- 2 days ago
The big talking point on this episode of News Today is activist Sonam Wangchuk's protest and opposition leaders move to corner the government over paper leaks issue in the upcoming monsoon session of parliament.
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00:00Good evening, hello and welcome. You're with the news today, your prime time destination news, newsmakers, talking points tonight, a
00:06Friday night special.
00:07Our big talking point, fast protest rallies. Is competition now growing for the Gen Z vote and student anger over
00:17the Neat, Paper League and more?
00:19Also, who will win the big World Cup final, Argentina or Spain? And is Lionel Messi simply the greatest of
00:28all time? A football mini roundtable on the news today.
00:32But first, as always, it's time for the nine headlines at nine.
00:37The crucial contentious delimitation bill to be tabled once again in the monsoon session of parliament.
00:43Government sources say, except Congress and Samadwadi Party, all parties may support the new bill.
00:50Congress tries to convince DMK AAP to oppose the bill.
00:56During the upcoming monsoon session, a merger notification likely to be issued regarding the two Shibsena factions.
01:03TMC rebels who joined the Nationalist Citizenship Party of India may also get recognition.
01:12Activist Sonam Wangchuk's past enters its 20th day.
01:16He urges everyone to join a Sansaj Chalo protest march on July 20th.
01:21Congress reaches out to Wangchuk, even as Rahul Gandhi holds a rally in Deradoon over his Chhatro Ki Goonj agitation.
01:32Prime Minister Modi rains fire on the Maan government during his Punjab visit.
01:38Triggering off the BJP's Punjab campaign accuses AAP of lawlessness and drug menace in the state.
01:46Kejriwal hits back, says those looting Ram Mandir cannot preach honesty.
01:52Four people arrested for allegedly harassing a female BLO in Delhi.
01:57According to the police, all accused misbehaved abused her, with one of them signed a register on her lap despite
02:03objections.
02:06Government tightens rules for resignations and voluntary retirement at ISRO.
02:11After over 100 scientists, parts of missions like Gaganyan quit for the private sector.
02:19After India Today's interview with the parents of 11-year-old Vihon,
02:24the BMC orders a fresh inquiry into the case where the 11-year-old died after a tree fell on
02:30the school bus.
02:32Parents claim the report had failed to fix accountability.
02:37The United Kingdom all set to get a new Prime Minister.
02:40Andy Burnham, elected leader of the Labour Party, likely to take over from Keir Starmer on Monday.
02:48And the big cricket headline, third India vs. England ODI match on Sunday at Lodge,
02:53could be Rohit Sharma's last game.
02:56Sources say selector's not happy with his performance.
02:59He may be asked to retire after the England series.
03:07But let's turn to my top focus today.
03:10The opposition is turning on the heat on the Modi government ahead of the parliament session that begins on Monday
03:18over the issue of the neat paper leaks, the state of the examination system and youth issues in general.
03:26Rahul Gandhi, the opposition leader, today took his Chhatro ki Goonj agitation to Deradun,
03:33where he addressed a public rally targeting the Modi government, saying they were insensitive to the concerns of the youth.
03:41Meanwhile, social activist Sonam Vangchuk's fast on the issue of demanding the resignation of Education Minister Darmendra Pradhan
03:50entered its 20th day, with opposition leaders and celebrities meeting him, urging him to call off the fast.
03:58There is even now a rally and a protest march that is being planned by the Kokrut Janata Party and
04:05Vangchuk to parliament on Monday.
04:08The Modi government, though, says that it is completely in control of the situation.
04:12The neat exams have been held now successfully through a retest, and there is no real need to address the
04:19concerns of the protesters who they say are politically motivated.
04:24It's our top focus today.
04:28The battle for capturing the hearts and minds of Gen Z has intensified.
04:33In Deradun, Rahul Gandhi addressed a youth rally on Friday and targeted Narendra Modi government once again on the neat
04:41exam issue and paper leaks.
05:10Meanwhile, in Delhi's Jantar Mantar,
05:12activist Sonam Vangchuk's fast calling for the dismissal of Education Minister Darmendra Pradhan entered its 20th day.
05:20The Congress, which has chosen to stay away from endorsing the protest, unlike other opposition parties,
05:26finally reached out to Vangchuk after a meeting chaired by Sonia Gandhi cleared the move.
05:32The expression of solidarity comes a day after former Delhi Chief Minister Arban Kejriwal met the educationist.
06:05With parliamentary sessions starting on Monday,
06:07the neat exam issue is likely to resonate.
06:11The Cockroach Janata Party, which had organised a Jantar Mantar agitation,
06:15is planning a march to Parliament on Monday,
06:18with Vangchuk now a central figure.
06:33The NDA 2 met on Friday to formulate its parliamentary strategy.
06:38The BJP has dismissed Rahul Gandhi's agitation for education reforms.
07:06With the political battle lines drawn,
07:09The question is, how much longer will the neat issue remain centre stage or will it get lost in the
07:15din of competitive politics?
07:18Bureau Report, India Today.
07:21So let's raise the big questions.
07:24Is a competition now brewing for the Gen Z vote?
07:28Can the opposition capitalise on the youth anger or will these student protests now fizzle out?
07:36Is the Modi government unwilling to listen to the voices of protest at Jantar Mantar?
07:42And is Sonam Vangchuk emerging in a way as a face of these protests?
07:48Those are the big questions I want to raise.
07:50Joining me now, Sanju Varma, National Spokesperson BJP,
07:53Mohan Kumar Manglam, National Spokesperson Congress,
07:56and Somnath Bharti of the AMRB Party, former minister in the Delhi government.
08:01Good to have all of you on the show.
08:02Mohan Kumar Manglam,
08:03One of the defining images today was of a Congress leader, Pawan Khera,
08:07finally going to Jantar Mantar to meet Sonam Vangchuk.
08:11Until now, the Congress has been staying away.
08:13Rahul Gandhi's holding is, held his own rally today in Deradoon Chhatro Ki Goonj,
08:19saying, and congressmen saying, they are the first who took up this neat issue.
08:23How does one see it?
08:25Rahul Gandhi and the Congress,
08:27do they want to be ekla chalo re on this?
08:29Or do they want to align with Sonam Vangchuk and, dare I say, the Cockroach Janata Party now?
08:36Rajdeep ji, I don't think it's a question of alignment
08:38in terms of aligning forces at the Jantar Mantar,
08:42but more of adding strength to what the youth of the country is talking about already,
08:47which is the neat exam leaks, the unfair nature of the education system
08:52as it has developed over the years.
08:54So, as Mr. Gandhi has taken this up,
08:57and I would say that the neat issue is actually something that
09:00was brought to the fore in a very large way by our state of Tamil Nadu.
09:04I think we were the first to protest in a very large way about
09:07how the neat wasn't appropriate for us,
09:09and it was Mr. Gandhi and the Congress government
09:11that in the subsequent manifesto said that neat can be exempted
09:16for states like Tamil Nadu that already have a robust testing mechanism.
09:20So, the question of neat in itself is something that has been discussed
09:24and talked about for many years.
09:25Now, Mr. Gandhi has obviously broadened the debate.
09:27He's talking about the entire education system.
09:30He's talking about the need to remove it from where it's gone entirely,
09:35which is private hands.
09:36He made a stark comparison of the amount of money that parents spend
09:40on tuitions in order for neat
09:43and compared it to the entire education budget of the country.
09:46His larger point is that the budget that we allocate towards education,
09:50the public institutions that are designed to educate our youth
09:53are not doing their job.
09:55They need to be strengthened and they need to be widened.
09:57So, in that sense, we have similar objectives
10:00to what the corporate junta party is also talking about.
10:04And we believe that whether it is our youth wing,
10:06our students wing, or Mr. Gandhi himself leading the charge on this,
10:10we're adding strength to what they are asking for,
10:13which is similar to what we are also demanding.
10:18No, so are you making a distinction between Sonam Vangchuk
10:21and the Kaukruj Janta party?
10:23When I see Pawan Khera on the stage with Sonam Vangchuk,
10:26because all other opposition parties,
10:28Trinamul Congress, Samajwadi Party, Aam Admi Party,
10:32all had already gone on the stage over the last few days.
10:35The Congress was staying away.
10:36Are we seeing a change in strategy?
10:38We are told that it was Sonia Gandhi who was keen
10:41that the Congress reached out to Sonam Vangchuk.
10:44Is that true or not?
10:44Until now, you were staying away.
10:47Rajin Ji, I am not aware of whether Mrs. Gandhi intervened
10:50and expressed an interest that we do go.
10:53I think Mr. Venugopal himself tweeted a day ago,
10:56two days ago, saying that we were all concerned
10:58with Mr. Sonam Vangchuk's help
11:00and that we will continue this fight on his behalf
11:04and with him as long as he is healthy.
11:07And we encourage him to end his fast.
11:09This is exactly the line that Congress has taken.
11:11I think the Congress Janta Party itself wasn't keen on sharing stage
11:16with politicians from the opposition.
11:18And therefore, many of the parties stayed away from their protests in the past.
11:23Now they have started to welcome people from the opposition.
11:26So you've seen parties, including us, that have gone and actually,
11:29and most of them, most of all the opposition parties,
11:33haven't talked much about the demands that the Congress Janta Party is making,
11:38but rather have gone to try and persuade Mr. Vangchuk,
11:41who we believe has made incredible contributions to this country,
11:44to end his fast so that he can protect his health and his well-being.
11:51Okay. Sanju Verma, do you want to respond?
11:54Because the government has stayed silent.
11:56There's a parliament session starting in a few days from now.
11:59On Monday, the government so far has not reacted at all to these protests.
12:03Is that now going to change?
12:05Because you're seeing the crowds are gathering there.
12:07A lot of celebrities are asking Sonam Vangchuk to end his fast.
12:11The opposition is gathering around him.
12:13Have things changed or is the government very clear?
12:16Now that the NEET exams are done, the retest is done,
12:19we don't need to now address any issue.
12:21Dharmendra Pradhan is not going anywhere.
12:22No one is going to resign.
12:24We are not going to have any dialogue with any of these protesters.
12:28You know, Rajdeep, before speaking in the protests,
12:32I just want to point out the hypocrisy of the Congress Party.
12:35On the one hand, Rahul Gandhi says,
12:38I want to take out a protest, standing in solidarity with the youth
12:43and the youngsters and student community of India.
12:45But let's not fool ourselves.
12:47And I don't want to be interrupted when I'm saying this.
12:512012, when the chief minister of Haryana was a man called Bhupinder Singh Hudda,
12:57there were 29 paper leaks.
13:00Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Vajra ke moon mein dahi jam gya tha.
13:052012 again, when Prithviraj Chaban of the Congress Party
13:09was the chief minister of Maharashtra,
13:11there were 31 paper leaks.
13:14Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Vajra ke moon mein tabhihi dahi jam gya tha.
13:19And more recently, in 2022, under the very incompetent Ashok Gehlot,
13:26there were 24 paper leaks.
13:29Forget about taking any action against Vaibhav Gehlot,
13:32who was involved in the recruitment board scam.
13:35He's the son of Ashok Gehlot.
13:37Forget criticizing Ashok Gehlot.
13:39Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Vajra,
13:42tabhihi in ke moon mein dahi jam gya tha.
13:44So, for now, a very hypocritical Rahul Gandhi
13:49to suddenly develop empathy, compassion for students.
13:53Do you think people of this country
13:55can't see through the charade of Rahul Gandhi,
13:58who has more than 98 electoral losses under his place?
14:03What is the BJP stand?
14:05No, no, forget about what the Congress is not in power.
14:08Madam, what is the center stand?
14:10What is the center stand?
14:11Do they take these protesters seriously?
14:13Are they worried, concerned about a Sonam Vangshuk?
14:15Do they want to have any dialogue with the Kaukrut Janata Party?
14:19What is the BJP?
14:21What is the government stand?
14:23Yes.
14:24So, let me make one thing very, very clear.
14:27Bissent, D-I-S-S-E-N-T is allowed.
14:30But you need to separate D-I-S-S-E-N-T from D-E-S-C-E-N-T.
14:36What do I see during these protests?
14:39These so-called karta-dhartas of the student movement,
14:43stuffing themselves with samosas, bread, pakodas,
14:46and then having the audacity to say,
14:48hum chaathe hai ki Dharmendra Pradhan resign kare.
14:51Let me say one thing very clearly.
14:53Under Article 75 of the Constitution,
14:56whether Rajdeep, Mohan, Sanju Verma,
14:59or Somnath Bharti likes it or not,
15:01the decision on who will be inducted,
15:04who will be expelled,
15:06who will be removed,
15:07rests solely with the Prime Minister of this country
15:10and he is constitutionally mandated
15:12to decide what he will do with a cabinet minister.
15:16That is not going to be decided on prime time television.
15:19And the second point,
15:21second point,
15:22let me make one thing very clear.
15:24Who are the people who have come to this protest?
15:27A starlet called Swara Bhaskar
15:29who nobody cares about?
15:31Somebody called Yogendra Yadav
15:33who's competing with Rahul Gandhi
15:35in terms of how many times
15:36his electoral predictions have failed?
15:39BJP won Haryana for the third time.
15:43Yogendra Yadav is a favorite on your show.
15:46BJP won with a strike rate of 91%.
15:51Are these the kind of people
15:53who invent credibility?
15:54There is so much control.
15:56No credibility?
16:01Okay, you made your point.
16:04Madam, you're dismissing this entire agitation
16:07in that sense.
16:08You believe that there is no reason
16:09for anyone to listen to them
16:10or for anyone to,
16:12much less for someone to resign.
16:13But Somnath Bharti,
16:15what about the Aam Aatmi Party?
16:17Many of the organizers
16:18at some stage in the past
16:19like Abhijit Deepke of the Kokhrit Janta Party
16:21were once involved with Aap.
16:23Yesterday, we saw Arvind Kejriwal
16:24also go on the stage
16:26and ask Sonam Bangchuk to call off his fast.
16:28Is the Aam Aatmi Party hoping to ride on this?
16:31Because ironically,
16:33you were the ones who were part of Team Anna
16:35that eventually brought down,
16:37many believe, the UPA government.
16:39Are you hoping that the same thing
16:40will happen this time?
16:46Rajdeep, we are missing the whole point in the discussion.
16:49Mr. Bharti.
16:50The point is what Mr. Sonam Bangchuk's wife has said today.
16:54Can you hear me?
16:55Am I audible?
16:57Okay.
16:58So see, we need to understand
17:00what exactly is the issue out there.
17:02The issue is,
17:04education should become the center point
17:07of the parliament session and the discussion.
17:10The youth,
17:11the country should be worried about.
17:13The people who are sitting out there,
17:16they're not sitting out there for the sake of it.
17:19This is the 30th day of the protest
17:21and 20th day of the Sonam Bangchuk's hunger strike.
17:25So the government is missing out all at all,
17:27you know, everything.
17:29What, what Sanjurji is saying so far,
17:32she has not said a word on the accountability.
17:35See, if they're in the government,
17:37who will be accountable towards paper leakages?
17:40Then she will bring instances from the Congress government?
17:44Is that what she had,
17:45the BJP had come for in the power?
17:47See, we don't understand the point.
17:50The youth today is absolutely
17:54too angry towards the system.
17:56They're seeking accountability.
17:59They're seeking answers.
18:00Had they, let's say,
18:02on the very first day,
18:03when CJP,
18:04in fact,
18:05I'm very thankful to Honorable CGI,
18:08Mr. Surya Khan,
18:09for having used that word,
18:11Gokroj.
18:12Had he not used the word,
18:13this would not happen.
18:14You know,
18:15Bhagawan Sri Ram also
18:16blessed this entire movement
18:18across the nation,
18:19making people furious about BJP acts.
18:22So what I'm saying,
18:23that today,
18:24the government
18:25is not having
18:26any answer whatsoever.
18:28We all were away
18:30from the protest
18:31because we knew
18:33the moment a politician
18:35goes to the protest,
18:36BJP will get the golden chance
18:38to term it,
18:39a party's affair.
18:40And that is the issue
18:41we need to be discussing about.
18:43Let this parliament session,
18:45let the 20th of July,
18:47become a defining moment
18:48in the country.
18:49No, no, but now you've gone.
18:54Okay,
18:54but now all of you
18:55have joined the protest.
18:56It's interesting,
18:57you're saying initially
18:57you didn't want to join.
18:59I just want to draw.
19:00Rajneesh.
19:00No, I just...
19:01Rajneesh.
19:03Yes.
19:05Permit me.
19:06One minute.
19:06Let him complete.
19:07Complete Somnath.
19:08See, what I'm saying,
19:10initially...
19:10Yeah, please do.
19:11Initially,
19:11quickly.
19:12See,
19:13when they permitted,
19:15when, see,
19:15when students started
19:16gathering there
19:17at the Jantar Banter
19:19and when it was joined
19:20by Sonam Bangchukji,
19:22the whole mission,
19:24the entire country
19:25was looking towards
19:26that will the government
19:28be at all interested
19:29in the youth of the country?
19:30Will the government
19:31be at all interested
19:32in the education
19:32of the youth or not?
19:35Unfortunately,
19:36government
19:37does not give a damn
19:38towards these things.
19:39Why?
19:40You know why?
19:41Because they're too much.
19:42They have...
19:43They're too much
19:45good to stick.
19:46They think
19:47they can win elections
19:48come what may
19:49because
19:50Ghanesh Kumar is with them
19:52because they are...
19:53They have all the paraphernalia
19:55to win election over.
19:57They're no longer
19:58seeking votes.
19:59Give me one speech,
20:00Mr. Modi,
20:02where he's saying
20:02that I want...
20:04I'll provide
20:05world-class education
20:06to the country.
20:07Give me vote.
20:08Not one single speech.
20:11Oh, okay.
20:12I've heard...
20:13I've heard both...
20:14I've heard all of you
20:15for a moment.
20:15Shanju Varma,
20:16just a minute.
20:16I want to just draw...
20:18You know,
20:18it's very interesting.
20:19You can draw a difference
20:19between the Anna protests
20:21of 2011 and 2026.
20:22How do the protests differ?
20:24Anna fast was over
20:25the wider topic
20:26of corruption
20:27and demand
20:27for a Lokpal law legislation.
20:29The Wangchuk fast
20:30or the fast
20:31of the students
20:32at the moment
20:32has a narrow focus
20:33on the education
20:34minister's ouster.
20:36No party associated
20:37openly with Anna fast
20:39although the BJP RSS
20:40pulled the strings
20:41from the back.
20:42opposition parties
20:44have declared support
20:45for Wangchuk
20:45pretty openly
20:47gone on the stage
20:48with him.
20:48During Anna's fast,
20:50the Manmohan government
20:50was ready to engage
20:52with them.
20:53The Modi government
20:54unwilling to engage
20:55with the protesters.
20:56Anna's second fast
20:57ended in 13 days.
20:59Wangchuk's fast
20:59is into 20 days
21:01and is still on.
21:03Sanju Varma,
21:04are you in a way
21:07underestimating
21:07the power of this
21:08Gen Z vote
21:09or the youth?
21:10There is youth anger.
21:11Forget paper leaks.
21:12There is a general sense
21:13what is our future?
21:14Economic uncertainty.
21:16Will we get jobs,
21:17livelihoods, incomes?
21:18Why not reach out
21:20to these youth?
21:21Surely the government
21:22should be engaging
21:24in dialogue
21:25with protesters.
21:26Why not engage
21:27with them?
21:28Why treat them
21:28as anti-nationals
21:29or desh drohis?
21:32Let me make
21:32one thing very clear.
21:34You will not put words
21:35into my mouth.
21:36I have not called
21:37anyone desh drohi
21:38but the limited
21:40point is this.
21:41You have two people
21:42from the opposition
21:42need to address
21:44Mr. Bharti's allegations.
21:45You know,
21:46it's very rich
21:47of Mr. Bharti
21:48with no offense
21:49to him to sit
21:49on your show
21:50and tell BJP
21:51this or Modi
21:52that.
21:54The party
21:55in 2022
21:56promised
21:57thousand rupees
21:58per month
21:59to every woman
22:00above the age
22:01of 18 in Punjab.
22:03They said
22:04they said
22:05we will give
22:06permanent land rights
22:07to more than
22:0835 farmers
22:09in Punjab.
22:11It's already
22:12happening in Punjab.
22:13What is he saying?
22:14Can I finish?
22:15Can I finish?
22:16I did not
22:16heckle him.
22:17Now you have to stop me.
22:18One minute Mr. Bharti.
22:19No, no.
22:20No, but why are you
22:20not answering
22:21my question?
22:22Every time I ask
22:22you a question
22:23you talk about
22:24another party.
22:25Why this
22:26water boundary?
22:27Answer my question.
22:28Does the government
22:29underestimate
22:29the anger
22:30of the youth?
22:32Rajdeep,
22:33what I don't
22:34like is
22:34when Mr. Bharti
22:35was speaking
22:35and he was
22:36going all over
22:37the place
22:37making reckless
22:38allegations
22:38and BJP
22:39you were quiet.
22:40The moment
22:40I start speaking
22:41you are the one
22:42who engages
22:43in water boundary.
22:44I will say
22:44what I want
22:45to say.
22:46Let me have
22:46my say please.
22:47Thank you
22:47Mr. Season
22:48General.
22:49Yes.
22:50Yes.
22:51Sabse bada
22:52waiida.
22:53Kya tha
22:53Ardhin Kejriwal ka?
22:54The Kejriwal
22:55model is the
22:56disaster.
22:57Ham Punjab
22:57ko
22:58nasha mukt
22:59drug mukt
23:00karenge.
23:01I have the
23:01latest statistics.
23:0387.3%
23:05of all
23:06drug related
23:07deaths
23:08come from
23:08where?
23:09Punjab.
23:1091.2%
23:12of all
23:12drug related
23:13deaths
23:13below the
23:14age of
23:1417 years
23:15come from
23:16where?
23:17Punjab.
23:18Overall
23:1996.4%
23:21of all
23:22drug related
23:23cases
23:23emanate
23:24from
23:24Punjab.
23:29I am
23:30asking you
23:31about a
23:32BJP stand
23:32you are
23:33telling me
23:33what the
23:34Aam Agbi
23:34Party has
23:35not done.
23:35Madam
23:36Madam
23:37Madam
23:37you answer
23:40my question
23:41directly.
23:42Does this
23:43government
23:43appreciate that
23:45there could be
23:45anger and
23:46anxiety among
23:47the youth?
23:47Quick straight
23:48answer.
23:49Forget about
23:49AAP and
23:50Congress.
23:50They are not
23:50in power in
23:51No no no
23:52Mr.
23:53Bharati do
23:54not intervene
23:54please.
23:55I need to
23:55respond.
23:56Okay.
23:57Okay.
23:57I will let
23:58you respond
23:58at the end
23:58but let
23:59her.
23:59Okay.
24:00Let her
24:01yeah please
24:02finish.
24:03I am happy
24:04to see that
24:04you are not
24:05saying shut
24:06down the
24:06freedom of
24:07Somnath
24:07Bharti because
24:08you are
24:08quick to do
24:08that to
24:09Sanju
24:09Varma.
24:10Now let
24:10me say
24:10this.
24:11Since
24:11you read
24:12out two
24:12lines
24:12of
24:13Hindi.
24:13Madam
24:13please
24:13now.
24:14Let me
24:16finish.
24:17Let's not
24:18get into
24:18this
24:18I don't
24:19want to
24:20do that.
24:21We
24:22know
24:22what
24:22is
24:51what
24:53is
25:15good argument good good strong argument you have given hand miss
25:22sanju varma i've got the drift of your argument let mohan kumar manglam respond while we talk of
25:27gen z gen z anger anxiety sanju varma says look at elections in the last two years the beat i'll
25:34let you respond at the end but mohan kumar manglam the argument being made is we are winning
25:39elections gen z is with us is what she says let me first say that i'm constantly amazed by
25:47sanju ji's pattern there's vitriol there's what about ray there's demeaning everybody under the
25:53sun except her own party and then there is the fake victimhood with you which comes out
25:57once in a while uh now let me say that i think she's got it entirely wrong yes you're winning
26:05elections and i'm not going to go into how you're winning elections but the fact that you've won an
26:10election and the fact that you have an elected prime minister makes you responsible to listen
26:15to the voices of your citizens by saying that they're not dissidents but they have descended
26:21to some level lower by ridiculing them and saying that they are beating samosa i mean you want
26:26everybody there in the in the protest will that be will that be sufficient cause for your government
26:34to actually engage and listen to the voice of people you are shying away from saying they're
26:40anti-national but you know this is exactly the modus operandi you used when the olympic winning
26:45wrestlers were in protest i am just happy you haven't sent the police force out there yet to beat
26:50them up in some sort of midnight coup that you did with the wrestlers as well
26:54how often can you rely on saying that oh we have electoral victories so we don't really need to listen
27:02to anybody else's voice out there we feel like we represent the entire voice of the nation
27:07right you don't it's a first past the post system you got 33 34 percent of the vote and you
27:12won
27:1260 plus percent of the nation still wants you to hear from them because you are their prime minister
27:18you run the government now i think i want to come back to education we have a stacked legislative
27:23agenda in parliament i thought we were going to talk about that in this debate actually
27:26and even though need and nta has failed so spectacularly by not being able to carry out exams without
27:33the number of leagues and pre-trials that they've had they actually have a bill similar to this
27:37called the vixen rx shiksha bill that they're bringing in parliament this time which seeks to
27:42actually assert powers from ugc aicte ncte and give overwhelming powers all of it to this one body
27:50there's no grant giving council so now politicians will decide who gets grants and who doesn't
27:55in fact the iit's iams and nits might also be subject to them because the bill says that it
28:01usurps powers from all underneath laws and there's no consultation again again it's typical of bjb this
28:08is the vixen bharak basically centralized power centralized money and operate everything with impunity
28:14and then when things go wrong abdicate on responsibility because hey we're winning elections right so who cares
28:22okay okay okay so okay that's a that's a strong point again i want to give somnath bharati a word
28:27somnath bharati you said and this is a final word you wanted to challenge sanju varma what is your
28:33challenge what is the basis of the challenge she says our mt party has no local standard to target us
28:39look at how you've handled punjab
28:41i was laughing when i was listening to sanju varma she was speaking lies after lies after lies
28:52she follows the practices adopted by on the world prime minister mr modi
28:58what's the lie what's the lie what's the lie the problem is put her voice down what's the lie
29:04the lie is we started be started what's the lie no i mean the boomer in punjab have been getting
29:13that's what i'm saying so the so the monthly scheme for the boomer in punjab i mean that's
29:18happening ask any any boomer in punjab see see she's big lie on your channel number two
29:24b punjab became the first state in india see while gujarat 30 000 crore worth drugs were
29:34offloaded at the port in gujarat and in punjab we have been the first government in the history
29:41of india where we have recovered you know all the drugs combined possibly by the first governments
29:49all the governments and recently in 2025 this is the ncrp data ncb data that says we recovered two
29:58tons of heroin in 2025 only which is 58 percent of all heroines seized in india so what i'm saying
30:07the arm of the party's education policy which is based on five things world class government
30:13school infrastructure high quality teacher training student centered curriculum you know
30:19happiness curriculum entrepreneur entrepreneurship curriculum deshbhakti curriculum strong parental
30:25participation we have the first government which has got government schools doing parent teacher
30:31meeting and the making you all say these no no excel my way beyond the private i i mr mr
30:38sovnath barthi
30:39so what i'm saying the real issue of course is that there is genuine
30:48education at the end of the day needs to be center stage we want education and education related
30:53issues to be politically central state the question of course is and this is a final point i want no
30:59no one minute mr bharti is a fast the right way to protest give me a quick answer is the
31:04there will
31:05be those who say so uh sonam vangchuk by going on a fast cannot expect the government governments will
31:11not bend because sonam vangchuk goes on fast give me a quick answer to that why should government bend
31:16they are the primary he is the prime minister of the country and it's the government he decides
31:21according to sanju varma who will be the minister he will not decide you cannot decide who will be the
31:27education minister of the country he says sir we see the government has to be accountable to the
31:36people of india as per the constitution of india the accountability of the government is towards
31:41the people people have gathered there because the government failed in giving the qualitative
31:46education in giving the paper league free environment 20 students have committed suicide
31:53somebody somebody child is gone somebody child is gone see pehle unne pehlegaam mein maange suni ki
31:58ab goch suni kiya harry kya kya suni karo ge government is duty bound to listen to the request of
32:06the people
32:06sonam vangchuk is all right in his demand makes education as the fulcrum of the democracy in india and
32:14the discussion in the parliament 20th july let's all gather in delhi thank you very much i invite people
32:21okay gather in delhi choke delhi you have two people from the opposition can you please be fair
32:27give me i'm going to leave it last 30 seconds please i've heard two people i'm going to leave it
32:34there
32:3520 seconds 20 seconds 20 seconds 20 seconds yes take it in 20 seconds i will just say this
32:45rahul gandhi has failed the congress party again and again and again he's like that bad
32:50product which needs to be taken which needs to be taken off the shelf
32:53is here something substantial to say about the debate
32:55i mean i mean again it's okay okay i've heard you have already attacked rahul gandhi several times
33:05on this program you've attacked rahul gandhi you've made your point but i have
33:18okay i've heard i've heard you all okay my take on the issue the politics that has exploded
33:25over sonam wangchuk's fast and students protest should come as no surprise with a parliament
33:32session due next week the political battle lines are clearly being drawn but beyond the polarized
33:39politics there is a larger issue of how to deal with such protests from anna hazare to sonam wangchuk
33:47india has a proud tradition of peaceful gandhi and protest governments need not agree with every
33:54demand of the protesters but they weaken democracy if they respond with silence excessive force or
34:01treating dissenters as simply a law and order problem student movements and citizen movements
34:07have often been catalysts for democratic change in this country a nation that has celebrated dissent
34:14in the past cannot criminalize or ignore it in the present resignation of any minister may not
34:22resolve the issue of poorly conducted exams but surely ignoring the genuine concerns of many of the
34:30protests raises the larger question of democratic accountability that simply cannot be brushed aside
34:39so easily think about it okay on
34:52argentina versus spain
35:01flair versus tiki taka
35:14will spanish armada derail comeback kings will messi create more magic
35:36who will win the world cup
35:44world cup round table
35:52okay with all eyes then on the grand football final joining us now on this very special football
35:58round table kareem ben sharifa leading coach who's coached teams in india and across the world including
36:05mohan bhagan here in india ranjit bajaj owner minerva punjab football club sidhant ane journalist and host at 420 grams
36:16podcast and nikhil nas consulting editor sports today good to have all of you on the show and i'm going
36:22to raise the big questions on the football round table my first big question is lionel messi the greatest footballer
36:31of all time is that question now a settled question
36:36nikhil nas do you want to take a crack at that right at the very outset can we now safely
36:41say third world cup final
36:43already won one and won every crown that there is in the world sport of football is he at 39
36:48the greatest ever footballer the world has seen dare i say the greatest sports person the world has seen
36:55right we trust you not to beat around the bush and catch the bull by it's on straight up you've
37:00asked that the very difficult question i must confess that my love for football started because of diego maradona from
37:0686 as well as 90 and he was my first love in football and i thought nobody could really surpass
37:12the skill and the goals and the charisma that uh that diego maradona had but i have to concede now
37:19i think numbers speak for themselves what lionel messi has been able to achieve i think he will go down
37:25in history as the greatest to have played the sport maradona had his peak uh and when he was boy
37:30when he was at his peak i think he was untouchable but that peak didn't last very long 86 i
37:35think was the nadir uh his time at napoli was outstanding taking
37:38a club that had really not won anything from south of italy uh to glory in italy as well and
37:44and in europe as well uh but i think leonel messi since he was a young 17 year old till
37:50now when he's 39 years of uh age you know i'm a barcelona fan so i've seen him week in
37:55week out and then from there on to do it at the international stage now just look at it he
38:00already holds the record now for playing the third final uh in his career only matched by kafu no other
38:06player not even the great pele made it to the three final
38:08because remember 62 he was injured in that final he's played those three finals i'm just going to quickly show
38:14you one particular stat and i'm just going to read that one stat uh rajdeep and that will put things
38:19uh you know beyond doubt before leonel messi really peaked most goals in football world cup mirosav close most assists
38:28diego maradona most goal contributions pele most dribbles diego maradona most chances created diego maradona most goal contributions in the
38:36knockout pele most player of the match
38:57so it's a combination of all those greats that i just mentioned
39:06well there you have a barcelona argentina and messi fan in nikhil nas is it pretty clear and the numbers
39:14that uh nikhil has put out uh clearly suggest that there is no comparison i mean i grew up uh
39:21with a pele poster in my house then i saw maradona at his best and he was a great character
39:26and now there's messi who perhaps is he the greatest of them all
39:33well i guess i mean nikhil lined up the stats uh rajdeep so i think it's one of those discussions
39:39that
39:39uh i guess keeps uh keeps the sport going keeps the sport alive and keeps debates like these
39:45around the sport alive as well uh for those of us who you know make our livings out of uh
39:51having those
39:51kind of conversations uh i think in a sense i mean for neutrals uh comparison is a bit of a
39:58joy killer
39:58uh that's my favorite uh line these days uh i i i don't think there's a goat as far as
40:07the sport of
40:07football is concerned i think and i don't kareem and others uh whether they agree or not but uh it's
40:12a team
40:12sport and of course there are some individuals that transcend teams and transcend national
40:17and club uh loyalty and things like that but but uh it takes a unit to to win at football
40:24and and i
40:24think uh rajdeep as someone who's very deeply connected with cricket you'll uh you'll appreciate
40:29that no one player alone can sort of uh take a team uh beyond a certain point uh so i
40:35don't want to get
40:36into the gold debate i think there's a certain young player uh who we'll see of course tomorrow in the
40:41final there's one who went out in the semi-final who will down the road uh take over many of
40:46those
40:46records that messi has now set because he's got two world cups you know still to play at least
40:51hopefully so so records change records fall uh new heroes are created uh and that's all i have to
40:59say okay good debate so you want to get out of the goat debate in a way but kareem benchy
41:07has that goat debate been settled before the world cup there were still those who thought cristiano
41:12ronaldo just for the fact he scored so many goals won so many ballon doors is perhaps arguably with
41:18messi on the same pedestal but messi now seems to be in a league of his own and even perhaps
41:23higher
41:24than the great diego maradona would you agree what he's done at 39 is just incredible
41:30it's difficult to disagree rajdeep uh you know we we have some grades in football maradona is one of
41:37them we live with his uh his goals and his uh magic uh cristiano ronaldo was for a long time
41:46uh neck to neck with the messi pel├й who won three world cup uh but i think the messi have
41:55raised the
41:56bar because he had won anything available in international football whether individual awards
42:04or team awards i tend to disagree uh about the fact that uh we we know that football is a
42:12team
42:13sports but i think maradona when he won the world cup in 86 i think he he won the impact
42:21of maradona
42:22on that world cup was was amazing and messi the way he's carrying this argentina team it's just
42:30amazing you especially the the game against the game against uh in the semi-final uh against england
42:37uh messi tend to disappear but when he when he starts his engine especially at the end of the game
42:45he's unstoppable uh messi is the assists messi is the goals uh and i think i do think with this
42:54generation of argentina which is not one of the greats uh the impact of messi is huge and uh
43:02what what we can add rajdeep is we are talking about a player who didn't retire yet so he's still
43:08we we don't know when he he's still he's still doing great in mls he's still uh doing great at
43:15the
43:15level of the world cup where all the best are there so um i think uh messi slowly closing that
43:22debate
43:22to be at the moment the greatest player uh ever
43:30you know you're you're saying at the moment and i think that's significant ranjeet bajaj you want
43:34to dive into this messi versus maradona versus pelle or beck and bar or any of the greats of the
43:40past
43:40or do you believe that debate is now settled in this world cup first of all thank you so much
43:46for
43:46having me rajdeep right now if you can see my face i'm reporting from sweden gothenburg where we are
43:51here for the world junior world cup with an indian team just entered the semi-finals which is going
43:55to be another 20 minutes but a big high to kareem and sidana and obviously nikil uh with the stats
44:02nikil so my favorite two quotes come in here the only two things in life results and reasons and
44:07reasons don't count and the second one is trophies speak louder than words it's being simple as that
44:12and both those comes you i think the um debate has been settled but if he wins it if he
44:20wins actually
44:20goes out and wins the world cup he puts the full stop and drops the mic there is no one
44:25who's going
44:25to be able to match his record um and i kind of disagree with um uh aneg because uh when
44:32he said
44:33that yeah it's a team game yes it's a team game and he cannot do it but the team the
44:37it's about
44:37individual stars football is all about stars and so is cricket by the way it's all about stars if there
44:43was nothing it wouldn't be that popular it was no doni it's all about stars yes if they combine with
44:48the
44:48team but it's all about the stars and with messi coming in i think it's now become like a play
44:55you
44:56know it's a living god he's like a living god he's not dead yet whereas maladona is now a saint
45:02he's actually regarded as a saint there so messi will never be a saint in the same somehow in the
45:08same league even if he wins four world cups at maladona because he was the first i'm not talking about
45:13myself i'm talking about what the feeling in argentina is uh here suppose somebody wins misses
45:19a penalty you're dead i mean you are mentally dead in a world cup he did it twice and both
45:25those
45:25matches he's the one who made made a difference after that and then in the he just had to believe
45:31any player who can make the other players better in the match is a great legend and very few players
45:39can actually change the match on their own that means he can be silent for the entire match he can
45:44have a moment of brilliance why do you call them legends because they can individually win new
45:49matches individual brilliance and that is something which is required in every sport even if it's a
45:56team game because without stars there'll be nobody following us nobody following football or in or
46:01cricket or any other sport and with this i put my neck out i don't know if you're going to
46:06ask the
46:06question um they've not come this far to come that far they've used something known as opposite
46:13psychology where they've used rage rage and anger because rage and anger are the only things which
46:19are in your body where you don't think about yourself it's a very primal thing so that means
46:23you're only thinking about survival so if you saw the uh banner held up by messi and his teammates
46:29they talked about falcon islands which is few kilometers from argentina but england somehow
46:33claims it like they claimed us the same way they talk about maradona and then they talk about messi
46:38so they're going to do it for these three things so suppose that's like india saying we're going to
46:42do it for kashmir in the world cup that's the kind of passion he's bringing up with there
46:49you know it's fascinating to look at the way lionel messi uh has become this talisman of
46:55the argentinian team uh which brings us of course to the question who wins the world cup that's the
47:01second big question is it argentina versus spain nikhil as you saw some of our guests seem to
47:07believe and many of the analysts seem to be this is not a great argentinian team this is a very
47:11very
47:11good spanish team in particular and they outclass the french who are the favorites in the semi-final
47:17so stick your neck out to our second question argentina or spain who's the more likely to win
47:25well you know if you if you uh did a match simulation rajdeep i think uh nine times out
47:31of ten uh it would be spain that would come out on tops versus argentina but remember
47:35that's match simulation matches are completely different i think the same result you could
47:40have expected when argentina were taking on england and i remember in the build-up to that match
47:44i heard many english pundits argue that listen we have the better team man to man you know we have
47:50the speed we have players playing in the top leagues argentina has none of that what does argentina
47:55have they keep talking about mentality mentality is mentality going to win you the games guess what
47:59that's exactly what we saw in that game it was mentality that won them the game i'd say the same
48:04thing spain going is the favorite they hold all the aces but i think it's that mentality and as
48:09ranjeet also mentioned they have not reached this far just to make up the numbers and i'll also you know
48:14put up an argument argument about argentina and how they've gotten lucky now remember yes they are not
48:20the same team that they were four years ago a lot of those players have aged you clearly see
48:24that but you know what this is where the footballing acumen comes in they've realized
48:28that they can't be the team that can be the attacking team more often than not take a look at
48:33the
48:33last world cup they would be leading right they would be leading uh against the netherlands
48:38netherlands would make a comeback right because they were younger they were aggressive they would
48:42back play like that and then the opposition would make a comeback they did the same versus france in
48:47the final they were more brash more aggressive they would lead and then the opposition would make
48:52the comeback they very well know where they are now they can't be that same team that's why they
48:57play that gritty football that's why they play that defensive football what you saw versus egypt
49:02it's not that they can't play aggressive football but they are i think a bit more
49:06who are you going with they stay back i mean you know they stay back and then
49:10are you going the goal is really needed argentina i mean it's a it's a it's a tough one you're
49:15not
49:15answering my question argentina or spain okay i'll answer the question and i'll give you the reason
49:20why i think i'm going with spain and i'll tell you why because from argentina to beat most teams they
49:26have to make a messy game out of it by messy i mean the messy with a y i'm afraid
49:31versus spain it will not
49:32happen because there is a genuine respect between both players there are a lot of atletico madrid
49:36players there are a lot of barcelona players that play there they respect messy i think argentina
49:41wouldn't be as charged up as they were with england the falkland war so on and so forth and that
49:46got
49:46the best out of argentina i think a nicer argentina will turn up for the final and that will be
49:51to their
49:51detriment exactly you're right karim ben charifa do you i i mean the belief is that spain has the method
50:00spain has the possession football but argentina have the individual stars not just messi
50:05but there are the likes of julian alvarez there are you know they have the ability to score from
50:11anywhere so who are you picking for the world cup final are you going with spain or argentina
50:18ranjit had said something very interesting is when we saw the winning goal against england
50:23it's the craft and the design of mercy so i would say tomorrow there is two stars there is
50:31messi of course and there is young lamin yamal these are the for me the only the only really above
50:40the
50:40the rest spain have it's like the the green tower versus the the style and the class spain have a
50:49younger squad dynamic midfield they have collective organization they play beautiful collective football
50:57but again argentina have that resilience and the pressure have that positive aggressivity in the
51:03game and i'm i'm afraid if they go towards that physical game uh they will have slight advantage over
51:12spain uh they have also the winning mentality uh they never give up despite losing by two or three
51:20whatever as long as the the referee didn't whistle they they are still in the game and they have that
51:27uh that professional uh streetwise football with uh but i still go with spain because i i i want to
51:37believe
51:37that uh spain was showed that they are the better team with some stars over there uh and it will
51:45be
51:45very very very interesting game and don't forget also argentina have the messy factor
51:53now going for argentina because of the mentality we planned a third question but we'll do that on
51:59another day which is why is india not a great footballing nation but the focus at the moment is
52:05on this world cup on the final the world is watching nikhil naz let me give you therefore
52:10a final final word what has this world cup meant is this will this be ranked as one of the
52:17great world
52:17cups of our time with all the drama taking place over referees over var's controversies and that big
52:23controversy that the world cup is being rigged for messi and argentina can we put all those controversies
52:28aside as we enjoy the final is that going to be possible at all
52:34i think for that argument i think the ones that argue uh that that the world cup is rigged for
52:39x
52:39team or y team i think they don't watch enough of football i've said it before if you watch football
52:45and at any level if you watch any football i can't think of a single game that you know after
52:49the game
52:50is done you don't argue with your friends that oh we got robbed and this was a penalty and that
52:54was a
52:54penalty it will always remain like that so that's part and parcel of the game i'm not going to go
52:58down
52:59that road this world cup will also be remembered for some other controversies as we saw president
53:04trump uh you know interfering in in overturning a red card i don't think that's the right way
53:09the way certain teams were dealt with especially iran uh you had a referee that was denied a visa
53:14i think those are the controversy we must remember uh it's very easy for the first world to point
53:19fingers when it is towards the third world when they get a world cup that x is wrong y is
53:23wrong
53:23i luckily covered both the world cups that happened in the so-called third world in south africa
53:28and qatar on ground and they were outstanding in in the way they organize things well done to usa
53:33canada and mexico to have done it as well but i think they also left a lot to be desired
53:38so i think
53:39you know what this world cup i will remember for you got 48 teams i was a bit of a
53:43skeptic saying 48 won't
53:45work i really like this you really open the doors for plenty more teams i think you can really have
53:50even a bigger world cup going forward that for me is the biggest positive
53:57okay i'm going to leave it there we could go on and on uh because it's been fascinating to
54:02get up late in the night at 2 30 a.m in the morning then again get up at 6
54:0730 a.m in the morning
54:08and watch football it is the beautiful game and it is uh the legend of messi that could only get
54:15stronger perhaps come sunday night or who knows lamin yamal will show nothing to be a young teenage
54:23superstar in fact that photograph of messi fondling a very young little baby yamal will to my mind tell
54:30you life story how things can change over the years whoever wins let's hope that we have a glorious game
54:37of football to all my guests thank you so much for joining us on this football mini round table thanks
54:44for watching stay well stay safe jay him namaskar
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