- 5/29/2025
Several senior Congress leaders have publicly criticised Shashi Tharoor for praising Operation Sindoor and accusing him of acting as a BJP mouthpiece.
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00:00Good evening, you're watching Super 6 on India Today.
00:02I'm Akshita Nandikopala.
00:04Over the next one hour, we'll be rounding up all of the day's top stories.
00:08But our focus in this edition of Super 6 of the next 30 minutes
00:12is on what's playing out in the Congress.
00:15Ugly mudslinging that's taking place between Shashi Tharoor
00:18and several of his colleagues, some of the senior most Congress leaders
00:22calling out Tharoor, accusing him of praising the Modi government,
00:27and particularly over his comment on the 2016 surgical strike.
00:31We're going to be breaking down for you how we've been seeing this back and forth
00:34and what Tharoor has to say about all of these questions
00:38that have been posed at him, thrown at him by his own colleagues within the Congress.
00:43What's been playing out for the last many months behind closed doors in the Congress
00:48is now out in full public view.
00:50An intense war of words has erupted within the Congress party.
00:54Congress leaders, one after another on social media, are now targeting Shashi Tharoor,
01:00accusing him of being a mouthpiece for the BJP, even calling him super spokesperson of the BJP.
01:06What's this about?
01:07Well, the reason they've been targeting Tharoor is Shashi Tharoor,
01:10a member part of that global delegation,
01:12made a comment about the 2016 surgical strike, calling it one of its kind.
01:16And so the Congress has been reminding Tharoor of previous such strikes and hitting out at the Congress MP.
01:24So a fight within the party that's playing out in full public view.
01:28Details first in our report.
01:30The rift between Congress leaders and their MP, Shashi Tharoor, is escalating.
01:38Tharoor is now being labelled, modified by members of his own party
01:42over his statements abroad about 2016 surgical strikes.
01:46The Uri strike in September 2015, that was already something we had not done before.
01:55Even during the Kargil war, we had not crossed the line of control.
01:59In Uri we did.
02:01Then came the attack in Pulwama in January 2019.
02:06This time we crossed not only the line of control,
02:09we crossed the international border and we struck the terrorist headquarters in Balakot.
02:14Congress leaders are demanding a public apology,
02:18with some even suggesting that Tharoor could be suspended from the party.
02:23Will this be the case for the party or punitive action will be taken against Dr. Tharoor?
02:31Will he take his words back to his publicly?
02:34Is action now something which will happen if he doesn't take back his words?
02:39Because he's also saying that he doesn't have the time for all of this.
02:44See, and...
02:47See,
02:49I will say one thing that I will give you this statement and give us a statement that it has been forgotten.
02:57We will write in English, confusing English and jargon.
03:03We are also in Zenu.
03:05We want to confuse them.
03:07We want to confuse them.
03:08We want to write what means.
03:10It is a simple thing.
03:12What they have said is wrong.
03:15They should have to know.
03:17It is just the matter here.
03:19The rest of the high command will make decisions.
03:23They will communicate with the people.
03:26But Tharoor is standing his ground.
03:29In a post on Platform X, he launched a scathing rebuttal,
03:33clarifying that his recent remarks were preceded by a reference to several terror attacks in recent years.
03:40He noted that earlier Indian responses were both constrained and restrained, respecting the line of control.
03:46Meanwhile, Congress leader Pawan Kheda kept the feud going.
03:51On X, he posted a highlighted excerpt from Tharoor's 2018 book, The Paradoxical Prime Minister,
03:58in which Tharoor had praised the Congress-led UPA for conducting surgical strikes with restraint without politicizing them.
04:06For now, Congress leaders say they fully support the party high command if it decides to consider Tharoor's suspension.
04:13Dr. Tharoor has already clarified today that he did not mean that no action has been taken in the past.
04:19The BJP always tries to divide. They won't succeed here. Let them try.
04:25Meanwhile, Jairam Ramesh slammed the government for not answering opposition's questions on Pahelgaam terror attack.
04:32But his choice of words faced criticism.
04:34The war of criticism the anti-war is still in the past.
04:41There are many anti-war attacks.
04:44The anti-war attacks have been held in the past in 18 months.
04:48We are still here and there.
04:49Our anti-war attacks are still here and anti-war attacks are still here.
04:53The BJP has backed Tharoor's India first official surgical strike claim, citing a 2017 response
05:20from the Army's Directorate General of Military Operations to a PTI query, which stated that
05:26there was no records of surgical strikes before September 29th, 2016.
05:32As the war of words intensifies, Shashi Tharoor's future in Congress Party is now under a cloud.
05:39With Mawasami Singh, Bureau Report, India Today.
05:44Okay, let me bring in now on this broadcast, Rajdeep Sardesaios joining us live from Mumbai.
05:49Rajdeep, good evening.
05:51You know, before we talk about how we've been seeing this playing out rather ugly, full
05:55public view in the Congress, I want to understand from you, Rajdeep, what you think of what Mr.
06:00Tharoor said.
06:01Do you think he crossed a Lakshman Rekha that warranted, you know, Congress leaders coming
06:04out and targeting him the last 24 hours?
06:08Look, Akshita, the fact is that Shashi Tharoor is a man of words.
06:14He's also, I would say, one of the few public intellectuals that we have at the moment in
06:20national politics.
06:22I think when Shashi Tharoor says that, and he's clarified that when he referred to surgical
06:28strikes of 2016 and that we've actually struck across the LOC for the first time, he's tried
06:35to make the distinction between the wars of 65 and 71 and the specific operations that took place
06:41in 2016 after Uri, 2019 after Pulwama, and then, of course, now in 2025.
06:50But I think the real messaging that's going on, Akshita, it's not in the words, it's not
06:57in the wordplay.
06:58It's the fact that Shashi Tharoor wants to retain his relevance in national politics at
07:04a time when he's been marginalized by his own party, both nationally at Kerala, and the
07:10Congress party wants to establish its authority, both in Kerala and at the national level.
07:16So that really is the shadow boxing that's going on.
07:20I actually think it's a storm in a teacup.
07:22Shashi Tharoor is going nowhere, trust me.
07:26Neither is the Congress in any mood to suspend him or ask him to leave, as your story seems
07:32to suggest.
07:33This is classically, Akshita, the communication channels and the conflict management within the
07:40Congress systems out of power has broken down.
07:43And because of the lack of communication, because there is no conflict management process,
07:48every comment that Shashi Tharoor makes invites a reaction from some Congress person or the
07:54other.
07:55And as a result, there's a lot of noise, which was only embarrassing the Congress further
08:00at a time when it doesn't mean this kind of embarrassment.
08:04So Rajdeep, you know, you're suggesting that Tharoor isn't going anywhere.
08:07Then what is the messaging he's attempting to send across every single time when he praises
08:12the Prime Minister?
08:13He's done it repeatedly.
08:15You know, there's been a lot of controversy over it, essentially.
08:19But it's not stopped him from continuing to make these comments.
08:22If he's not attempting to get close to the BJP or attempting to really leave the Congress
08:27red-faced, what is his attempt here?
08:29Why is he constantly doing it, Rajdeep, in your view?
08:32To retain his relevance.
08:35Shashi Tharoor wants to retain his relevance as a sort of India spokesperson.
08:41Not a party spokesperson, but an India spokesperson on foreign affairs.
08:46That's the role.
08:46You know, he would be happier, I think, being India's ambassador to the United States at
08:50this moment, than being a member of parliament sitting in the Lok Sabha.
08:54Just look at what Dr. Tharoor said and your story reflected that.
08:57In his book, Paradoxical Prime Minister, in 2018, he says, the shameless exploitation
09:02of the 2016 surgical strikes along the line of control with Pakistan as a party election
09:09tool, something that the Congress had never done, despite having authorized several strikes
09:14earlier, marks a particularly disgraceful dilution of the principle that national security
09:20issues require both discretion and non-partisanship.
09:23What are we to understand?
09:24So, Shashi Tharoor said one thing in 2018, one thing in 2025.
09:29Naturally, the Congress has every reason, therefore, to question him.
09:32But I think Dr. Tharoor wants to rise above the din of Congress versus BJP and establish
09:40himself as the India spokesperson at this moment, thereby retaining his political relevance.
09:47I am told he has already made it clear to some of his friends he's not going to contest
09:51a Lok Sabha election again.
09:53So, come 2029, he won't contest from Thiruvananthapuram.
09:57That gives him four years.
09:59He wants to use these next four years to establish his relevance in national politics.
10:05And certainly, as long as the Kerala elections are there next year, he will have one eye on
10:09that in the hope that if circumstances so turn out, maybe he will be seen as a face of the
10:15Congress.
10:15Having said that, I think that's very unlikely now that the Congress will project Tharoor
10:20as its face for Kerala.
10:21But this is about Shashi Tharoor battling for relevance and the Congress high command trying
10:26to establish its authority.
10:28And the result is rather unseemly, as we have seen.
10:32No, but Rajdeep, you did say Congress has every right to, you know, respond to Tharoor.
10:37But do you think the manner in which they're doing it is correct?
10:40The fact that you have some senior Congress leaders calling out Tharoor on social media,
10:45it kind of sends across a message that the high command has no control, that you've got
10:49this fight playing out of full public view on social media for everyone to see.
10:53Absolutely, and that's the point I made at the very outset, Akshay, the fact is Congress's
10:59communication systems and conflict management or conflict resolution mechanisms have broken
11:05down.
11:06So therefore, it's a free, it's a free for all.
11:09One day Ujit Raj can say something, one day some other leader from Kerala will say something
11:14else, and there is no control.
11:16And dare I say there are Congress leaders, all you have to do is put a mic in front of them
11:21and they may well say something contentious.
11:24I call it the anization of political journalism.
11:28Someone comes in, says something, it becomes a controversy, and the Congress doesn't even
11:32have the capacity anymore to control it.
11:35Because when your high command is weakened, then that makes it that much more difficult
11:41to control the narrative.
11:43I can tell you for a fact that Salman Khurshid, for example, who's gone on this delegation
11:49was among those who said, look, I don't need to go, I will first take clearance from the
11:53Congress's high command.
11:54But there were others who said, even if the Congress's high command doesn't allow me to
11:59go, I'm going.
12:00Now, that would have never happened 20 years ago.
12:02So, today the high command possibly doesn't have the same control over any of their major
12:10leaders, and therefore it's become a bit of a free-for-all.
12:14And that embarrasses the Congress party and again sends out the wrong signals.
12:18That's true.
12:18And the strategy, perhaps, of the Congress's high command to simply look the other way
12:22doesn't seem to be really doing the party any favours.
12:25Thank you very much, Rajdeep, as always, for joining us here on Super 6 with your perspective
12:29on all that's playing out right now in the Congress camp.
12:32Now, let's tell you the exact sequence of events here.
12:35How did this happen?
12:37What triggered it and how did the Congress respond?
12:40It started with Tarur speaking as part of that global delegation, speaking about the 2016
12:47surgical strike, which he referred to as a first of its kind and hailing it, essentially
12:53hailing not so much the government, but speaking of India's action against Pakistan.
12:57Now, it's over this comment that the Congress has lashed out.
13:01Congress has, in fact, gone ahead and rather publicly rebuked Tarur.
13:06You had Udhud Raj starting it, calling Tarur super spokesperson of the BJP.
13:10Pawan Khera, Jayaram Ramesh, two extremely senior Congress leaders then actually endorsed
13:15Udhud Raj's comment.
13:17That's what sparked off questions about whether the Congress leadership also now is miffed with
13:22Tarur.
13:23But right after that, Shashi Tarur took to social media, put out a long post where he
13:28hit back at his critics saying, look, I was referring to the 2016 surgical strikes as being
13:33an incident that really set a precedent against Pakistan.
13:37He also said, I have better things to do than to respond to these critics.
13:41Pawan Khera, senior Congress leader, right after Tarur put out that clarification, shared
13:46an excerpt from Tarur's book, the paradoxical prime minister to taunt him, saying, I agree
13:52with Mr. Tarur.
13:53What did he agree on?
13:54He agreed essentially on that excerpt from Tarur's book where he called out the BJP, accusing
13:59them of politicizing the 2016 surgical strikes.
14:03But what's happening within the Congress camp right now?
14:05I want to bring in Moshmi Singh on this broadcast, who's been tracking the latest that's coming
14:10in from the Congress right now.
14:12Moshmi, has the high command stepped in?
14:15Have they intervened?
14:16Have they joust this fire that's been playing out on social media?
14:19Or are we going to be seeing more toms, barbs, jibes playing out?
14:23The thing is that, you know, this has been growing for some time now.
14:35The meltdown after Shashi Tarur actually contested the Congress President's election.
14:41So we're just going to fix that connection with you and then come back to you.
14:45Give me a couple of minutes.
14:46We'll come back to you.
14:47In the meanwhile, let me just put the spotlight on how Shashi Tarur's Congress journey,
14:52particularly in the last 10 years or so, has been rather controversial.
14:57Let's begin from 2014.
14:59That's when you had Shashi Tarur being removed as the Congress spokesperson.
15:03Why?
15:03Because in an article, he had praised Prime Minister Modi, referring to Modi as an avatar
15:09of modernity and progress.
15:11He was pulled up by the high command.
15:13The leadership even removed him as a spokesperson.
15:15At that point, when this action had taken place, Shashi Tarur had accepted the action taken
15:20by the high command, but also defended himself, saying, no, I did not praise outrightly Prime
15:26Minister Modi.
15:26Then in 2022, remember that there was a group called G23, senior Congress leaders who called
15:32for organizational changes after a string of losses for the Congress.
15:37Shashi Tarur was part of that grouping.
15:39But mind you, many of the Congress leaders who are part of this group left the party, saying,
15:44we wanted change.
15:45It didn't happen.
15:46Shashi Tarur remains in the party.
15:48Many would say he's remained three years on, completely sidelined.
15:51It was in the very same year after the G23 pushed for change that you had Congress President
15:58elections also taking place.
16:00Malikar Junkarge was, of course, the chosen one from the Gandhis.
16:04So he got overwhelming support.
16:05But interestingly, Shashi Tarur also contested that election.
16:09And many believe that it was here that the Gandhis kind of saw red, did not like the fact
16:14that he chose to contest against Malikar Junkarge and the fact that he got over 1,000 votes
16:18despite having no approval from the Gandhis.
16:21There was no stamp of approval for him.
16:23The Gandhis clearly chose Malikar Junkarge.
16:25Despite that, the fact that he got 1,000 votes did speak volumes of the fact that Shashi
16:30Tarur enjoys a certain popularity within the Congress party.
16:34That didn't bode well for him, though, within the party, as the leadership was clearly miffed.
16:40Many reports have suggested that even post that, when Shashi Tarur has sought additional
16:43responsibility, when he's met with Rahul Gandhi to even seek a role in Kerala Congress,
16:48all of that was outrightly shot down.
16:51But listen in to Congress's Udit Raj.
16:54He's been the most vocal, perhaps, against Shashi Tarur.
16:58He's repeatedly demanded that Tarur apologize for his 2016 surgical strike remark.
17:02Here's an excerpt of his conversation with Preethi Chowdhury.
17:07You're saying that Dr. Tarur has become a psychophant of the Prime Minister and the BJP.
17:13First question.
17:14Is this the personal view of Mr. Udit Raj or is this view now shared by a political party?
17:19See, forget about personal view or party view.
17:29I have laid down certain facts.
17:33What is concluded out of that facts?
17:40That when Mr. Trump humiliated our Prime Minister, then he also stood.
17:45And at the time of Pahal Gama, in the case of Pahal Gama also, he tried to defend that.
17:50Of course, security left is a routine thing.
17:52Whereas this area was an area of special watch.
17:57Where was the police?
17:58Where was the BSF?
18:01What does it say?
18:03That you are a psychophant?
18:05Sir, I have to ask one question.
18:08Is this a long time for punitive action will be taken against Dr. Tarur?
18:15Will he take his words back to his words?
18:18Is action now something which will happen if he doesn't take back his words?
18:23Because he is also saying that he doesn't have the time for all of this.
18:26See, I will say one thing.
18:56He has said that he has said that he is wrong.
18:59To have to admit that he is wrong.
19:01It is just the matter that ends here.
19:03The rest of the high command will make decisions, what will happen?
19:07He will communicate with you.
19:09He will tell you.
19:12He will tell you.
19:15Now, let's run you through several leaders who were part of the Congress and then quit the party.
19:20We're not suggesting at any point that Shashita Roor is about to do that because he has a number of options.
19:25And as you heard from Rajdeep earlier, it does look unlikely that at this point, Tarur is going to quit the party.
19:31But there have been several other senior leaders who have chosen to take that step, saying we've given up on attempting to change how things work in the Congress.
19:40Jyothi Raditya Cynthia was, of course, one of the prominent names who quit Congress, joined the BJP.
19:44And that's because he claimed that in Madhya Pradesh, the Kamilnath government failed to fulfill promises.
19:49There was, of course, a lot of buzz that Jyothi Raditya Cynthia wasn't really given his due in the Congress.
19:55Another big, high-profile name, Himanta Biswasarma, who also joined the BJP.
20:00And remember, when he had quit the Congress, he put out a detailed post where he said he was insulted by the Congress high command,
20:06particularly naming Rahul Gandhi.
20:09Himanta Biswasarma now is, of course, Chief Minister of Assam.
20:13Amrinder Singh, again joined the BJP, veteran Congress leader.
20:17Never, many people never thought he would actually leave the party.
20:20But he claimed again that the high commander ignored him, repeatedly humiliated him in Punjab.
20:26Jitim Prasad, again from the Congress, joined the BJP.
20:29Now, of course, in the Uttar Pradesh BJP with a very important role.
20:33He said that there's discontent with people, that Congress is not able to address some of the concerns of the people.
20:40And so he decided to jump ship and join the BJP.
20:43R.P. and Singh also had left the Congress to join the BJP.
20:48He, in fact, was very clear that the reason that he did that is because many of his aides, his associates,
20:54weren't given tickets in the UP elections by the Congress.
20:58They were ignored.
20:58They were sidelined.
21:00A miffed R.P. and Singh jumped ship.
21:01Kapil Sibyl is an independent Rajasabai MP, was previously with the Congress.
21:07Now, remember that he was part of the G23, which I was referring to, the group that sought changes within the party.
21:12And so he said that he was left out of key decision-making meets of the Congress,
21:17which is what prompted him to take that decision of leaving the party.
21:21Gulam Nabi Azad.
21:22And mind you, these names that I'm giving you are all extremely senior leaders,
21:27veterans who were part of the Congress for decades together.
21:30Gulam Nabi Azad left the Congress to establish his own party.
21:35He again said that he was insulted and that he was sidelined by Rahul Gandhi.
21:39He said that he was never part of any of the crucial decision-making meetings,
21:43despite being a core team of the Congress for so many years.
21:46Milind Diora, another very articulate face of the Congress, left to join the Shiv Sena.
21:53He maintained that he did this to support the path of development,
21:56that what he wanted to do, the changes he wanted to bring aligned more with the BJP than with the Congress.
22:02Ashok Chawan cited personal reasons.
22:04When he left the Congress and joined the BJP, never really gave details of why he chose to take that step.
22:11Then there was Baba Siddiqui, another leader in Maharashtra, who unfortunately, of course, was killed recently.
22:17He joined the NCP Ajit Bawar faction.
22:20He claimed the reason he did that was he didn't feel he was needed anymore in the Congress.
22:26Let me bring in Moshmi Singh.
22:27We've got that connection back with her now.
22:30Moshmi, take us through what the Congress High Command is doing right now.
22:33Have they intervened?
22:35Are they ensured that there is no more public bickering that takes place?
22:43Clearly, Akshita, if you see the way matters have turned, you know, really tricky between the Congress and Shashi Tharoor.
22:54I remember that it wasn't long ago in the Congress Working Committee meeting,
22:58when, you know, Shashi Tharoor was asked whether he breached the party line.
23:04And then after that, the delegation goes, Shashi Tharoor's remarks are continuously,
23:10there's a thought in the Congress are causing a lot of embarrassment to the Congress party.
23:16And there's more than what meets the eye, because, you know, on policy issues, on issues where, you know,
23:24the Modi government has been very, very, the Congress has been very critical of the Modi government.
23:31You have, Mr. Tharoor, you know, heaping praises.
23:35And perhaps there is a thought in the Congress that after, only after the delegation has come back on Indian soil,
23:44the brainstorming and, you know, the Congress Working Committee meetings could see Tharoor being collared yet again.
23:52There's a disciplinary committee.
23:53There is a thought that perhaps he could be issued a notice in terms of making statements on surgical strikes.
24:02But for now, the Congress doesn't want to fan the entire round for the fact that he is on foreign soil.
24:08He is leading a delegation.
24:10And it's a matter of putting up a united front, even if it is coming at the cost of a lot of embarrassment for the party within.
24:17It's a little late for that, isn't it, considering what's played out right now
24:22and the fact that you've had senior Congress leaders calling out Tharoor now to take a stand saying,
24:27look, he's part of a global envoy, a delegation that's putting India first.
24:31It's a bit late for that narrative.
24:33But thank you very much, Moshmi, for joining us from what Moshmi is telling us now.
24:37It looks like we're not going to be seeing this kind of a public spat.
24:41But perhaps when Tharoor returns, there could be some step taken with regards to the comments that he made.
24:47But don't be surprised if the Congress just chooses, the High Command chooses to look the other way,
24:52as they have been for the last many, many months.
24:55As promised here on India Today, we're continuing our follow-up on what's happening in Kerala,
25:00where authorities remain on high alert after containers from a cargo ship that sank have been washing ashore along the Kochi coast.
25:08Now, this is not just in Kolumbar, also in Alapura districts that these containers have been washing up.
25:15There are 13 of them with hazardous materials, which is what there's so much concern over,
25:20because if there is the smallest leak of the calcium carbide that's inside these containers,
25:25it could lead to a serious crisis of contamination of the seawater.
25:30Operations are underway to pull out all containers and ensure a full clean-up along the coast,
25:35while also ensuring that locals in the area are not impacted in any way.
25:40Shrivi Mool gets you these ground reports.
25:44The cleaning of the plastic that got accumulated on the shores have begun.
25:48Now, this was decided in the meeting held by Chief Minister Pindai Vijayan,
25:52that, you know, the plastic, the huge amount of plastic that's got accumulated on the shore,
25:58in Alapura, Kollam and Tirvantapuram, needs to be removed as soon as possible.
26:02These are, you know, plastic materials that got accumulated after containers from the ship from the Liberian container vessel,
26:13MSC Elsa-3, that sank of the Kochi coast, got, you know, washed ashore.
26:20These containers from that particular ship had washed ashore, which brought in a lot of plastic to the shore.
26:26Now, as you can see, the civil defence volunteers are cleaning these.
26:31The things that you find mostly, when you look around, there are many small, small plastic bottles,
26:37and most importantly, there are many pieces of Thermacol.
26:39Now, all these containers had Thermacol inside it, huge amount of Thermacol,
26:43as these are all, you know, refrigerated containers, so there are many plastic Thermacol inside it.
26:50Now, that has been broken into pieces, and it's all over the place, it's all over the shore,
26:55and also, there are many houses right opposite to this beach, and even in front of those houses,
27:04there are many of these Thermacol pieces accumulated, so all of that needs to be removed,
27:08because it's majorly an environmental concern also.
27:12So, that work has begun.
27:14Yesterday, there was a drawn survey carried out to detect where are these plastics accumulated,
27:19so that accordingly, they can deploy these volunteers.
27:21So, now, this is likely to be completed in the coming days,
27:28and because this is not just a small amount of plastic and small amount of Thermacol that's got accumulated,
27:34it's huge amount of plastic, because, you know, these were part of these huge containers.
27:41These containers are very huge.
27:42There were more than 11 containers that washed ashore in this particular area where we are right now.
27:48So, this is going to take some time.
27:51There are many, you know, objects like comb and markers, pens, lotion, bottles, and all of that.
27:58So, it is going to be a task, but we can see, you know, the civil defence volunteers here taking on this task.
28:05They have always been part of, you know, some of the major activities that this state government has initiated,
28:13state has gotten into.
28:15So, we are hopeful that, you know, very soon they can finish this off,
28:19and also, accordingly, these containers will also be removed from the shore very soon.
28:24Good video journalist, Tinkura Ashega, Shibamol K.G. for India today from Kuala.
28:27And we will continue getting you those ground reports as the operations continue to clear out all the containers
28:36that are being washed up ashore along the Kerala coast.
28:39Let's put the focus on what's happening in Karnataka.
28:42The Congress infighting again on display, Sidramaya versus D.K. Shufkumar.
28:47The transfer of five senior engineers from the Public Works Department has, in fact, led to a showdown.
28:54Why?
28:54Because these are officials who report directly to D.K. Shufkumar,
28:59and the transfers has been done by Sidramaya.
29:02In a letter addressed to the Chief Secretary, D.K. Shufkumar has made it clear
29:05that transfers and appointments within his department cannot be executed without his consent.
29:10Essentially, he's rebelling against Chief Minister Sidramaya's decision.
29:14Now, at this point, he says that,
29:16I haven't approved any of these kind of changes or transfers.
29:20Chief Minister Sidramaya clearly is being sent across a message by D.K. Shufkumar.
29:26It's under his usual administrative norms that he holds the power to approve such transfers.
29:32And yet, D.K. Shufkumar has made it a point to rebel and sent out a message
29:37that if transfers are happening within his departments,
29:40even if it's by the Chief Minister, it's simply not okay.
29:43And so that gives you clearly an indication that D.K. Shufkumar wants to take on Chief Minister Sidramaya
29:50and isn't shy from doing it rather publicly.
29:53This is the latest, of course, the saga of this kind of face-offs
29:57that we've been seeing between the Chief Minister and his deputy.
30:01Nagarjan Dwarakannath is joining us with more details on this.
30:04Nagarjan, take us through really the messaging that's involved in D.K. Shufkumar
30:08very publicly questioning a decision taken by Chief Minister Sidramaya.
30:14Well, this is another moment where D.K. Shufkumar is trying to put his foot down on the ground
30:18and say, this is my forte, this is my boundary.
30:21No one can infringe upon my responsibilities, what he is saying.
30:25Usually, the prerogative is with the Chief Minister of moving officials from various departments.
30:30So, because he's the Supreme of the Cabinet and is the first among the Cabinet,
30:33so he has all the prerogative to move the officials.
30:36But now, D.K. Shufkumar, who's number two, the Deputy Chief Minister,
30:40has put on record that including the CM can't move.
30:43He's officially returned to the Chief Secretary saying that
30:46my prior approval was not taken and I take high objection to this
30:50and this transfer has to be stopped immediately
30:53and the officials have to be called back to my department,
30:56is what D.K. Shufkumar has said in the letter.
30:59This is another instance where D.K. Shufkumar, moving closer to the two and a half years,
31:02is putting its foot down and say,
31:04it's me or my way also, not just Sidramaya's way in the government.
31:08I'm an equal stakeholder in this moment, in this government
31:11and hence, me and Sidramaya both are equal.
31:14He might be the Chief Minister,
31:15but doesn't mean that he has complete power in this government.
31:19That's the message D.K. Shufkumar has given through this letter.
31:21Now, let's see what happens in the days to come.
31:23What will Chief Minister Sidramaya do?
31:25Will he sit quiet?
31:26Will he allow this kind of off-messaging?
31:29Or will he hit back?
31:29Thanks very much, Nagarjan, for joining us with those details.
31:32Let's put the spotlight on the language debate.
31:35Kannada versus Tamil, courtesy Kamal Hassan.
31:38The controversy is now snowballed as Kamal Hassan is facing heat in Karnataka.
31:44The actor is facing massive backlash over his controversial
31:47Kannada was born out of Tamil remark made during the audio launch of his upcoming film Thug Life.
31:52Pro-Kanada groups have been staging protests against Kamal Hassan.
31:55So much so that a DMK ally, MLA, Vail Murugan, has threatened if Kamal Hassan does not apologise,
32:02he will not let Karnataka movies release in Tamil Nadu.
32:07Karnataka Film Chamber, meanwhile, has given a 24-hour deadline to Kamal Hassan to apologise.
32:12So both sides are now putting pressure on the actor-politician.
32:16Kamal Hassan, remember, has refused to apologise.
32:19Yesterday, when asked about his comment, he said it came from a place of love
32:23and so there should be historians who speak about this.
32:26It's not my place.
32:27I will not apologise, was what he maintained.
32:29How much of your knowledge you have got, you cannot just come and talk whatever you want to
32:35because nothing is right today.
32:37The way he has, whatever he could say, I have not listened,
32:39but I have been hearing that he has spoken something
32:41that because of the Tamil, the Kannada has come,
32:43absolutely I don't think it's right the way he has spoken.
32:46So personally, I want to condemn this.
32:48Kamal Hassan has said he will not apologise to Kannada.
32:51How do you see it?
32:51I condemn it.
32:53He should apologise.
32:55Because why should he talk about Kannada?
32:57It is our language.
32:58Why should he mention, we are deeply hurt by the statement of Kamal Hassan.
33:04He should not be rigid because he is not only a political leader,
33:09he is also a film actor.
33:12These kind of statements will not be tolerated
33:14and Kannadi guys will not tolerate such kind of statements.
33:17Once again, Kamala Hassan, the cinema, the cinema actor, he said that the Kannada is born from the Tamil language.
33:29He is not even giving any apologizing.
33:35For that, we Indians believe that.
33:39All the languages, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, all other languages are born from the Sanskrit.
33:46People like Kamal Hassan, out of his ignorance, out of his arrogance,
33:53give such statements.
33:54Kannada is also a great Indian language.
33:57Tamil is also a great Indian language.
33:58Sir, you have written a letter to the Kannada film chamber.
34:02What did you say, sir?
34:03Kamala Hassan had a question.
34:07My country concerned about Kamala Hassan's invitation to Ν acceptable.
34:12done č comment,
34:12THE Kannada Doo Khandri, all other people speak.
34:17They are born from a foreign language Coberley, all the other people speak.
34:22So, I was told that I was going to be banned in the Tamil Nadu.
34:37Sir, there is an alliance party in Tamil Nadu.
34:42There is a statement on the MLA statement on Facebook.
34:45Why are you banned in the Tamil Nadu?
34:50Why are you banned in the Tamil Nadu?
35:00I am banned in the Tamil Nadu.
35:04Why are you banned in the Tamil Nadu?
35:10Sir, I am a member of the Mithra Pakhshan.
35:17But if we think about our practice, it is our level of speech.
35:21Even if we think about our business then it has our own language.
35:24We thought about it and our brand new language.
35:29Sir, this is a good question about Kamala.
35:34This story should be heard from Kamala.
35:37You said should have studied the 2th statement?
35:40I would have studied it but I didn't think about it.
35:44I didn't carl at all the time.
35:46So what exactly started this entire controversy?
35:53Listen in to that remark from Kamal Haasana, Ovej Prokanada.
35:56Groups are demanding an apology.
36:16Politicians are not qualified to talk about language.
36:27They don't have the education enough to talk about it.
36:29That includes me.
36:31So let's leave all these very in-depth discussions to historians, archaeologists and language experts.
36:46Now let's get you a reaction from our actor Ramya, Divya Spandana.
36:54She's spoken all this entire language, Rao, that's been stoked by Kamal Haasana.
36:59Listen in to this exclusive conversation.
37:16What's your take on this entire boycott of Thug film after Kamal Haasana's statement?
37:23Look, there's no denying that Kamal Haasana has probably made a faux pas or a mistake or I don't know if he's aware or not aware by saying that Kannada came from Tamil or that Kannada is derived from Tamil.
37:36Because that is factually incorrect, right?
37:39But having said that, I just think that I'm, first of all, I'm against boycott of anything.
37:45Like I am not someone in the past.
37:47So they tried to ban actors from the industry and things like that.
37:51And I have stood up against it.
37:52So similarly, now I just think that, you know, boycotting is a bit much.
37:58But having said that, I think, I hope Kamal Haasana realizes or whatever.
38:05And at the end of the day, well, you know, he's free to say what he wants.
38:10But it doesn't stop us from, you know, correcting him and saying that it's not true.
38:17I mean, he may meant, he probably meant that, you know, we're all under one umbrella, the Dravidian languages, right?
38:24Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.
38:26And we may have some commonality, like, you know, some words are common and we do share the same ancestral linguistic thing.
38:36But apart from that, I think we're a family.
38:39I don't think we can say one is superior than the other.
38:43And that would be wrong and actually factually incorrect.
38:47So let's see what happens now in the days to come as these pro-Kanada groups have made it clear
38:52that if Kamal Haasana doesn't apologize, there will be an official boycott of his films in Karnataka.
38:59That's all we have time for in this edition of Super 6.
39:02As always, I'm leaving you with a fact check.
39:05Now there are videos doing the rounds on social media
39:08claiming to show two BSF soldiers arrested for spying for Pakistan.
39:13You've seen many spy rackets being busted.
39:16According to social media, this is one of them, of BSF soldiers.
39:19The reality, this is a 2018 video.
39:22The context completely untrue.
39:23It's a builder from Kanpur who had stashed 96 crore cash and was caught.
39:28So no, it has absolutely nothing to do with the BSF.
39:31It has absolutely nothing to do with spying.
39:32It's not even current.
39:34This is a 2018 video.
39:36Again, a reminder, don't believe everything you see on social media.
39:39That's all we have time for in this edition of Super 6.
39:41Thanks very much for tuning in.
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