In this week's edition of Editors' Roundtable, our panel of language editors dive deep into the most pressing issues nationwide. Join us as we unravel these complex issues and their broader implications. In this episode, we delve into the alarming assault on women journalists by Congress supporters in Telangana, a disturbing incident that raises questions about press freedom. We also explore actor Vijay's increasing involvement in politics and what it means for Tamil Nadu's political landscape, alongside a closer look at the recent cabinet shuffle by the Tamil Nadu government. Additionally, we cover Rahul Gandhi's visit to Srinagar and its political implications, as well as the rising commercial value of Indian Olympians, highlighting their growing influence beyond the sports arena. Tune in for an in-depth analysis of these crucial developments.Pankaj Mishra speaks to a host of Oneindia editors.
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#EditorsRoundtable #PoliticalDebate #IndiaNews #CurrentAffairs #Election2024 #CongressViolence #PressFreedom #Telangana #ActorVijay #TamilNaduPolitics #RahulGandhi #SrinagarVisi #IndianOlympians #SportsInfluence #CabinetShuffle
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NewsTranscript
00:00Hello and welcome to this yet another brand new episode of Editors Roundtable where the
00:05editors of One India from almost all the billboards of India join you to bring you up to speed with
00:11what transpired in the week and what is possibly going to dominate the coming week beginning with
00:17Veera Kumar from One India Tamil. Veera, we saw visuals and all kind of support for
00:25Thalapathy Vijay and his political activity, political foray also has found a new meaning.
00:32What does it mean for politics down south in Tamil Nadu and do you think it is going to have
00:39that desired impact? Yes, Pankaj, it means a lot. Even though the general elections are two years
00:47away, we are suddenly seeing a surge in activity, particularly with the launch of the Tamil Nadu
00:54Vekki Kalagam by actor Vijay. The recent unveiling of party flag at his Chennai office
01:00has certainly shaken things up. Now as Vijay plans the party's first political major conference,
01:09locations like Vikravanti, Salem, Coimbatore are under consideration,
01:14though no date or venue has been finalized yet. Historically, we have seen political parties led
01:20by superstar actors achieve remarkable success in Tamil Nadu. MGR with AADMK, Vijayakanth with
01:28DMDK. But it's also true that actors like Kamal Haasan, Sivaji Ganesan didn't perform well. So
01:37the Tamil Nadu political landscape is geared up actually and a vast actor with a dedicated fan
01:46base, his entry could significantly shift the political dynamics. And even if the IPKI contest
01:52alone, this party could become a kingmaker if he manages to secure just 10% of vote. In Tamil
02:00Nadu, no party other than DMK or AADMK has accomplished this much of vote share without
02:06an alliance. This raises a critical point actually. DMK's vote share, vote bank will be affected by
02:14Vijay's entry. This is the epic center of it. Such a palpable effect. We have seen them. You're right,
02:23Veera, that lots of politicos have come from Tamil film industry. And they have done very well,
02:32as you rightly mentioned, MGR. Kamal Haasan, yes, one exception, I would say, he keeps testing
02:38waters, but then he backs out also time again. So Vijay, we wish him the very best. And as you
02:45said, impact on DMK vote bank. Well, that is a big dent that he can do. DMK being in power,
02:51some cabinet reshuffle also there in Tamil Nadu governance. What is it? What is the reason behind
02:59it, Veera? Yes, yes, yes. There is a connection between the Vijay and the cabinet shuffle news
03:04spreading across. The news about the DMK cabinet reshuffle certainly created a lot of buzz,
03:10especially with the timing, considering with the actor Vijay's flag unveiling event.
03:15The reports from various channels stir up the expectation. But Chief Minister Stalin later
03:20clarified that no such reshuffle is happening at the moment. But this has led to a lot of
03:28speculation and criticism, with some suggesting that the whole episode was a deliberate move to
03:34divert attention from Vijay's program. Many, many saying the DMK shaken up because of Vijay's entry.
03:41As I told you earlier, if he gets just a 10 percentage of vote share, it will be a game
03:46changer. So what's clear is that DMK, particularly with Udayanidhi Stalin's hesitation to take on the
03:52deputy chief minister role, is not in a hurry to expand the cabinet. But the rumor always spread
03:58at all. Well, clearly it looks like it is going to be, you know, active next week that you are
04:08looking at, because with the kind of fan base and the kind of probable palpable impact of Vijay
04:16joining politics and DMK trying to, you know, somewhere run for cover in itself must have set
04:24the ball rolling in Tamil Nadu. Thank you so much, Veera. We wish you a very good weekend. Thank you
04:30so much for joining. Well, as there is a saying that, Kharbooja ko dekhe, Kharbooja rang badalta hai in Hindi.
04:36Maybe Keshav will help us to, you know, get the English version of it. But that comes to my mind.
04:42The high-handed approach of the new government, the Congress government in Telangana, it seems
04:49is getting out of hand. Please help us understand what happened
04:53there in Telangana with allegedly Congress goons beating women journalists, manhandling them.
05:01Good evening to one and all there. Yeah. So it is a very sad incident, of course, for the journalist
05:06community. These attacks have been generally linked to the common public. We can see it like
05:14party-wise. This has happened in Andhra Pradesh like a couple of weeks back. We have discussed
05:20about this. But now this has turned in Telangana. So here, what is to be noticed is that
05:29this incident, this particular incident, took place in CM's own village, that is Ponnaridhi
05:34Palli, Raven 3D's own village. So what two women journalists, you know, that they have gone to
05:42cover like how this farm loan, how the farmers have been treated or have they really received
05:49as the government was telling that, I mean, they were boasting that many farmers have received this
05:56farm loan in Ponnaridhi Palli. So they just went to cover that. So first they thought of getting
06:03the feedback from the farmers belonging to Raven 3D's own village, Ponnaridhi Palli.
06:09So there, when they went out there, Congress people, first they thought they were the villagers,
06:13but later on, when the inquiry has happened, they came into like that. The people who have
06:21harassed the women journalists, physically assaulted them, they threw them into the mud,
06:25they have snatched away their cameras and broke their phones and all. So they were all,
06:31they belonged to Congress party. So this, today the opposition leader KTR,
06:40former minister KTR, he came out very strong. He had actually met the DGP saying that
06:47Congress goons have actually going on to the journalists also. But here what we need to
06:53understand here is, during KCR's tenure also, journalists were not given that freedom.
07:02Journalists were attacked, I mean, they were stopped telecasting news and all. So now the
07:06same, at that point of time, actually Congress was, actually they stood with the journalist
07:13community. But today now the same thing is happening. As of now, five people were actually
07:21even the complaint was forwarded to Women's Commission of Telangana. So she, Women's
07:27Commission also acted strongly and they have actually asked the district SP to give more
07:35details about this. All right. You're right. And that's why I said that, you know, Congress,
07:44unlike previously, not known to be unfriendly with the journalists, now maybe taking some
07:50cue from the previous government, possibly in Telangana, is now using a high-handed approach
07:55with the journalists. Kanhaiya, thank you so much. We wish you very best for the weekend. I'm sure
08:00it's going to be hectic once again, because now maybe there's, in that part of the country,
08:05there is no elections. But, you know, when we talk about J&K, when we talk about West Bengal,
08:11for that matter, the developments do keep us busy. Thank you so much, Kanhaiya, from One India
08:17Telecom. West Bengal, which has been dominating the headlines, although for all the bad reasons,
08:22all the wrong reasons, Ritesh, the dust won't settle very soon there at the RGK hospital.
08:29And what has happened, well, Mamata Banerjee, the police, the Nexus, everything that is coming up,
08:38any further clarity have we got from the family's side, whether at least now after such media
08:46coverage, have they found any closure so far? Thank you, Banerjee. The family has opened up
08:55to the media on several occasions, and their version still remains the same. They are alleging
09:02that police has done nothing. The CM spoke with them. The CM called in the CP's phone and the CP
09:09handed over the phone to the parent and CM spoke with the parent. And police has said the first
09:18time when police has approached to the parents of the victim, that police has called them and
09:26said the daughter is no more. That is the main thing they're focusing on. Why police has said
09:33that something has happened in that manner. And before that, they had to wait for three hours
09:44to see the victim's body. That is also their alleging. And parallel is that before the
09:50cremation, there was three bodies are there in the line. So there is a rush, there is a hurry
09:56to cremate the body. That is also their questioning. There's something they're suspecting.
10:02Hurriedly the post-mortem was done and it was a rushed thing that suddenly the cremation was
10:11also done. Because there are three bodies were lined up in the crematorium room.
10:18So these are the things that they are actually questioning. And the three calls and that night,
10:24they are mentioning every time they spoke to the media. That the first call came at 10th
10:3253 p.m. that night, an assistant super somebody called and that person told that
10:40your daughter is ill, please come to the hospital. And after that, there was a call
10:46that somebody called and told that she died by suicide. And the third call came immediately after
10:54and they were asking them to when, how fast you can come to the hospital.
11:00That is what the parents are saying. So that three crucial calls they got that day. And after that,
11:07they had to wait for almost three hours to see the victim's body, their daughter's body that
11:12were lying in that third floor of the hospital. So, Pankaj ji, after 14 days, that incident had
11:21happened. There are questions that are still remain the same. What actually had happened that night?
11:30Interrogating people, CBI questioning people. And the question remains the same that how many
11:36people are involved? Who are the other people except that accused Sanjay Roy? Who are the other
11:44people involved in that case? What is the role of that ex-principal Sandeep Ghosh in that case?
11:51What the other fellow colleagues did they know about anything about that particular night? That
11:58is also a question that parents ask. They're saying that the victim was working in the
12:05chest medicine department. It is unreal that not a single person come out and spoke about
12:11that day. Because their colleague, they were working with that girl, that victim for so long.
12:18And it is very unreal that nobody has come up to say anything about that night.
12:24So, these are the questions remain same and CBI is also investigating that conspiracy angle.
12:33Did that girl come to know about something happening illegal and protested? That's why
12:39she lost the life. That is also an angle CBI is investigating. That's why CBI is
12:46going for polygraph test of six persons that Sanjay Ghosh, the prime accused,
12:51ex-principal Sandeep Ghosh and four other, the doctors are there, the health
12:59staffs are there, who are there in the hospital. So, this is how CBI is more
13:05on to that conspiracy angle, how that murder happened, rape and murder happened.
13:11Absolutely, absolutely, Ritesh. Very shocking. And the worst part here is, you know,
13:17not at the cost of sounding prophetic or, you know, giving some sort of lecture, but
13:25when incidents like these happen, we, in general, are very insensitive. And we suddenly,
13:33those three phone calls that you're talking about for any parent, it will be so disheartening and,
13:41you know, sad to know that three different versions are coming. What is exactly going to
13:46happen? So, how do people suddenly, who are the friends, who are the colleagues, suddenly change
13:53and her own colleagues not speaking up, although CBI will leave no stone unturned, especially,
14:00you know, with a central agency probing such a high profile case. I remember the case of
14:07the one that happened in Noida, Arushi Talwar murder case. And that till date remains a mystery,
14:17that what exactly happened, who exactly killed Arushi Talwar. But hoping that it does not
14:23meet the same fate, we would definitely connect with you. Ritesh, thank you so much for joining
14:29us and bringing us up to speed. For the benefit of our viewers, we'll tell you that on our
14:33website and on YouTube, on OneIndia, you can find our special presentation on
14:41hashtag speak up for Shakti. And we chose this name, especially keeping the Durga Puja, which
14:47is upcoming in Kolkata and rest of the part of the country also, where we idealize, where we
14:55offer our obeisance to Shakti, Durga. And now that we have a case also putting us in the spot.
15:04Thank you so much, Ritesh, for speaking to us. Manu Bhakar, Neeraj Chopra and Vinesh Kogat, all
15:12of them did wonders for us in Olympics, came back. And now, this morning, I read that their
15:21commercial value, the amount that they take for signing any endorsement has gone up. How does it
15:28work? And any parity between cricketers and the rest of the sports person? Well, that is still
15:36miles away. I mean, you cannot match in terms of popularity, in terms of money making. Cricket is
15:43still, when it comes to reigning in the Moolah, who cricket rules the roost, that's the common
15:51saying in India. And everybody sort of connects pretty easily with cricketers. But the way these
15:59athletes have performed for us at the Olympics, last week, we were there at the ground zero when
16:07Vinesh Kogat received that hero's welcome. We saw something which we haven't seen in the past. And
16:17sometimes you got to feel for Vinesh that she was actually, I mean, she definitely,
16:27that the medal was stolen away from her. Obviously, the onus also lied on her shoulders,
16:34because that's what the court of arbitration sports had also mentioned in their 27-page verdict,
16:41which came a couple of days back. So, but the sentiments from which they were out there,
16:47everybody was emotional, the chants of Vinesh Kogat Dandabad, Vinesh Kogat Aage Vadho,
16:54Hum Tumhare Saath Hai, which also means that Vinesh Kogat, we might see Vinesh Kogat entering
17:00into politics very soon with the Haryana elections. The poll has already been sounded. So,
17:11it's a wait and watch game. But if you speak to people who are very close to and keep a close eye
17:18on the developments and know how an athlete in the part of Haryana, I mean, how their political
17:28inclinations are. So, Vinesh, you might definitely see some contesting on national party
17:37tickets. And yes, as far as her endorsement value is concerned, before the Tokyo Olympics,
17:45the Paris Olympics, it was around 25 lakhs per endorsement, and which we now are hearing that
17:53it has shot to 1 crore plus or 75 lakhs to 1 crore. It's in that range. Manu Bandar,
18:0122-year-old Jhajjar girl who won a couple of medals, both bronze and shooting. We've seen
18:07her doing a lot of endorsements. In fact, she has even shot a commercial for Thums Up. So,
18:15we see non-cricketers shooting ads for a soft drink brand like Coca-Cola because
18:23Thums Up is a Coca-Cola property. So, this is a massive boost jump for Manu Bandar as well.
18:32She will also be commanding around 50 to 75 lakhs, maybe in excess of a crore for endorsement.
18:40And Neeraj Chopra, he is the golden boy of Indian athletics. He represents India
18:49internationally, just like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, or Jasprit Bumrah does.
18:56So, even his brand endorsement value after the second Olympic medal, that too a silver,
19:05we have seen him getting a lot of extra endorsements and his market value in terms
19:12of endorsement is going to be increased. If not more, then it will definitely be
19:19in excess of 2 crores or 3 crores. 3 to 4 crores is what we can hear him commanding.
19:26So, good news for Indian athletes. Obviously, it all boils down to how you perform at
19:33Olympics. And let's not forget, because of the Olympics, which catches the maximum eyeball,
19:41and because the entire nation sort of starts talking about you, you are the toast of the
19:49nation as of now. So, definitely. But it will be interesting to see whether they will be able to
19:58reinstate these endorsements four years down the line, which we generally see with the cricketers.
20:04The endorsement value keeps on increasing many folds when it comes to cricket and cricketers.
20:13Right, absolutely. And we just wish that it's not just the cricketer who will be
20:19going laughing away to the bank, but also other sportspersons too should be at least be able to
20:27give justice to the effort that they put in. Thank you so much, Avinash, for speaking to us.
20:32And we will definitely meet you next week. And before that, the exclusives that Avinash
20:39and his team brings, you can always read them and watch them on MyKale.com. Right, Avinash?
20:45Yeah.
20:46Absolutely. Thank you so much. Have a good one. Mr. Modi is in Ukraine making a whirlwind tour
20:53from Poland to Kiev as we speak. What does it mean first of all for India? And most importantly,
20:59what does it mean for Russia and Ukraine?
21:02Thank you, Pankaj. Definitely, Prime Minister Modi's visit to Ukraine is being looked at very
21:09critically, not only by the Indians or Indian diaspora, if any in Ukraine now. But it is,
21:19I mean, it holds very high importance, though a small country Ukraine, but its geopolitical
21:26importance has risen rapidly in the recent time. And I believe, from my limited understanding about
21:36such subjects, that China, Russia, and the US as well, along with the European countries
21:47must be looking very, you know, interestingly, to the developments going around in the Kiev right
21:54now. This tour is also very important, when you put it in a context like, this is the first time
22:04an Indian Prime Minister is visiting Ukraine. And that too, merely after one and a half months,
22:12when PM Modi visited to Russia. And at that time, Zelensky had criticized it heavily.
22:24So, Prime Minister Modi is trying to build a narrative across the globe or and trying to,
22:32you know, specify India's stand when it comes to the war or when it comes to sealing the, you know,
22:39diplomatic and international ties. At one side, India has been maintaining the ties with
22:46Darussala, which has been, you know, a long standing ties for over a century, you can
22:52call it now. Yes, nearly a century. But Ukraine is also a reliable, you know, partner when it
23:01comes to pharmaceuticals, some of the different productions, as well as agriculture, the huge
23:08exporter of wheat, all these things would be seen in a perspective. At the same time,
23:15when it was asked by one of the, you know, external affairs, ministry officer.
23:24Some, I am just not able to recall his name, I think Tanmay Law or something,
23:28there is a senior official in the department. He categorically said that India is up to, you know,
23:35play the important role in the rehabilitation of Ukraine. So, it is again, a testimony of India's,
23:47you know, rising strength at the global stage, which Prime Minister Modi has always
23:56vowsed for in last one decade. Absolutely, Keshav, absolutely, because you're right,
24:04the seeds of this visit, albeit, there was some criticism from the Ukrainian side were
24:10not just shown at the time when Prime Minister Modi had visited Russia, but even prior to that,
24:16if we can go back, when India hosted G20, followed by Prime Minister's two visits to
24:21United States. And that was the time when the messaging was clear that India will have to or
24:27might play the role of an emissary. And this time around from US to Russia, and now to Ukraine,
24:32it will be very interesting to see what does Prime Minister Modi bring back? And what does
24:37he apprise the nation and the world? Well, finally, some respite there from the election heat,
24:45Rahul Gandhi was seen enjoying a very ice cream. Yes, very delicious ice cream as we
24:52are reporters followed it later that day. Well, Kashmir election, so all important Congress trying
25:00to latch on with its India Alliance partner National Conference. How do you see the cookie
25:06crumbling there, Keshav, in Jammu and Kashmir? Yes, Pankaj. So first, I would ask a question,
25:12was the ice cream equally delicious five years back during the 370 era? I don't think so.
25:22Abrogation of 370 definitely has boosted a sense of security in the valley as well.
25:29And, you know, as the rest of the country looking at the Kashmiri affairs now,
25:36is better aligned with the rest of India. I don't know what has changed geographically,
25:45or in terms of, you know, the administratively, but of course, a sense of ownership, a sense of
25:51belongingness, and as well as a sense of security has got improved. And that is very much evident
26:01when Rahul Gandhi, you know, roams freely in the valley, goes all the places, any time of the day.
26:10But when we look at typically from the electoral lenses,
26:18the situation in the valley definitely demands for a collision.
26:24The kind of, you know, equation, the various regional political outfits are having out there,
26:33and in the rest of India, or in the forms of the bigger political parties like BJP and the Congress.
26:42See, to be very honest, I don't see BJP has much relevance in the valley. Of course, it has got
26:50some strength in Jammu, and it is quite capable of pulling it on its own few seats of Jammu.
27:00But Kashmir, it will, of course, a struggle. But what amazes me is the Gupkar declaration.
27:09Remember, five years back, they have signed a declaration at the residence
27:14of the former Chief Minister, Arun Kapoor at the Gupkar road of Srinagar, that unless the state
27:23could be re-invoked, they are not going to participate in any election. Okay, but
27:30come at the elections, everything is settled. Now they are fighting for the power.
27:35At the same time, I would say if National Conference and PDP comes together,
27:42it would have been a formidable alliance and they could have beaten any political forces
27:49in Jammu and Kashmir. But that is not looking possible at this point in time.
27:56You have seen a heavy exodus in PDP, the party men are leaving the Muftis and
28:05marching towards the Abdullahs, a sign of rising popularity of the Abdullah clan in the
28:13Kashmir valley. Rahul's visit has given a hint that definitely the Grand Old Party of India is
28:21trying to seal a deal with at least one of the biggest parties in Kashmir. What is even more
28:33interesting is BJP bringing back Ram Madhav in an important electoral role for Jammu and Kashmir.
28:44Let us not forget that Ram Madhav has been very, very instrumental in bringing PDP and the BJP
28:53together in Kashmir 10 years back. And even after the demise of the senior Mufti,
29:04he helped a smooth transition of the power. But after that, Ram Madhav was somewhere in the
29:13background, nothing was there to be heard about in his role. Suddenly coming together, I don't see
29:23a direct alliance between the BJP and the PDP right now. But definitely from the back end,
29:32they may work together, because if they seal an alliance, both the parties will face a difficult
29:42situation. But if they're working together in the back end, and as much strength the PDP gives,
29:53that much damage can be done to the other side. And I think this is a strategy BJP has been
30:00employing for a long time in the difficult days. Right, absolutely. This thing will be quite
30:08interesting to watch out for what comes out from the valley. Right, Keshav, right.
30:14PDP and BJP have had alliances before also. And that did not last long. But whether Congress and
30:23National Conference could come up with something at the state level, only to cement their India
30:28alliance further remains to be seen. Nonetheless, I mean, it was a delight to see Rahul Gandhi
30:34enjoying the ice cream. Yeah. And the joy that it brought. Thanks to Narendra Modi.
30:41Thanks to Narendra Modi. That's what many are saying that now you are able to go at
30:46Lal Chowk and have an ice cream. Yeah. Nonetheless, thank you so much, Keshav, for always
30:52bringing us up to speed with the latest. We bid you goodbye here. And thanks to our viewers also
30:57for tuning in. We'll be back next week with all the developments of the coming week. Stay tuned.
31:02Stay safe.