:08By the United States.
17:09So does Iran believe it's back at war?
17:12Does Iran believe it's back at war, given what's happened in the last 24 hours?
17:16Iran, yeah, yeah, Iran has issued an ultimatum, as a matter of fact, that if tonight, as Trump has vowed
17:24to launch a crushing and devastating attack on Iranian facilities,
17:30if this happens, then war will be resumed, the straight of foremost, will be shut down completely.
17:37Right now, the straight, you know, is nearly shut down, almost shut down, but not completely.
17:45But I believe this is going to be the case, even if not tomorrow.
17:49It will happen next week or a few weeks from now, because Donald Trump is not willing for any kind
17:55of peace,
17:55because he failed in reopening the straight for much during the war.
18:01Now he intends to do so under a ceasefire, and Tehran will not give Donald Trump a chance to misuse
18:09the ceasefire conditions to attain its strategic goals.
18:13So I believe escalation is underway.
18:18You're saying escalation is underway.
18:20So very, very worrying from the Tehran perspective.
18:23Daniel Block, a little bit more hopeful that maybe there is a bit of bluster, or maybe there's brinkmanship.
18:28But with Donald Trump, you never know.
18:31As I said, he's weaponized uncertainty in the world.
18:34I appreciate both my guests joining me there from Tehran and New York.
18:39Thank you both very much.
18:40Okay, let me turn from there, talking about the United States, because the Lawrence Bishnoi gang,
18:45the gang whose leader is in an Indian jail, is now at the center of a massive FBI crackdown.
18:52U.S. prosecutors today charge Bishnoi, Goldie Brar, and associates with ordering the hit on Sikh separatist leader,
19:00Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.
19:02The new indictments, interestingly, don't mention any Indian government role,
19:07as was alleged by the previous Justin Trudeau government in Canada.
19:12What does this mean?
19:13Take a look.
19:26A global crackdown on transnational crime syndicates running out of India.
19:31Operation Hardball launched by the FBI and other law enforcement agencies targets gangsters
19:37Lawrence Bishnoi, Goldie Brar, Ravinder Dhanda, Jagu Bhagwan Puriya, and their associates.
19:45The U.S. Department of Justice claims that the gangs are allegedly engaged in racketeering,
19:49targeted killings, shootings, extortion, and trafficking of narcotics.
19:55Security agencies in the United States, Canada, and Europe arrested 24 suspects on Tuesday,
20:0113 of them in America.
20:02The U.S. Department of Justice has filed an indictment against 37 people.
20:08The first indictment is against the Lawrence Bishnoi organized crime group.
20:14It is led from India by the defendant, the lead defendant, Lawrence Bishnoi.
20:20Seven of the defendants, including the organization's figurehead, the gang's North American leader,
20:26Goldie Brar, and the gang's European leader, Rote Gadara, are charged with racketeering conspiracy.
20:34The charges set forth in the indictment include allegations that the Bishnoi, that Lawrence Bishnoi
20:39and Goldie Brar directed the 2023 assassination of a prominent Sikh leader in Canada.
20:47The U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Department of Justice,
21:17Goldie Brar, had sent a photo of the shooters, and sent a address to Hardeep Nijjar, which
21:23was given to this investigation.
21:28Well, the U.S. is considering seeking extradition of Bishnoi, who is jailed in Gujarat.
21:33The FBI has announced a reward of $50,000 for info on Satinder Singh, alias Goldie Brar.
21:39Two other gang leaders are also named.
21:42The DOJ says Jagu Bhagwan Purya, an alleged associate of Bishnoi, who later became his rival,
21:47is jailed in India.
21:49His syndicate, allegedly headquartered in India, has operations in the United States, Canada,
21:54UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
21:57Ravinder Singh Dhanda is allegedly involved in narcotics trade in the U.S. and Canada.
22:03If convicted, many of the accused face jail terms ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment.
22:08With Arvind Oja, Bureau Report, India Today.
22:15Joining me now is a special guest, Ujjal Dosanj, formerly Minister in the Government of Canada,
22:22and someone who's been both Attorney General and a Premier of British Columbia joins me.
22:28Good to have you, Mr. Dosanj, on the show.
22:32The United States Department of Justice charging the jailed Indian gangster Lawrence Bishnoi,
22:37his aide Goldie Brar, with a high-profile killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.
22:44They're also saying these syndicates are engaged in racketeering, targeted killing, shootings, extortion, transferring, narcotics.
22:51Do you believe that this only reveals the worst-kept secret in a way that Canada, Mr. Dosanj,
22:58has become a base for these transnational gangs that have been operating?
23:04Well, Canada has been a base for some time.
23:08Canada became a base for Khalistan, actually way back in the late 70s, starting with Chauhan in 71.
23:18But lately they have now gotten into drugs and murders and the like, and these are all intertwined.
23:25Some of them may be Khalistani militants, others may be just totally pure criminals.
23:31And there are huge links between them, between USA, Canada, and Europe, of course.
23:37And they've shot at people's homes, they've killed people, they've threatened people, extorted money.
23:43And it's been going on for some time.
23:45And obviously now we know that the network is much larger than anyone ever imagined.
23:51But did it take a major U.S.-led operation like Operation Hardball, Mr. Dosanj,
23:56to finally wake up Canada to what was happening?
23:59Doesn't it reveal the gaps in intelligence sharing in your immigration vetting
24:03and the prosecution of these transnational crimes that are taking place in Canada
24:09and the manner that these gangsters are freely moving in your country?
24:14Well, Canada has brought in so many immigrants, visitors, and students over the last few years
24:20that our missions abroad didn't have the capacity to fully screen them.
24:25We know that now, and it's a well-known fact.
24:28And I think partly for that reason, a lot of criminals and gangsters got through that otherwise wouldn't have.
24:34And now here we are.
24:36No, no, but here we are.
24:38If Canada, sir, with due regard, is not student, they're allowing the likes of Goldie, Brar,
24:42Lawrence, Bishnoi gang members to operate with such impunity in your country,
24:47reveals serious gaps in the immigration process.
24:52Oh, of course.
24:53We've been talking about that for some years now.
24:55It happened under the Trudeau era.
24:57And I think that the screws are being tightened now ever since Kearney has been in power.
25:03And there is now actually much more enhanced cross-border cooperation with the U.S.
25:10And that's why you had the press conference in L.A. rather than in Ottawa.
25:14But what we are seeing is the Bishnoi gang, and this is interesting, Mr. Dosanj,
25:20using these high-profile political and religious assassinations like Niger,
25:25primarily many believe to instill fear, there's extortion involved.
25:28So this is not about ideology.
25:30These are pure criminal gangs.
25:32To what extent has the Khalistani movement in Canada been infiltrated,
25:36exploited by these transnational criminal syndicates like that of Bishnoi?
25:42Well, to a large extent.
25:43And the fact is that the Khalistani movement has had links with crime and terror
25:49going back to the 80s.
25:51And that's a well-known fact.
25:53And now, obviously, it's much more expanded than before.
25:57And you have more people.
25:59You have more people coming in from places like India.
26:02I mean, you know, it reminds me of the Italian gangsters way back in the 20s and 30s and 40s.
26:11And they ran syndicates from Italy.
26:14And now you have syndicates being run from India.
26:18We've made it.
26:19That's right.
26:20You know, syndicates running from a jail in India.
26:22But that's one interesting way to look at it.
26:24But also interesting is the fact, Mr. Dosanj, in this U.S. indictment,
26:29there is no mention of the Indian government's role in Niger assassination.
26:33Because that was what really sparked up a battle between Delhi and Ottawa during the Trudeau government,
26:38which seemed to blame Indian government for getting the Bishnoi gang to target Niger.
26:42Does that mean that Canada believes now that Indian government is also not involved with the likes of Bishnoi
26:49to conduct these targeted killings?
26:52Well, I don't know whether that's clear.
26:54That may become clear as the prosecution of the four individuals charged with Niger's murder takes place.
27:00It is at that point that the evidence would be revealed in court unless they plead guilty
27:06and the evidence isn't revealed, which may also happen as it happened in the Malik case.
27:13You know, I just want to ask you one last question.
27:15You've been someone who's been very vocal against violence within segments of the Sikh community.
27:21You've also, as a result, been targeted.
27:22You've spoken out on Khalistani extremism.
27:25Do you believe that many more community leaders in Canada, political figures,
27:29Gurdwaras have to speak out, make a distinction between what may be genuine political religious grievances
27:35and that total misuse by these criminal enterprises?
27:40Of course, more people need to speak, but more people have never spoken out.
27:45So, you know, people come to this country to make a living by and large,
27:48and some come to commit criminal crimes, of course, as you've seen.
27:52And most people that come here want to just make a living and, you know, raise their children in peace.
27:59And I can't really continue to ask people to face threats and violence.
28:08And, you know, people will do what they will do.
28:10I've spoken out because I have believed very strongly both in the unity and integrity of India
28:16and our right to live in peace in Canada, where we've migrated to.
28:20You know, you've interestingly likened the Goldie Bras and the Vishnois to the Italian mafia,
28:26you know, working in transnational manner.
28:29There are also a bit of Daud Abrahams there, who've stretched their footprint across several countries.
28:34Is this a wake-up call that these criminal syndicates cannot be allowed anymore
28:38to use Canadian soil for these kind of activities?
28:41Has the Karni government recognized your view?
28:46Oh, well, I think Karni, Prime Minister Karni recognized that from the get-go.
28:51He recognized it.
28:53He tightened the noose on the immigration process.
28:58He tried to improve relations with India.
29:01And I think that we are on the path to dealing with this menace at the end of the day.
29:09Thanks very much, Ujjal Dosanj.
29:11Always good to talk to you, our former minister there in British Columbia.
29:15Thanks very much for joining me on the show tonight.
29:17I want to move from there to another of our top stories,
29:21that shocking assault inside a hospital in Dombivli near Mumbai
29:25that sparked outrage after a Shiv Sena corporator and his aides were caught on camera
29:30attacking doctors and nurses over the lack of ICU beds.
29:35The corporator has now been arrested, but the incident has reignited concerns among doctors of their safety.
29:42Many of them are going to wear black bands and have threatened to go on strike.
29:46Take a look.
29:56Hospitals are meant to save lives.
29:58But in Dombivali, a hospital turned into a crime scene.
30:02Doctors and nurses slapped, pushed and assaulted.
30:06Files hurled across the room.
30:09Shiv Sena corporator Ramesh Matre and his aides stormed into Shastrinagar Hospital on July 6th
30:16after doctors advised shifting a newborn because the neonatal ICU had no vacant bed.
30:44The nurses, still shaken, recall being assaulted while carrying out their duties.
30:48Their emotional testimony has only added to the public anger.
30:53A strong statement now from Shastrinagar Hospital detailing how an atmosphere of fear spread after the attack.
31:02The doctors at the hospital have borne on a strike demanding security.
31:26But despite the visuals, Matre has denied all the allegations.
31:44Police have now arrested Corporator Ramesh Matre along with three aides, Ramesh Bawar, Pramod Nikam and Akshay Karande.
31:55The assault has echoed inside Maharashtra Assembly with the opposition demanding strict action.
32:24Even Shiv Sena MP, Shri Khan Shinde has condemned the attack.
32:28The corporator is now behind bars.
32:32But one question refuses to go away.
32:34If doctors and nurses cannot feel safe inside a hospital, where can they?
32:40With Vidya and Devesh Singh, Bureau Report, India Today.
32:48So will the Shiv Sena Neta be punished at all?
32:51Arrest after outrage, only an eye wash?
32:54Who will ensure doctors' safety?
32:56That's my face-off on the show tonight.
32:59On our face-off is Sushi Ben Shah of the Shiv Sena spokesperson, also Akhil Chitre spokesperson, Shiv Sena UBT.
33:09Good to have both of you on the show.
33:11Sushi Ben Shah, you've got Ramesh Matre, your corporator, being seen on video slapping, physically assaulting the doctors.
33:19He surrenders only after widespread public pressure and even then is adamant on not apologizing, claiming he only tapped her
33:28hand because she was not listening to him when the video clearly shows otherwise.
33:32I mean, is this the kind of politics, political behavior that you will condone today?
33:39Good evening to everyone and good evening to Rajdeep, to you as well.
33:43Now, let me talk with a straight bat and with the courage of conviction as a spokesperson of the Shiv
33:48Sena party that we abhor and do not support violence against any nurses, doctors or public servants.
33:56Now, we have acted swiftly.
33:58Now, your statement that how do we support?
34:00We do not support.
34:01In fact, Dr. Shrikant Shinde, who himself is an orthopedic surgeon, has gone public by a tweet this morning, saying
34:08that strictest action will be taken and no one will be supported by the government or by Shrikant Shinde.
34:13No, no, what is the strictest action?
34:15What is the strictest action?
34:16He was arrested.
34:17He was arrested only after public pressure, after the doctors went down on strike.
34:22No, no, one minute.
34:23You can tweet about it.
34:25Why don't you suspend him from your party?
34:27Why not suspend him pending inquiry?
34:29Why not suspend him?
34:30Mr. Sardesai, you must appreciate whatever necessary needs to be done.
34:35We are Shiv Sena.
34:37We stand by what we say.
34:39And therefore, let me assure every viewer that whatever proper investigation on our party level as well as by the
34:47government, whether it be the Mahayuti government, Shiv Sena, will be taken.
34:51And you must appreciate that the sensitivity towards the doctor.
34:55We appreciate that hard work, long hours they put in.
34:58Therefore, it is our priority to ensure that they have a safe, secure, dignified working place.
35:04Those visuals suggest any such commitment, ma'am.
35:07This is a corporator who many believe is a serial offender.
35:10It is not as if this is an individual who believes in the Shiv Sena's version of Thokshai, who has
35:16been known to use these strong-arm tactics.
35:20It is my limited point to you, ma'am.
35:23At the very least, why don't you suspend him pending inquiry?
35:27I mean, he comes, he's arrested and he's unrepentant.
35:32No, no.
35:32He went...
35:33He's not repentant at all.
35:35No, no.
35:35No, he went public saying that he apologizes and he gave his version.
35:40He's entitled to his version.
35:42After all, we are living in a democracy, Mr. Sardesai.
35:44He gave his version of the entire aspect and we must...
35:47He has not apologized, ma'am.
35:49I haven't...
35:50No, no.
35:50He is adamant.
35:51He is not apologizing to the doctor.
35:53I don't want to get there, but to...
35:54He is not apologizing.
35:56We have acted swiftly.
35:58We have taken action.
36:00We have given assurance in the public domain that whatever needs to be done by the party will be done.
36:06But there are procedures involved.
36:08On your show sitting today, I cannot decide what action will be taken by Shiv Sena as a political party.
36:14But he obviously believes, ma'am, ma'am, ma'am, ma'am.
36:17Mr. Sardesai, with your hand on your hand.
36:19Just a minute, ma'am.
36:20Please, please.
36:21He is a corporator from an area where your leader, Shrikan Shinde, the MP, as you said, himself an orthopedic
36:28surgeon.
36:29Ramesh Matre, though, as per his own affidavit, is a history seater.
36:33Three criminal cases against him, which includes attempt to murder.
36:36Now, these are the kind of people that you have, that you have given tickets to.
36:40You see, the problem is that the Shiv Sena, a certain section of the Shiv Sena,
36:45still believes in the politics of Thokshai.
36:47Only last year, only last year, Sanjay Gaikwad, one of your MLAs,
36:52was seen allegedly slapping a canteen staff in the MLAs hostel.
36:56I mean, is this the kind of behavior?
36:58An unruly or an unlawful activity by a single corporator or a people's representative,
37:08you cannot brandish the entire political party.
37:11You could have blamed us.
37:13You could have said that we have supported them if you have not acted.
37:16We have acted swiftly.
37:18Action has been taken and the rule of law will prevail.
37:21Now, tell me, my friend who is here from the Ubata party, how many times have they taken action?
37:28How many acts of violence you have witnessed?
37:30The Karnataka CM had one thrashed the ACP in full public glare.
37:35Did he apologize?
37:36Has any action been taken?
37:38So, therefore, let us not, let us not by one harmful action.
37:43You are saying, don't brand your entire party based on this action.
37:46But Akhil Chitre, you see, I come back to it.
37:49The Shiv Sena over the years, right from when Barasaheb Thakre was around and the Supremo,
37:53had a reputation of Thokshahi, which means essentially a belief that in using strong-arm tactics.
38:03Now, this is what we have seen over the years.
38:05It's happened.
38:06Journalists' faces have been blackened.
38:08Activists have been targeted.
38:09Anyone who opposed the Shiv Sena over the years, we've seen, has been, this kind of
38:14strong-arm tactics have been normalized by you.
38:17So, how can you only today blame the Shiv Sena of the Shinde group?
38:22Rajneet Ji, you cannot compare all the issues with the incident which has happened over here
38:29in Kalle and Ongali.
38:30One side, they are talking about Ladki Bhen Yojna.
38:33And on the other side, their corporator is assaulting nurses.
38:38He is assaulting women over there.
38:40So, this cannot be compared with anything else.
38:43You just have to stick to the facts over here.
38:46Chushi Ben-Shah is just trying to divert the issue somewhere else.
38:50Their corporator has not apologized at all.
38:53He is not repenting at all.
38:55You need to understand one more thing, Mr. Ajdeep T.
38:57Please ask her to keep quiet.
38:59No, no, ma'am.
39:00Let him complete.
39:01He did not intervene.
39:02Yeah, go ahead.
39:03Please complete.
39:05The corporator, Mr. Ramesh Matre, he's a right-hand man of Shrikan Chinde, who is the
39:11member of parliament over there.
39:13They're writing a tweet and saying that I am a doctor and I understand what are the feelings
39:18of doctors and how the hell-bent things they go through is not going to resolve this issue.
39:23Mr. Shrikan Chinde should have sacked that individual, that corporator from his party.
39:29Why has he not done that?
39:32Does this Chinde faction support assaulting a female over there in the hospital?
39:38What they were demanding, the doctor over there just said that the delivery when it happens,
39:45the child may require NICU.
39:47The NICU is full over here, so you will require a hospital with NICU.
39:52So a corporator, when he goes over there, his moral duty, his duty as a corporator is
39:57to strengthen the infrastructure of the municipal hospitals, not to assault the doctors over
40:03there.
40:03Yeah, no, no, I take your point, Mr. Chitre.
40:05You see, Sushri Benk Shah, there is a line which has to be drawn.
40:08What has happened is unacceptable.
40:10Women nurses have been targeted.
40:11Doctors have been targeted.
40:12I am the father of a doctor.
40:14When I showed the video to my son, he was appalled.
40:17And he says, you know, this is, if this is how public and anyone will, anyone, any right
40:22thinking Indian today will say such a person does not deserve to be in public life.
40:27Now, there is no provocation for beating up nurses, female nurses who are working around
40:32the clock or doctors working around the clock.
40:34This can be settled without using strong arm tactics.
40:37And he says, I only tap the hand.
40:39What tap the hand?
40:40Absolutely.
40:41They serve the humanity.
40:43So, suspend him.
40:44Suspend Matre.
40:46Chitre is right.
40:47He is the right-hand man of Srikant Shinde, who is the son of Etta Shinde.
40:50What is Mr. Chitre's guy?
40:51This duplicity is not acceptable.
40:53What is the duplicity?
40:53Here is Mr. Chitre.
40:54His party is slapping people right, left and center.
40:58Whether it be the common man like a rickshaw driver, a taxi driver or a person who can't
41:02speak Marathi.
41:03Your people are goons out there.
41:05Here, at least we have condemned.
41:07We have taken action.
41:08But that apart.
41:09No, no, my goon versus your goon is no argument, madam.
41:12Mr. Sardesai, I am just putting it out there.
41:14It has got no connection with the incidents happened.
41:16Nor are we protecting the individual.
41:19What I am saying is, today the patient's mother went in public, gave a statement that
41:26when they reached the hospital, her daughter was in a critical condition.
41:30She needed immediate care.
41:32And the immediate care was not given to her, was denied to her and was isolation of life
41:38and death.
41:38She was asked to go to another hospital.
41:42They called Mr. Matre, who is a three-time corporator.
41:45Madam, they did not have the facilities in that hospital.
41:48Let me complete my sentence.
41:49No, now you are also questioning the doctor.
41:51You are claiming now.
41:52No, no, I am not questioning the doctor.
41:52No, no, you seem to be suggesting that the doctor did not provide help.
41:56He is talking about her mother.
41:56Therefore, they have to be beaten up.
41:57Here is the question of a life and death situation.
42:00They call the corporator.
42:03They call the corporator.
42:05They call the corporator.
42:31No, no, are you willing to suspend him?
42:33Is your party willing to say enough is enough?
42:35I cannot comment or say anything about how a court of law functions or behaves, whether
42:42bail is given or not.
42:43It is a prorogative of the judiciary.
42:46So therefore, let's not comment on that.
42:48But as far as the party is concerned, Shiv Sena is concerned, Mahayuti is concerned, we are
42:53with the rule of law.
42:55Mr. Matre has surrendered.
42:57He has been arrested.
42:58Whatever necessary will be done.
43:00But I plead the doctors and nurses today through your channel that please rejoin your services,
43:07your services required.
43:09And as Shiv Sena, as Mahayuti government, we assure you that a safe and secure environment
43:15is our only priority, the priority today.
43:18Okay, I'm going to leave it there.
43:19As I said, doctors have already planned black man protests.
43:22They want firmer action to be taken in a case like this.
43:27There are certain moments where you say enough is enough.
43:30There have been cases in the past where violence has been used and that is condemnable.
43:35But the fact is now you come down to slapping and pushing and jostling nurses.
43:39It is just unacceptable.
43:41A line must be drawn.
43:43Enough is enough.
43:45I appreciate Akhil and Sushi Ben for joining me on the show tonight.
43:53Okay, Sena, Neta's assault on doctor.
43:55What are your responses and what should be done with the corporator who, as you can see,
43:59has now got himself conveniently hospitalized?
44:02Sheikh Ejaz says, first disqualify him.
44:04FIR and behind the bars.
44:06His mates who are part of the worst act should also be behind the bars.
44:10Mangesh Nisal says, violence or intimidation against healthcare workers, unacceptable.
44:15Accountability must apply equally to everyone.
44:17Raj Vittal says, such a nasty behavior should not be tolerated.
44:20He must be given severe punishment by the court of law.
44:23Naveen says, plead his note.
44:25Asking patient to go to another hospital in large minutes of pregnancy is uncalled for.
44:30Anxiety stems from that ask.
44:32It's almost killing the patient.
44:33Omar Sharif says, how about making him a union cabinet minister at the center, giving him
44:38the ministry of health?
44:39That can be a possibility.
44:41His yaha kuch bhi ho sakta hai.
44:43So cynicism over there.
44:45Okay, let's take a break at this point.
44:48But before that, my take.
44:49The Shiv Sena has had a history of practicing the politics of thokshai, of physical violence
44:54against its critics.
44:56This normalization of a lumpen and violent political culture has now seen a corporator
45:00of brazenly assaulting doctors and nurses.
45:03Arresting Ramesh Matre under public pressure is not enough.
45:06At the very least, he must be suspended from the party pending investigation.
45:11Ironically, Dr. Srikant Shinde, the Shiv Sena MP from the area, is a qualified doctor.
45:16The question is, what matters more to the young MP?
45:18The support of a loyal cooperator who has to be protected or the rule of law?
45:22Chief Minister Devendra Fadnamis holds the home portfolio in Maharashtra.
45:26Will he act against his ally and draw a red line?
45:28Doctors have been on the receiving end from this kind of gundagardi for way too long.
45:33As I said earlier, enough is enough.
45:36Let's take one of the most anticipated round of 16 clashes.
45:39Argentina versus Egypt became one of the tournament's biggest controversies.
45:44Egypt was leading 2-0 with 11 minutes to go.
45:47And then the result turned.
45:48Argentina won 3-2.
45:50But Egypt now has alleged that VAR, the video assistant referee decisions and referee bias,
45:56meant that they were robbed of what they believed was a victory.
46:01It is an issue that has now divided the footballing world.
46:05Was Egypt denied a victory because of referee bias and allegations that the FIFA wants Argentina
46:14to proceed to the finals of the tournament?
46:17Serious questions being raised.
46:19I am joined now by Baichung Bhutia, former India footballer and captain,
46:24one of our greats of the sport.
46:26Appreciate you joining us, Baichung.
46:29So much of controversy in that Argentina-Egypt game.
46:32What's your feeling?
46:33We've had people like Jose Moreno, the coach saying Egypt was robbed of a victory.
46:39Do you go along with that?
46:41Do you believe Egypt was robbed of a victory by referee bias and wrong video assistant decisions?
46:49I don't exactly agree to it.
46:54Again, you are coming to a very minute kind of a decision here with VAR coming into play.
47:00So if you do look into the goal with Egypt's score and that was disallowed,
47:05I think there was definitely a foul with Martinez up in, you know, the Egypt defence area.
47:15And that's where the build-up happened.
47:17So if you're looking at the law by the books, yes.
47:21And that was the same thing where they won the ball and that move happened.
47:25And the great run by Hassan went on to score by Zico.
47:29I think the build-up play happened when the foul happened with Martinez.
47:34But it was a very small foul.
47:36But if you go by the books, yes, it was a foul.
47:39But a lot of times in football in the past, we've seen those are overlooked and the referees take a
47:44call.
47:44And actually, referee had not given that as a foul.
47:47But when it went back to VAR, then it did show it was a foul.
47:52You know, which comes, Baichung, to VAR itself, the video assistant referee.
47:56Now, VAR obviously was designed to cut out clear and obvious errors or ensure that there were no obvious fouls
48:05that were not seen.
48:06A blatant mistake if it was overlooked.
48:09But now you have VAR intervening when something is happening hundreds yards away in the field and it results in
48:16a goal.
48:17Do you believe, therefore, that the problem lies that VAR is very subjective?
48:21It can be interpreted differently.
48:24Egypt is now complaining that when Argentina scored their third goal, there was a foul.
48:28But VAR did not intervene.
48:30So VAR seems to have become now the 12th man in football, on the football pitch.
48:37Yes, again, you know, VAR is not perfect.
48:41I do agree because there have been issues in which I also have not been totally convinced with.
48:47And when it comes to technology, I think every people would question it because technology these days can be, you
48:52know, can be manipulated.
48:54And when any team or any refereeing or any organization wants to do it, can be done it.
48:59So I think there have been a lot of debate and there have been a lot of discussions on that.
49:03But personally, I also feel that if VAR was 100 percent right, even the Japan and Brazil goal, which Brazil
49:12scored with, you know, first goal,
49:15I felt that by an inch as well, there was an offside on that because I'm a Japanese team supporter.
49:23So I'm trying to be a little biased here.
49:25But yes, I think there have been decisions where it's by the inch they've been given an offside thing and
49:31sometimes they've not gone into it.
49:33So I completely agree that VAR has not been 100 percent right in this tournament.
49:40Okay, but let me come, Baichung, to the elephant in the room because one of the stars of Egypt, Hassan,
49:46after the game said he believes injustice was done
49:49because the entire tournament, he says, is being rigged or manipulated to suit Argentina and Lionel Messi in particular.
49:56The tournament needs Messi.
49:58Therefore, Argentina gets decisions in their favor that other teams don't.
50:01Do you go along with that?
50:03Big teams, big players are getting decisions in their favor.
50:06Many believe Messi could have been red carded in the first game itself for stamping someone's foot.
50:12Do you think there is something to this, to these claims being made?
50:17No, I don't completely agree with him.
50:22Because if you look at Egypt's and Argentina game as well, let's not forget, despite that disallowed goal,
50:29they still took the lead, two goals lead they had.
50:31And they conceded two goals, which are genuinely a fair and good goal, what Argentina score.
50:37So they could have stopped, organized the defense a bit well, and they could have won the game.
50:42So I think it's a bit unfair to really blame it completely on Messi.
50:46Yes, there are times the big players, especially big players, get protected a few times.
50:52And it has to be as well, because at the end, all the football fans across the world would want
50:59to watch big players there, big teams there.
51:02But if it's not a direct kind of a red card, which Messi, everybody was talking about it.
51:08I don't see that at all as a red card, because Messi was also running as well.
51:14I think he would be coming and you would discuss about Balugan as well.
51:17Same with Balugan.
51:18When Balugan got red card, I was the one in the studio actually saying live that that was not a
51:23red card.
51:24He should not have been given it.
51:26It was a very unfair decision that Balugan got that red card.
51:29So with that, even with Messi as well, there are intentional injuries that happen.
51:34Because I have a player and I know what are intentions of a player or opponent or players to injure
51:41or where they have genuinely gone for the ball.
51:44So those things, I think the common sense of the referee has to come in as well.
51:48So you seem to be more inclined to believe that Argentina deserved to win because of their stunning comeback.
51:54You don't seem to go along with the view that Egypt was denied a legitimate victory because they were playing
51:59a bigger team and the referee was biased against them.
52:02Am I correct?
52:04No, I think it's slightly wrong what you're putting it.
52:08It wasn't a victory.
52:09It was a two-goal lead.
52:11You know, the controversial goal happened when they were 1-0 up and they scored that controversial goal which was
52:17disallowed.
52:18And if that had happened as well, they were going on a 2-0 lead.
52:21It wasn't a victory as such that that goal was giving them.
52:24It was a last-minute thing and they would have won the thing.
52:26So I don't think, you know, it was Argentina and Messi was favoured in this game to win it.
52:34Yes, that fall did happen by the law.
52:37If you look at it, there was a fall.
52:38There was a pull of the jersey.
52:39There was a tackle.
52:41Slight touch in the ankle of Martinez which happened.
52:47So, yeah, it wasn't that referee had, you know, blindly support.
52:53Okay, my final question, Baichung.
52:56Who's going to win the cup?
52:57Who do you think out of the eight teams remaining is best place to win the cup?
53:01Who are you betting on?
53:06You know, I'm working with the channel, yeah, sports channel, Sports United, and I've already predicted
53:12we had done a show of, in the round of 16, eight teams to go to the quarterfinals.
53:19And I think seven of my teams are already there.
53:21One I missed out was Brazil.
53:22So, looking at it, my fourth semifinal at the moment looks like France, England, Spain.
53:33And I had actually put Argentina already in that semifinal list in the channel when we did a pre-show
53:40swing
53:40which teams are going to go to the semis and the finals.
53:42But now, with Argentina team with two matches, what I saw with Cabo Verdi and yesterday with Egypt,
53:50I'm not too sure if they're going to make it to the semifinals against Switzerland.
53:56I think Switzerland is a very, very good side.
53:58Though I had already put Argentina, four teams in semifinals were Argentina, Spain, England, and France.
54:03But now with Argentina's form, the way they are playing, I'm having a doubt that with Switzerland,
54:09I think they might not go to semifinals.
54:11But my two finals are England and Spain.
54:14And hopefully this time, hopefully, hopefully, England can win this World Cup.
54:21Wow, you want England to win?
54:23Bhai Chung Bhutia says England might win.
54:25At this rate, you might be invited to Buckingham Palace as a special guest to a trip to London.
54:30Who knows?
54:30You're going with England.
54:32Interesting choice.
54:33It's been 60 years since England last won it.
54:36We'll have to wait and see, Bhai Chung, whether that happens.
54:40You've got a country which is so passionate about football.
54:44You've got, you know, the best league that happens there.
54:46I think it's time that England wins it because, you know, they have quality players.
54:53They've been present.
54:54This time, they've got a great set of team, great manager with them.
54:57And it's been 60 long years.
54:59And I think they deserve to win it.
55:01And hopefully.
55:02But only the problem is after they win it, then you'll have to hear it for the rest of the
55:06100 years, I think, about the win.
55:08That is more difficult.
55:09But I hope they win it this time.
55:12They deserve to win it.
55:13Okay, we'll wait and see, Bhai Chung Butia.
55:15You're predicting England to win the tournament.
55:17You're saying Lionel Messi may not necessarily win another World Cup.
55:21But we'll wait and see.
55:23Lots of twists and turns still ahead in the World Cup football.
55:26Thanks very much for joining me, Bhai Chung Butia.
55:29That's about all that we could pack in.
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