- 16 minutes ago
The big talking point of this episode of News Today is the escalation of tension in West Asia and Donald Trump's fresh move to "reinstate" a blockade on Iran in the Strait of Hormuz and charge ships for safe passage.
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00:00Good evening, hello and welcome. You're with the news today, your primetime destination news,
00:05newsmakers, talking points, our big talking point today. Donald Trump's West Asia ceasefire.
00:11Is it dead and buried as retaliatory strikes now continue between Iran and the United States?
00:18What does it mean to the world? Among my guests tonight, Israel's ambassador,
00:22Reuven Azhar, will join us on where is Israel in this war that's again building up in West Asia.
00:31Also, the story of how 92 lakh Larki Bahin beneficiaries in Maharashtra now find themselves under Scanner.
00:41Was government money wrongly targeted simply to win an election?
00:46We'll tell you that on the other side.
00:48But first, as always, it's time for the Nine Headlines at Night.
00:53Amidst continuing exchange of missiles, Donald Trump throws another googly moves to take control of the Strait of Hormuz.
01:01Demands a 20% fee for guarding the seaway.
01:05Tehran fumes vows to block U.S. move targets U.S. bases in Bahrain, Kuwait and other Arab states.
01:17Amidst the escalation in West Asia, crude oil prices now soar by over 4%.
01:22Markets also remain volatile as investors track developments in the Gulf region.
01:31Supreme Court seeks a status report from the SIT in the Ram Mandir donation scam case.
01:37Says it will hear next week a batch of petition seeking a court-monitored CBI investigation.
01:46An eight-year-old allegedly raped by a security guard in Mumbai, accused, arrested by the police, sent to police
01:51custody till 18 July.
01:53Protests break out demanding death penalty for the accused.
02:00Delhi court convicts former Aam Adni Party councillor Tahir Hussain and four others in the murder case of intelligence officer
02:07Ankit Sharma during the 2020 Delhi riots.
02:11But the conspiracy charge against him is dropped.
02:16Supreme Court states Madrar's high court's blanket ban on cow slaughter in Tamil Nadu.
02:22The Vijay government had cited law in their plea allowing slaughter of cows unfit for work or breeding.
02:33Sonam Wangchuk's health worsens after losing 8.2 kgs in 16 days of his hunger strike
02:40in support of the students calling for the resignation of the education minister.
02:45Political parties like Shiv Sena, UBT and AAP extend support to him amidst the examination irregularities claims.
02:56Huge fire engulfs a bar in Bangkok, killing at least 27, injuring over 60 people.
03:02The blaze has brought the focus back on deadly nightclub safety measures.
03:10Indian women's cricket team scripts history by thrashing England by 270 runs at Lord's bags their maiden win at the
03:16Mecca of Cricket.
03:26But our top story tonight, as tensions have flared up in West Asia,
03:30we want to bring you first the latest developments that are taking place on the ground in the region.
03:35U.S. President Donald Trump has thrown another googly declaring that the United States should become the guardian of the
03:42Strait of Hormuz,
03:43saying Washington would likely take charge of securing the vital global oil route.
03:48Trump's also insisted the U.S. should be financially reimbursed for protecting the strategic waterway at the rate of 20
03:55% on all cargo shipped.
03:59Iran has issued a sharp warning, meanwhile, to the United States over the Strait of Hormuz,
04:05saying it will not allow any American role in managing the waterway.
04:10Tehran says any unauthorized transit will be confronted, has warned other nations against cooperating with Washington.
04:17Iran claims it has struck U.S. bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Jordan in retaliation for fresh American attacks
04:37on its southern coast.
04:38Meanwhile, explosions have been reported near Bandar, Abbas and Kashmir Island as United States strikes continue.
04:44Iranian media says at least two people were killed in attacks on the city of Abadan, marking a sharp escalation
04:50in the conflict once again.
04:54Germany, France and the United Kingdom have strongly condemned Iran's attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz
05:01and on regional countries, including Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Jordan.
05:06The three nations have called for an immediate halt to the attacks and a ceasefire and a return to negotiations.
05:16Meanwhile, Britain is set to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guard as a foreign security threat.
05:23The escalating conflict in West Asia is once again shaking global markets.
05:28Since crude oil has climbed to around $80 a barrel amidst fears of supply disruption through the Strait of Hormuz,
05:35S&P 500 and Nasdaq opened lower.
05:38European shares have inched lower while volatility was seen on Dalai Street and West Asia as the tensions spiked.
05:58So, as war clouds regather across West Asia, I'm joined by a very special guest, the Israeli ambassador to India.
06:06Ruben Azhar is with us.
06:07Good to have you once again, Mr. Azhar, on the show.
06:11What we've seen in the last few days, including today, is a wave of retaliatory strikes by Iran and the
06:18United States against each other,
06:20the locus again spreading to other Gulf states.
06:22Now, from an Israeli perspective, are we then to presume that the ceasefire is dead and buried?
06:29Because we also have negotiations that are going on in the backdrop of the memorandum of understanding
06:35that was signed between Iran and the United States last month.
06:39Where does Israel stand?
06:40Do you believe the ceasefire is dead and buried?
06:43Not necessarily.
06:44I think that this escalation derives just from the fact that the IRGC, the Revolutionary Guards,
06:49are trying to change international order by imposing a new order in international waterways.
06:55And whether they wouldn't be doing that or trying to do that, there wouldn't be any problem with the ceasefire.
07:00So what you're saying is that this is a battle for control over the Strait of Hormuz in particular,
07:05and what you believe is the right of passage for ships from across the world.
07:10Not only me.
07:11I think that also India, but also the international community.
07:13We've seen it in the G7 declaration.
07:16It would be ridiculous that, you know, in the Straits of Malacca or in Gibraltar,
07:21or, you know, countries would start saying that they are controlling it
07:25and they want to get fees from other partners.
07:29So this is an attempt, a ridiculous attempt, by the way, by the IRGC to alter international law.
07:34It's not going to pass.
07:35And I think that they are trying to prove something to their own people
07:39after they have completely failed them because Iran is in shambles
07:43and they don't have no way out of this crisis
07:46and they want to declare victory, which is ridiculous as well.
07:49So I think that we are here in a situation in which they are trying, again,
07:54to extort the international community in order to impose a reality that nobody is going to accept.
07:59You know, it's interesting you're saying that Iran is in a shambles
08:02and Iran is therefore trying to prove a point to the people.
08:05We've seen polls, actually, that have taken place, including in Israel,
08:09which seem to suggest many Israelis believe that Iran has actually won the war
08:13and that the United States conceded way too much to Iran in that memorandum of understanding.
08:18So it's either that Iran is asserting its right
08:21or, as you're claiming, that a desperate Iran is trying to prove a point to the people.
08:25Do you accept that Iran, what the Iran narrative is, that we've actually won the war
08:32and that the Americans are being forced to make concessions, as are the Israelis?
08:36Let's look at the facts.
08:37The facts are that we have managed to remove two existential threats that are looming on Israel,
08:41the military nuclear threat and the ballistic missile threat.
08:44We destroyed their industry.
08:45Their military was destroyed, including their air force and their navy.
08:50So what we have here is a ceasefire that actually was agreed upon by the United States
08:56in order to give a chance to negotiations to stabilize the energy markets,
09:00but it doesn't change the military balance of power.
09:03When it comes to the military balance of power, Iran is debilitated significantly.
09:08Now, they are having this narrative of victory, but it's propaganda.
09:13So at the end of the day, you have to, you know, some people were disappointed
09:17that we haven't managed so far to leverage the military gain
09:22into an Iranian acceptance of the terms that we want to push forward.
09:29That means removing the fissile material out of Iran,
09:32stopping the Iranian support for proxies, okay,
09:35and putting a cap on the ballistic missile program.
09:38So that is yet to be achieved,
09:40and that's why some people had the sense that actually we are not winning.
09:45But it is very clear that we have removed these threats,
09:50that now we are much more secure because our communities,
09:52both in the north and in the south, are safe.
09:55And if Iran decides to attack us again, we are ready for that.
09:58No, if you're saying you're much more secure,
10:00then what is the need, for example, for Israel to continue acts of aggression
10:04against the Hezbollah in southern Lebanon,
10:06to refuse to withdraw from southern Lebanon,
10:08if you're saying that the proxies have been eliminated,
10:11Israel and Iran has been significantly demilitarized,
10:14why then should Israel continue with aggressive action in southern Lebanon?
10:19Rajiv, we have a framework with the government of Lebanon.
10:23We have a common interest with Lebanon.
10:25That is to restore Lebanese sovereignty in Lebanon,
10:28to which we don't have any territorial claims,
10:31but that has to lead to dismantlement of Hezbollah,
10:34because Hezbollah actually has built a huge infrastructure in southern Lebanon
10:38to attack Israel.
10:39So we are there until the moment that the Lebanese government
10:43will be able to actually dismantle that capability.
10:46We started a pilot program that will allow the Lebanese armed forces
10:50to enter gradually into south Lebanon.
10:52So we are on a path to peace with Lebanon,
10:55but Iran is still trying to call the shots.
10:57It's not going to work.
10:58So is Israel going to decide which is that moment
11:02when you believe that it is the right moment
11:04to withdraw from southern Lebanon?
11:05Because the defense minister, your defense minister,
11:08Mr. Katz, has threatened to assassinate Mochdava Khamenei.
11:11He said southern Lebanon would become Gaza
11:14and that the Israeli army will apply the Rafah model of conquest there.
11:19I mean, it almost seems as if Israel is pursuing its own path,
11:23that it believes, irrespective of what Iran and the United States decide in the MOU,
11:27Israel is going to go ahead in southern Lebanon,
11:30do what Israel believes is in your interest.
11:32Well, first of all, every country does what it believes is in its own interest.
11:36But let's look at the facts.
11:39Yes.
11:40We have a path to peace that has been agreed upon
11:44with the legitimately elected, democratically elected government of Lebanon.
11:48This is an historic event.
11:50Okay?
11:51And we are in south Lebanon right now
11:54with the consent of that government.
11:57Because they have realized at this point that they cannot dismantle Hezbollah.
12:01So we have to do it in a coordinated way.
12:04And we are going to do it with the support of the United States and other countries.
12:07Because at the end of the day,
12:08we know that Israelis and Lebanese are interested in peace,
12:13free from the agenda that Tehran is trying to impose,
12:17and create a perpetual war being launched from Lebanon against Israel.
12:22Nobody is interested in that.
12:23And finally, we have achieved that.
12:25We have dismantled, when Minister Katz spoke about the Gaza model,
12:30what he said is that we are dismantling the infrastructure,
12:33all the buildings, including villages that were transformed into military outposts.
12:39So we are destroying those.
12:41That's the Gaza model.
12:42Who wants a perpetual war?
12:44The Iranians and their militias,
12:47or the Israelis who want to exercise regional dominance?
12:50Because one narrative, one narrative that is playing out, Mr. Ambassador,
12:53is that Benjamin Netanyahu faces a crucial election in October.
12:57He cannot be seen to give an inch of concession to any,
13:01to Iran or Lebanon or the Hezbollah in any form,
13:05and therefore wants to continue this war.
13:08In fact, there were reports that there was this angry exchange
13:11between Donald Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu,
13:14where Donald Trump was asking Netanyahu to back off,
13:16and the Israelis did not want to back off.
13:19So in a sense, is it in Israel's interest to continue this war
13:23until your election, because the Prime Minister wants to get re-elected?
13:26You cannot play politics with Israeli security.
13:29It's not, the system is embedded in the way
13:31in which the security apparatus, the IDF, the secret services, etc.,
13:38they give their recommendations to the government,
13:40and that's pretty transparent.
13:42No government in Israel can go to war in a democracy.
13:45You cannot go to war for political motivation.
13:48That's complete nonsense.
13:50Not only that, that we have, as I told you before,
13:53we don't have territorial aspirations in Lebanon.
13:55We are ready even to withdraw from Gaza if Hamas is dismantled.
14:00This is the implementation of the 20-point plan of President Trump.
14:03So Israel has a record of being willing to maintain the international border,
14:09and the only reason that we have changed that tactic
14:12is because we were attacked on the 7th of October,
14:14and we were attacked by Hezbollah on the 8th of October.
14:16Sabat, you continue with your acts of aggression in Gaza.
14:19The fact is, only yesterday we had at least half a dozen Palestinians being killed,
14:26including a 9-year-old in a displacement camp in central Gaza.
14:31So the attacks continue, the aerial bombardment continues,
14:34the gunfire continues.
14:36There have been instances of settlers who have targeted Palestinians.
14:39So the war, it seems, has not got over as far as Israel is concerned.
14:42First of all, the intensive warfare part is over
14:47because we are not having, at this point, intensively wide military...
14:52Half a dozen people died only yesterday, sir.
14:54Half a dozen Palestinians were killed in Israeli action only yesterday.
14:58Okay, let me elaborate.
15:00We are not in a stage of massive military operations.
15:03What we are doing is that we are pinpointedly attacking Hamas militants.
15:09Okay?
15:10I must remind you that Hamas has the tactic of hiding behind civilians.
15:14How does a 9-year-old become a Hamas militant, sir?
15:18Well, I, you know, if, unfortunately, civilians die,
15:22this is something that we investigate and we try to avoid.
15:25But the fact of the matter is that we are targeting Hamas operatives.
15:33Okay?
15:33Sometimes Hamas operatives go around civilians.
15:37We have seen that.
15:38They are controlling the entire hospital system in Gaza, for example,
15:41and they torture Palestinians in those hospitals that they control.
15:46They have their headquarters there.
15:47It's very difficult to deal with these terrorists
15:49because they're hiding behind civilians.
15:51This is not news.
15:52It's happening all the time.
15:53But we are going to continue defending ourselves
15:55until we see the 20-point plan implemented.
16:00And that requires Hamas dismantlement.
16:04I'm going to come back to the situation in Gaza in a moment,
16:08but I want to still focus on what is the immediate issue,
16:10which is the potential of an expanded conflict once again in West Asia.
16:15Do you see war clouds returning to the region?
16:19Do you see us returning back to what we saw in March and April,
16:23which was continuous bombardment, Israel and America working in tandem,
16:27oil prices collapsing as a result,
16:30the Strait of Hormuz being closed, and the world on the edge.
16:33Do you see us returning back to that?
16:35Can Netanyahu and Donald Trump really afford that?
16:38Is that what you really want?
16:40That's where I come from.
16:41Do you really want perpetual war till you've established regional dominance?
16:45Well, again, you're saying terms that I don't concur with.
16:49I don't think that Israel is trying to establish regional dominance.
16:51I think that we are trying to defend ourselves from Iranian aggression.
16:54And this war started by Iranian proxies.
16:57And Iran is the party that is trying to do,
17:00trying to obtain hegemonial power in the region.
17:04And they are proving it again by trying to control the Strait of Hormuz,
17:08which is absolutely ridiculous and illegal.
17:10So, as long as Iran is trying to do that,
17:13and if Iran attacks Israel, Israel will defend itself.
17:16We don't have any interest whatsoever.
17:18You have to understand, Rajiv.
17:20Israel is at war for three years now.
17:23This has been the longest war in our history.
17:25Do you think that Israelis want to continue this war?
17:28No.
17:28We don't want to do that.
17:30But we will do whatever it takes in order to defend ourselves.
17:34Right now, we have achieved stability in Israel.
17:36You have Ben-Gurion working with almost 100,000 people flying every day.
17:41Our communities in the south are safe.
17:43Our communities in the north are safe.
17:44The only thing we have to do is to implement the political plans
17:47that have been agreed upon with the United States and the international community.
17:50So, is this only about self-defense?
17:52Or is it when I hear the defense minister of your country
17:55say that we want to take out Mostaba Khamenei?
17:58How are we...
17:59That's surely not about self-defense.
18:00Is it again about regime change as it was in February?
18:03It's about deterrence.
18:05It's about deterrence.
18:06Yes, absolutely.
18:07These people in Tehran have to understand.
18:09As long as they vow to destroy the state of Israel, they are vulnerable.
18:14Every country in the past that has changed their approach
18:17for trying to destroy Israel, to trying to cooperate with Israel,
18:20we achieved peace.
18:22Take Nasser, for example.
18:23He tried to destroy Israel.
18:24We have peace with Egypt.
18:26In the moment that Anwar Sadat said that he wants to make peace with Israel,
18:29we make peace.
18:30So, we are going to do peace with Lebanon.
18:33We have no problem whatsoever living together with countries in the region.
18:37We've done six peace accords.
18:39But this regime in Tehran doesn't want peace.
18:42They want regional dominance.
18:43They want to change the nature of international navigation.
18:46It's not going to fly.
18:47So, do you see the region going back into an escalating conflict?
18:51Or do you believe, are you still hopeful that peace will return?
18:56We hope very much that we will have peace in our region.
18:59I think that we had enough of budget.
19:02I think that this regime in Tehran has to change its nature.
19:06As long as the RGC is there, they are going to try to destabilize.
19:09And what I think the United States is doing now is degrading their capability
19:14to continue throwing havoc in our region.
19:17And this will continue until the RGC changes approach.
19:21So, Israel and the United States are on the same page?
19:24All this talk of differences between Netanyahu wanting to continue
19:28with the bombing of Iran versus Trump who wants to pull back.
19:32Do you believe that America and Israel are on the same page or not?
19:38We are completely on the same page when it comes to the strategic goals.
19:41I think that sometimes people get confused because when it comes to tactical measures,
19:47there are differences sometimes on timings or motives
19:50because the interests of our countries do not always coincide 100%.
19:54But I think that we continue this dialogue.
19:57We continue this effort.
19:58We have very good connections between the Prime Minister and the President.
20:02And this cooperation will continue.
20:04You know, I said I would come back to Gaza because just a few days ago,
20:08I had Justice Muralidar, who was leading the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Palestine.
20:17And the report said Israel had killed at least 20,179 Palestinian children in two years of the war.
20:2644,000 children had been injured.
20:28Estimated 58,000 children had been orphaned.
20:32And seemed to suggest that this was war crimes and a genocidal intent by Israel as per the report.
20:38How do you respond?
20:39An Indian judge heading that report accuses your country of war crimes and genocide.
20:45Well, this report is not independent and is not impartial.
20:49I'll tell you why.
20:49There are at least five biases that are coming from the so-called Human Rights Council.
20:53First of all, the mandate.
20:55The mandate is done by a bunch of autocracies that is working with Muslim and Arab states
21:00to isolate Israel, to single out Israel.
21:03And it's a machinery of reports that is completely bogus and is discriminating Israel.
21:08That's number one.
21:09Number two, they choose these rapporteurs in a very bad shape.
21:14And many of these people that are involved have a biased opinion of Israel to start with.
21:20The third bias is that they are taking Hamas information at face value.
21:25The fourth bias is that they cannot corroborate it because they are not on the ground.
21:28And the fifth bias is that they minimize the role of Hamas, the fact that Hamas is embedded
21:34in hospitals, that it's been breaching any code.
21:37Now, why didn't Israel cooperate with this commission?
21:39Are you denying these facts about the number of children?
21:42First of all...
21:42Are you denying all of that?
21:44Are you saying that Justice Mourlidar was biased?
21:46Why didn't Israel appear before the commission?
21:48Because this commission is biased in all the five ways I told you.
21:51And we are not going to cooperate with people that the only aim that they have is to criminalize
21:57Israel.
21:58You see, this is actually ruining completely the UN system.
22:04The information dispersed by Hamas is quoted by the UN, is quoted by Al Jazeera, and these
22:10NGOs that, you know, are full of hatred of Israel.
22:14And they create a reality that is not there.
22:18Are you saying the children have not been killed?
22:20Are you saying these numbers are fictitious?
22:21First of all, when it comes to the numbers, these numbers that Hamas has published, they
22:28include...
22:29Not the UN report.
22:30This is the UN report.
22:31But they lean on the Hamas numbers.
22:33That's what I'm telling you.
22:34You're saying these are Hamas numbers.
22:34Of course.
22:35These are not independently verifiable numbers.
22:37They cannot verify.
22:38They are not on the ground.
22:39So these are Hamas numbers that include, for example, child combatants, that include the
22:44fact that they include natural deaths, that they include all kinds of things that actually
22:49make this charade.
22:52This is not a real and serious work by an impartial organization.
22:57They are tainting the UN time and again.
23:00And we shouldn't actually adhere to that.
23:03Look, I'll just give you one example.
23:04The number of children that were vaccinated in Gaza after the war is higher than the number
23:10of children that was vaccinated before the war.
23:12If there was a genocide there, okay, you would have less children.
23:16We've seen awful images of destruction also, Ambassador.
23:19Terrible.
23:19It's very tragic.
23:20Look, war is very tragic, especially in a situation in which Hamas uses these tactics.
23:26Look, if we would indiscriminately have bombed Gaza, you would have at least one million Palestinians
23:31dead.
23:32When it comes to the quantity of explosives that we've put in Gaza, if we would have done
23:38it indiscriminately, there would be no Gaza.
23:41You know, Mr. Ambassador, in conclusion, as I said, the U.S. president has said the ceasefire
23:48is over.
23:49Iran seems to be acting at the moment as if the ceasefire is over.
23:53At the same time, there are efforts to reach some kind of agreement, including on Iran's contentious
23:58nuclear program.
24:00Will Israel back any effort that the U.S. president now makes to negotiate a nuclear agreement with
24:06Iran to get to a negotiated settlement?
24:09Is that your primary goal?
24:11Or till that October election, Israel wants to create the impression of war?
24:15The prime minister of Israel has stated very clearly that we support and we have agreed
24:20to the American move to try to get a result through diplomacy.
24:26Those who have breached the ceasefire are not Israel, are the Iranians, the IRGC, that
24:32are firing at civilian ships at the Straits of Hormuz.
24:34So actually has nothing to do with Israel.
24:38Okay, so in conclusion, broader picture, over the last year, we've seen thousands dead
24:44in Gaza and Iran over the last two years, a destabilized gulf, rising oil prices that
24:50are affecting countries like India, the humanitarian crisis that has unfolded.
24:54Is there an exit strategy?
24:56Do you see an end to what we've been seeing over the last couple of years?
25:01Or are we weaponizing uncertainty and we are in an increasingly uncertain climate?
25:07Are you hopeful or do you believe things will get worse before they get better?
25:11I'm very hopeful and I'll tell you why, Rajdeep.
25:13Because before the 7th of October, we had huge proxy armies around us armed with hundreds
25:19of thousands of missiles and ballistic missiles and terrorists that were ready to invade our
25:23country.
25:23And now, we have been able to significantly debilitate Hamas in Gaza.
25:29We have a buffer zone there.
25:30We have a buffer zone in Lebanon.
25:32We have a buffer zone in Syria.
25:34Our communities are safe.
25:35Israel is much stronger, both militarily and economically.
25:40And I'm very positive that by cooperation with the United States and other countries in
25:45the region that oppose this kind of Iranian aggression, at the end of the day, we will be able to
25:51debilitate this regime to the extent that they will cooperate with diplomacy and with
25:57attempts to restore peace in our region.
25:59Let me leave it there, Ambassador.
26:02You've come to the studio again and taken all my questions.
26:05Always good to have you.
26:06Ruben Azhar, thank you very much.
26:07The Israeli Ambassador to India, Mr. Ruben Azhar, taking all our questions.
26:19Okay, let's turn from there to our top national story, where today the Supreme Court took up
26:23petitions seeking a CBI probe into the Ram Mandir donation theft case.
26:28Anisha Mathur reports on just what happened in a case that has shaken Uttar Pradesh and
26:33the country.
26:34Remember, UP goes to the polls next year.
26:37What does the court now say?
26:38Take a look.
26:41With multiple petitions in the Supreme Court calling for not just CBI inquiry, but also
26:48preservation of CCTV footage and stricter management of the Chadhava at the Ram Mandir, the Supreme
26:55Court for now has noted that since there is already an FIR and an SIT has been set up, it
27:01wants to look at the SIT's status report of the ongoing inquiry.
27:06The bench headed by the Chief Justice of India, in fact, has said that they also want to report
27:10on the composition of the SIT itself.
27:13Notice has now been issued to the state of UP, the central government and the Ram Mandir
27:18Teeth Shetra Trust to respond to the multiple PILs that have raised concerns about the Chandachauri
27:25allegations and the mismanagement at the Ram Temple.
27:29The hearing now next week.
27:30In New Delhi, this is Anisha Mathur for India Today.
27:35Okay, let's turn from there to, while we are talking about the Ram Mandir theft, the
27:40fact is there are other temples also which have suddenly now come under the scanner.
27:45A temple revered by thousands for faith and healing is now at the center of a massive financial
27:51scandal.
27:52This time in Rajasthan.
27:54Tonight's India Today special report on an alleged 22 crore rupees irregularities that
28:01have been unearthed at Rajasthan's Bhutati Dham.
28:04Take a look.
28:09The Chatur Das Maharaj Bhutati Temple in Rajasthan, where paralyzed patients, their family members
28:15and devotees from across the country come hoping for a miracle.
28:21The shrine, popularly known as the Bhutati Dham, is now caught in a controversy.
28:26An audit by the Nagor District Administration has found alleged financial fraud in temple affairs.
28:35A 13-member committee headed by SDM Mohan Chaudhary has submitted a report to the district collector
28:41which has unearthed alleged irregularities to the tune of 22 crore rupees.
28:45The report accessed by India Today reveals the following discrepancies.
28:49Gold and silver assets were 2.6 crore rupees missing from the records.
28:5482.41 lakh rupees spent on CCTV cameras over two years, but no tenders or quotations were found.
29:00A payment of 58.14 lakh rupees recorded in the name of M Junction Services,
29:05while the corresponding vouchers were issued in the name of Rana by traders.
29:09Alleged irregularities worth 1.28 crore rupees in village development repairs.
29:14Expenses amounting to 49.49 lakh rupees shown for the construction of the Downing Hall over two years,
29:19but the entire construction had been funded privately by a philanthropist.
29:23Funds were allegedly taken from the temple treasury by submitting fabricated bills.
29:27Kitchen expenses rose by 335 percent in a single year, reaching 90.64 lakh rupees.
29:34Expenses totaling 1.17 crore rupees were recalled over two years,
29:38yet no supplier lists, GST bills or records of the people served meals were made available.
29:45We will take all the measures within the bounds of law to ensure that against the violators,
29:53strictest action is taken and such cases are not repeated.
29:59While the district administration claims the temple committee was issued multiple notices seeking clarifications,
30:04the committee chief alleged that they were not given a proper chance to defend themselves.
30:28The controversy has left devotees in shock.
30:45The probe committee had crossed reference audit records from 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 with actual documents.
30:53Any action will be decided based on orders from the courts.
30:58The Bhutati Dham temple in Rajasthan's Nagar witnesses an influx of thousands of followers on a daily basis.
31:05However, serious accusations of financial impropriety and fraud have caused a sense of betrayal amongst several of them.
31:13Whether the recommendations made by the investigation committee, including that of freezing of records of registering an FIR and police
31:23investigations into the matter,
31:25apart from suspension of the current temple committee and handing over of the temple affairs to a gazetted officer are
31:32accepted or not,
31:34only time can tell.
31:35With Camera Person Manish Devankar Vadhavan in Nagar for India Today.
31:41Okay, let's turn from temple scams to another of our controversies.
31:47Remember the Ladki Bahin Yojana?
31:49The Yojana under which the Maharashtra government in 2024 July decided to give 1,500 rupees to women beneficiaries.
31:57It was a trump card that led to the BJP-led NDA winning big in Maharashtra.
32:04But now, two years later, the scheme has come under controversy.
32:09Out of the 2.4 lakh women beneficiaries, over 92 lakhs or 38% have been dropped from the beneficiary
32:17list because, well, they didn't qualify.
32:21The CAG report now has flagged financial irregularities triggering a fresh political storm.
32:27Was the Ladki Bahin scheme done without due diligence?
32:31Or was this another classic case of an election sop that worked?
32:41Over 92 lakh women dropped from Ladki Bahin Yojana in Maharashtra.
32:47That is roughly 38% of total beneficiaries of a scheme touted as the main reason for the BJP-led
32:54NDA's stunning landslide in the 2024 Assembly elections.
33:00The impact is being felt on the ground.
33:04In Maruti Nagar slum in Akola, two neighbours with identical economic struggles are being treated entirely differently by the system.
33:41R
34:10Even as public anger boils over,
34:12the CAG has dropped a bombshell.
34:19Its audit reveals that the government overspent Rs 3,541 crore beyond its sanctioned budget.
34:27Worse, it parked an astonishing Rs 15,586 crore in virtual personal deposit accounts
34:36without any immediate need, purely violating budgetary discipline.
34:41The opposition is now pulling no punches.
35:10The ruling coalition is in complete damage control mode.
35:14The government is in complete damage control mode.
35:18The government is in complete damage control.
35:54The Maharashtra's most popular Ladli Bahen scheme stands at a very critical juncture.
35:59The government calls it a necessary clean-up for the system while the opposition labels it as a pre-election
36:06bribe exposed by CAG.
36:08Whether this remains a genuine effort to empower poor women or it collapses under the bureaucratic chaos is what the
36:19voters are watching very closely.
36:21With camera person Sachin Sawant, myself Ritwik Bhalekar for India Today, Mumbai.
36:28So the Ladli Bahen scheme and schemes like that now coming under the scanner.
36:33Is it time to stop election year cash handouts?
36:37These poll freebies, are they acts of bribing voters?
36:40Joining me now on my face-off, Shaina NC, National Spokesperson of the Shiv Sena,
36:45and Clyde Trasto, National Spokesperson Secretary, NCP Sharath Pahar.
36:49To you, Shaina NC, when I look at what the CAG report says,
36:55it effectively flags out excess expenditure, parking of thousands of crores in fake deposit accounts,
37:02and deficiencies in the financial management of this scheme that was touted as a flagship scheme that won you an
37:09election.
37:10Now you've reduced the beneficiaries by 38%.
37:15Effectively, you will be accused of having put in a scheme without due diligence,
37:20simply because you wanted to win an election in 2024,
37:23and taxpayers' money was wrongly misused.
37:29Rajneet, first and foremost, greetings from Pandarpur and the Wari.
37:34You know, walking through this Wari itself, you see so many Ladki Bahens.
37:40And what do they say?
37:41They all cite that Mukhyamantri Maji Ladki Bahen Yojana has been a game changer,
37:48where they have got 1500 rupees,
37:50and for those who are eligible, between the age group of 21 to 65.
37:55Now you're right.
37:56But you gave ineligible women, 92 lakhs out of 2.4 crore women were ineligible.
38:02I mean, what kind of a scheme is that?
38:04It was clearly done without due diligence,
38:06only because at the time you wanted to win an election.
38:09You wasted more than 14,000 crores of taxpayers' money on it.
38:16Look, if there are duplicate entries, if there are ineligible age,
38:21like as I told you, the cutoff is 21 to 65.
38:24So if somebody is not eligible, if the income is above 2.5 lakhs per year,
38:30if they have a four-wheeler owner, or if they're government employees also,
38:36and there were pensioners too, the Aadhaar Bank mismatch,
38:40and the women who were already getting the benefits,
38:43and if they were getting benefits from other state schemes,
38:46why shouldn't there be a clean-up? I want to ask.
38:49No, no, there should be a...
38:50Why was the clean-up not done before the election?
38:53That's the point.
38:53You have every right to do a clean-up.
38:55No one objects to that.
38:56But what it shows is, before the election,
38:59you just took the money out of the exchequer,
39:02paid it to women.
39:03And now, when you're facing a financial crisis,
39:05in terms of revenues, a huge revenue deficit,
39:09suddenly you've realized we should exercise due diligence.
39:12My only point is, you could have done it in July of 2024,
39:15then you wanted to win an election at all costs.
39:18Can I just answer, please, if you allow me?
39:21The scheme was launched and scaled very fast
39:26because there was an Aadhaar bank sending system,
39:32cross-verification system, and databases
39:34that were done on first-come-first basis.
39:38Now, if there were some eligible women
39:41who were dropped because of technical errors,
39:44and now in this re-verification,
39:46a lot of them have also been given opportunity.
39:48But when you have a clean-up,
39:50it is not just to save public money,
39:53it is to ensure that only genuine beneficiaries continue.
39:56And their savings have been used from time to time.
39:59So you're right, from 2.3 to 2.4 crore women,
40:04if you have 1.3 to 1.4 who are getting 1,500,
40:09they are getting it exclusively in the Ladki Behen scheme
40:12and not being facilitated to schemes
40:16where there are Labhartis for two different schemes.
40:19So I think you need to understand that
40:22if there is a system in place
40:23and if there is the KYCs as well,
40:27as well as the age limit,
40:29as well as the criteria of the funds...
40:32All of this should have been...
40:34Madam, my only point is,
40:35all of this could have been put in place
40:37when the scheme started.
40:38At that time, there was a hurry
40:39because you brought it in July,
40:41there was an election in October.
40:42That's the only question I have.
40:44But Clyde Crasto, you want to respond,
40:46what's wrong if the government decides clean up?
40:48At the end of the day,
40:50better late than never.
40:51Government will say,
40:52we are doing a clean up,
40:53we are removing those who are not beneficiaries.
40:55We've removed the ineligible beneficiaries.
41:01Rajdeep, this is a very carefully scheme
41:05that turned into a scam.
41:06Just before the elections,
41:07they knew.
41:08They knew.
41:11They heard these women of Maharashtra
41:12to get their votes.
41:13So just before elections,
41:14they started giving out this money
41:16knowing well enough
41:17that the model code of conduct
41:18is going to come into place
41:19and then they can't do anything
41:20and they'll use this as a skill later.
41:22So first two months,
41:23they gave out this money.
41:24As soon as they got all their votes,
41:25they started betraying the women of Maharashtra.
41:28This is a carefully thought,
41:30well-planned thing.
41:31Now slowly and steadily,
41:32they are deducting all the names,
41:33removing all the names from that.
41:34But like you kept saying,
41:36and like we all are saying it,
41:38this should have been done before the EKYC.
41:40I mean, 29,000 men
41:41have been given this money from this scheme.
41:44Can you imagine 29,000 men
41:45are getting money for 10 months?
41:4714,000 crores of the exchequer
41:49has gone waste.
41:50And now you are trying to act
41:52as if like, you know,
41:52oh, we are doing a cleanup job
41:54and everything.
41:54You planned everything.
41:55The cleanup was planned
41:57so that you get your votes.
41:59Once you get your votes,
42:00then you start cleaning up these women.
42:02You are betraying the women of Maharashtra.
42:04I mean, you are talking about,
42:05you know, everything
42:06from, you know,
42:07cleaning up the system
42:08by government employees,
42:10then people who are not eligible.
42:12But what happened before that?
42:13You very well knew
42:14that all these people are not eligible.
42:17Mr. Krashto,
42:17do you support the cleanup or not?
42:19Mr. Krashto,
42:20do you support the cleanup or not?
42:22Absolutely.
42:22No, no, no, no.
42:24Cleanup, support means
42:25what is the point doing it now?
42:26Yes, you do it.
42:27But are you fooling
42:28the people of Maharashtra or not?
42:30Did you fool the people
42:31of Maharashtra or not?
42:32Did you betray the women
42:33of Maharashtra or not?
42:33Accept it.
42:34Apologize to the women of Maharashtra.
42:36You have fooled them.
42:38But your party also before the election said,
42:43we'll also give 3,000.
42:44The moment you saw them giving 1,500,
42:47you all promised 3,000.
42:48You see, this is the competitive.
42:49Populism must stop.
42:51We would have...
42:52No, see, Rajneem,
42:53we would have done...
42:54Let me finish.
42:56No, no, no.
42:56Let him complete.
42:57Let him complete, ma'am.
42:59Please finish.
42:59Please finish, client.
43:00Please finish.
43:01We would have done due diligence.
43:03We would have gone through everything
43:05and done what we want to do.
43:06No one more point I want to make here.
43:081,500 rupees you promised you were giving.
43:10You started that.
43:11Then there were local body elections.
43:13You said we will now give 2,100.
43:15After the election is over,
43:16where is the 2,100?
43:17This is all carefully planned,
43:20you know, fooling the people of Maharashtra,
43:21women of Maharashtra,
43:22taking their votes.
43:23Nothing else.
43:23This government has only been fooling
43:25the people of Maharashtra.
43:26Then say, you have gone to Gawari,
43:28you met women who got the money.
43:29You've met women who got money.
43:31What about those 92 lakh women
43:32who are not going to get the money?
43:34You meet them also.
43:35Go and ask them.
43:36Okay, I want to give a final word to you, Shaina,
43:41because there will be those
43:42who will say this was a bribe.
43:44This was effectively a bribe
43:45before the election
43:46because you were desperate
43:48to win that election at all costs
43:50because you had a setback in the Lok Sabha.
43:51You needed to win the assembly election.
43:53And as a result,
43:55without due diligence,
43:56you went ahead with a scheme.
43:57This has been flagged by the CAG.
43:59The same CAG
44:00which you used to use
44:01to target previous governments
44:03has today questioned your government.
44:07Rajseep,
44:08my leader,
44:08Eknayji Shinde,
44:09has always championed
44:11the cause of Latki Behance.
44:13He has given us dignity.
44:15And as I said,
44:16even as I speak
44:17on this Bari
44:18from Pandharpur in Faltan,
44:20there were so many women
44:21from Amravati,
44:23from Akola,
44:24from Jalna.
44:29Everyone who is eligible
44:31has got it.
44:32But if there are duplicate entries,
44:34if people are ineligible in age,
44:37if they have an income
44:38above 2.5 lakhs a year,
44:40or if they have four-wheelers,
44:42or if they have government employees...
44:44Why did you not think about this before?
44:46Because it takes due process.
44:48If you have a payback...
44:49Yeah, so the due process,
44:50man, you answered your question.
44:52It takes a due process,
44:53but you did not follow a due process.
44:56That's the problem.
44:57There were four months left.
44:58No, madam.
44:59No, madam.
45:00No due process.
45:01Okay, I'm going to leave it there.
45:02No due process.
45:03I think...
45:04I'm glad that you're not
45:05cleaning up the role.
45:06Let's be clear.
45:08Okay, let me leave it there.
45:09There's crosstalk now.
45:11Clyde Crastone,
45:12Shaina NCI,
45:13I appreciate you joining us.
45:14The Latki Bahit scheme
45:15under the scanner.
45:16Should cash handouts
45:18in election year be stopped?
45:19Shiva says,
45:20Prime Minister coined the term
45:22Revni culture,
45:23and now the BJP
45:24has also become the champion
45:25of handing out freebies
45:27before elections.
45:28All these promises of freebies
45:30by all political parties
45:31before elections
45:32must be stopped completely.
45:34Easier said than done.
45:35Apoorva Bora says,
45:37Yes, if the party in power
45:38wants to dole out freebies,
45:40it should be out of
45:40their own party funds.
45:42Good point.
45:42Wasting taxpayer money
45:44is a crime.
45:45Parag Hede says,
45:46In Goa,
45:47it was stopped
45:47due to discrepancy.
45:48It has started once again
45:49as elections
45:50are round the corner.
45:51Another user on Twitter
45:53says,
45:54Freebies like these
45:54are useless.
45:55Instead of handouts
45:56before elections,
45:57focus on real empowerment.
45:59What's my take on this?
46:00When elections
46:01had to be won
46:02in Maharashtra
46:03in 2024,
46:05due diligence
46:06was conveniently missing.
46:08Now that polls
46:09are over
46:09and state finances
46:10are under strain,
46:11the beneficiary list
46:12has been slashed.
46:13The real question
46:14though is this,
46:1514,000 crores
46:17was wrongly handed out
46:18is taxpayers' money,
46:19including some
46:20that went to men.
46:21Wouldn't that money
46:22have been far better spent
46:24on educating
46:25lacks of young girls
46:26and creating
46:27lasting opportunities
46:28rather than being used
46:30as an election time
46:32freebie
46:32to secure votes?
46:34Empowerment,
46:35my friends,
46:35comes through
46:36education and opportunity,
46:37not through cash
46:39handouts
46:40every election year.
46:42Think about it.
46:43To our ground report,
46:45they travelled to Vietnam
46:46carrying dreams
46:47of a memorable holiday.
46:48They are now
46:49returning home
46:50for one final farewell.
46:52Fifteen Indian tourists
46:53lost their lives
46:54after a speedboat
46:55capsized
46:55of Fuquok Island,
46:57leaving families
46:58across,
46:58particularly South India,
47:00devastated.
47:01As investigators probe
47:02what caused the tragedy,
47:04grieving families
47:05are left with questions
47:06that may never bring them
47:07peace or closure.
47:08Here is tonight's
47:10ground report.
47:15A journey meant
47:16to create memories
47:17leaves many in tears.
47:23On Saturday,
47:24a speedboat
47:25carrying 32 Indian tourists
47:27and four crew members
47:28capsized
47:29of Vietnam's
47:30southern island
47:31of Fuquok.
47:32The vessel,
47:33operated by
47:34Min Hu Fuquok
47:36Trading and Tourism
47:37Company Limited,
47:38was travelling
47:39from Hon Meirut
47:40to Anthoi Port,
47:42where it overturned
47:43barely 400 metres
47:44from shore.
47:47In just a few moments,
47:49fun and frolic
47:50gave way to panic
47:51and joy turned
47:52into heartbreak.
48:00Even before rescue teams
48:02arrived,
48:03local residents
48:03jumped into action,
48:05pulling survivors
48:06from the water
48:07and performing CPR
48:08in desperate attempts
48:10to save lives.
48:1315 Indian tourists
48:15lost their lives
48:16while several others
48:17were rescued.
48:20the victims are now
48:21on their final journey
48:22home.
48:26The tragedy
48:27has cast a shadow
48:28of grief
48:28across South India.
48:30Ten of the victims
48:31were from Tamil Nadu,
48:33three from Andhra Pradesh
48:34and two from Kerala.
48:39Homes that were waiting
48:41to welcome back
48:42loved ones
48:42are now preparing
48:44for funerals instead.
48:46The government of India
48:47is coordinating
48:48with Vietnamese authorities
48:49to bring the victims home.
48:55The family of Islamic
48:56is a wonderful
48:56we have to share
48:57the victims'
48:57experiences with
49:00the victims'
49:02victims.
49:03The victims had
49:04been warned
49:05and the victims'
49:05victims had
49:05been told
49:05of them.
49:06The victims'是
49:10victims' the
49:11victims'
49:22family
49:23and
49:24and
49:24the
49:24one
49:25right
49:28right
49:29and
49:29and
49:46What turned a routine tourist excursion into a deadly disaster?
49:53Investigators say the sea was rough, with strong waves battering the speedboat.
49:58They are also examining whether high-speed navigation, mechanical failure, overloading or inadequate safety equipment contributed to the accident.
50:10Vietnamese police have detained the boat's captain as investigations continue into possible safety lapses.
50:19The investigation will eventually reveal what causes the boat to capsize.
50:24But for the families left behind, no answer will be enough to heal their wounds.
50:30But Shivani Sharma, Bureau Report, India Today.
50:37And our thoughts and prayers with the families of the victims are to our Get Real India story.
50:43Last week, a fresh landslide in Wyanard has left seven people dead.
50:49Now it's reopened old wounds for the families who survived the disaster that took place in 2024.
50:56It was in the same Wyanard where there was another landslide.
51:00In that instance, while many have finally moved into new homes, many others remain in temporary shelters, waiting for the
51:08rehabilitation that was promised to them.
51:11Here's a reality check from Ground Zero by our correspondent Shibbi.
51:15Take a look.
51:29Here's a hint.
51:31I'm just wondering.
51:37Bye.
51:38Bye.
51:41Bye.
51:45In Vyanath, monsoon is no longer just a season.
51:49It is a painful reminder.
51:54Every dark cloud, every spell of heavy rain brings back memories of the day an entire
52:00hillside came crashing down.
52:05Nearly a year after Churalmala, Mundakai landslide, another landslide in nearby Kaladi has reopened
52:13wounds that never truly healed.
52:18The latest landslide was nowhere near the scale of last year's disaster which has left
52:23deep scars.
52:26The state government says rehabilitation of 2024 landslide survivors is progressing.
52:35A new township is coming up and families have slowly begun moving into them.
52:40But rebuilding walls is easier than rebuilding lives.
52:47Among those who have finally received a new home are Anish and Sayana.
52:54They had lost everything that mattered.
52:56their three sons, Anish's mother and his nephew.
53:02We all have all the families who are going to resist ourselves.
53:11We are seeing the same things that were going to be built in us, as they are not as well.
53:15We are doing the same things that we think we're going to bless ourselves, as if we are going to
53:21work from them.
53:21There's one thing that is usually going to pass on, because I'm not as busy as being sick.
53:27There's a lot of circumstances that are being very well.
53:27So, among others, there's no safety, even if you are not for us at the same time.
53:43For many others, that new beginning remains out of reach.
53:51Dozens of families continue to live in temporary government quarters, waiting for permanent homes.
53:57They say rehabilitation has slowed because of construction delays and repeated changes in officials overseeing the project.
54:37It's very clear that the victims of the 2024 Vyanat landslide are still rebuilding their lives together.
54:43And incidents like these are only coming back to remind them over and again of what they went through in
54:48the last two years.
54:49And at this point, what they need are actions to ensure that it doesn't get repeated beyond any promises.
54:56With video journalist Tinkuraj Shekhar, Shvimol Keji for India Today from Vyanat.
55:03Okay, let's leave you though with some happier news.
55:06And the happy news has been created by Indian women.
55:09While India's men have struggled against England, India's women created history by defeating England by 270 runs in their first
55:17ever women's test at Lourdes, chasing 457.
55:21England were bowled out for just 186.
55:24India then maintained their unbeaten record in women's tests in England with this landmark victory.
55:30Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar who watched the match and addressed the team before the final day's test.
55:36Final day's play was present to witness the memorable triumph.
55:39The stars including Kanti Gaut, young fast bowler who took seven wickets in the match.
55:46Smriti Bandana scored a 50 in each inning and Yastika Bhatia became the first Indian woman to score 100 at
55:54Lourdes.
55:55Well, if the men can't do it, the women can.
55:58As Harry Belafonte said,
55:59I say the women of the day are smarter and better than the men any day.
56:05Congratulations to the Indian women's team.
56:07Thanks for watching.
56:09You stay well, stay safe.
56:11Good night, Shubratri.
56:12Jayin.
56:13Namaskar.
56:17And when you look at this Indian...
56:19...
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