The Supreme Court on Tuesday pulled up Governor RN Ravi, declaring his decision to withhold bills passed by the state Assembly as “illegal”.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Good evening, hello and welcome. You're with the news today, your primetime destination
00:05news, newsmakers, talking points. The big talking point, it's been a turbulent 48 hours.
00:12Trump's tariff wars have put the world on notice. What's next for India? Raghuram Rajan
00:19will be joining me for an exclusive interview from Chicago. One of the world's top economists
00:25will tell us what lies ahead. Also, the big judgment has come on the Tamil Nadu governor.
00:31The Supreme Court has censured him. The big question, will the governor now step down
00:37after being accused by the court of acting in bad faith? Mukul Rothgi will join us for
00:42that exclusive. But as always, there's plenty on the news. Let's bring you the nine headlines
00:48at nine tonight. The Supreme Court censures Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi, says cannot
00:55sit on pending bills. Chief Minister M K Stalin hails the ruling where the governor is accused
01:02of acting in bad faith to obstruct the functioning of the government. Pressure grows on him to
01:08step down. Congress chalks out its future roadmap at a AICC session in Ahmedabad. Congress
01:18vows to embark on Sardar Patel's part of social justice. Rahul Gandhi says OBCs and
01:23minorities must get priority. Government files a caveat in the Supreme Court over petitions
01:32challenging the Waqf Amendment Centre, seeking to ensure that no order is passed without
01:37hearing its side. Anti-Waqf protest turns violent in Bengal's Murshidabad after police
01:46stopped protesters from blocking roads. Cars torched. Anti-Constitution slogans raised.
01:52BJP targets Mamata Banerjee government. Divide in the TMC parliamentary party out in the
02:00open. Chief Whip Kalyan Banerjee targets a woman MP and Shogata Roy. Kirti Azad's WhatsApp
02:07chats are leaked by the BJP. Mamata Banerjee orders a probe, promises disciplinary action.
02:17Police suspect a Pakistani spy agency behind grenade attack outside BJP leader Manoranjan
02:25Kalia's residence in Punjab. Two accused are arrested. Drunk Congress worker Usman Khan
02:35kills three in Jaipur while rash driving. Khan arrested by police, expelled by the Congress.
02:44China says ready to fight to end. To the end as trade war with US escalates. American markets
02:51open higher a day after Trump threat. Indian markets also on after the Monday bloodbath
02:59at Dalal Street. Sensex and Nifty rebound. Investors now make a richer by 7 lakh crore.
03:19But the big story are Trump tracker as we are calling it. The US President Donald Trump
03:24has says now that he's open to a deal with China over tariffs. That's right. Donald Trump
03:30has tweeted a short while ago saying we are waiting for a call from Beijing. Remember
03:35China has rejected Trump's threat of additional 50% tariffs that the US President says will
03:41come into effect from tomorrow if the Chinese do not come to the negotiating table. Trump's
03:47deadline for China is ending later tonight. US and European markets have rebounded on
03:54hopes that there could be a trade deal between the US and China in the offing. All of this
04:00of course coming in the backdrop of that all out trade tariff war between America and China.
04:06Donald Trump announcing a potential additional 50% tariff on China less than 48 hours after
04:13Beijing announced a tit for tat 34% tariff on the United States. Reports say China is
04:19mulling a multi-front economic pushback. It's our top focus. In a moment I'll be joined by
04:27Raghuram Rajan to explain just why the world is going with this trade war. First take a look at
04:33that story. China's 34% tit for tat tariffs on American goods has infuriated Donald Trump. The
04:45US President has threatened to slap another 50% tariff on China if Beijing doesn't withdraw the
04:52levy by Tuesday. With China as you know against my statement they put a 34% tariff on above what
05:03their ridiculous tariffs were already and I said if that tariff isn't removed by tomorrow at 12
05:10o'clock we're putting a 50% tariff on above the tariffs that we put on. Let's break down the
05:17mathematics of Trump's tariffs on China. With a fresh 50% tariff threat looming that comes on
05:24top of the 34% reciprocal tariffs slapped on April 2nd and an early 20% for failing to curb fentanyl
05:34flow into the United States. The total tariff can go up to 104%. This is not taking into account
05:41the pre-existing tariffs of 7.5% to 25% from Trump's first term as president. China is unfazed
05:51calling Trump's tariffs blackmail and disruption of the global economic order. The Xi Jinping
05:58administration says they will not hesitate to fight back. The Chinese government strongly
06:06condemns and firmly opposes such actions. The US approach is a typical act of unilateralism,
06:12protectionism and economic bullying which causes harm to others while backfiring on itself.
06:17China is considering a multi-front economic pushback. First in line is a ban on Hollywood
06:28films. This will hit US studios as their films earned nearly $585 million in China in 2024 alone.
06:38China may also suspend its fentanyl cooperation with the United States,
06:43target US intellectual property benefits and finally impose curbs on trade in services.
06:49Pressure threats and blackmail are not the right ways to deal with China. China will
06:56surely take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.
07:00If US disregards the interests of both countries and the international community
07:05and insists on engaging in tariff war and trade war, China will fight to the end.
07:10The tariff war has reportedly led to a divide between Donald Trump and his advisor Elon Musk.
07:19Reports say the tech mogul has been privately recommending Trump to reverse his tariffs on
07:26Chinese imports. This comes just a day after Musk batted for zero tariffs between the United
07:32States and the European Union.
07:34I hope it is agreed that both Europe and the United States should move ideally in my view
07:42to a zero tariff situation effectively creating a free trade zone between Europe and North America.
07:49China and Donald Trump are both unwilling to bend. Will this trade war shake up markets further?
07:56Bureau Report, India Today.
07:59And joining me now from Chicago is a very special guest. I'm joined by the former RBI
08:09governor, the professor at Chicago's Business School and someone who's really seen as a
08:16preeminent voice in the world of global economics today. Professor Raghuram Rajan joins me.
08:22Appreciate your joining us, Dr. Rajan. It's been quite a turbulent week, if I may say so,
08:27to put it mildly. I recall on the day last week that Donald Trump brought these tariffs,
08:33his so-called Liberation Day. You had briefly commented saying this was a potential self-goal
08:40by the US president. Do you want to be more specific? Why do you think this tariff war
08:45could be a self-goal?
08:47Well, I said self-goal in the short term. In the longer term, we can speculate about
08:55what happens. But clearly, what happens with very high tariffs in the short run is you're
09:01derailing what was a US economy, which was going at a reasonable pace. It was actually
09:09growing more than its potential growth, which is about 2 percent. Unemployment was at really
09:17low levels, consistent with saying that any American who wanted a job was pretty much
09:23employed. And so in that environment, with inflation coming down to levels where the
09:31Fed might feel comfortable reducing rates, to suddenly bring in this jatka, so to speak,
09:38of tariffs was spoiling a potential soft landing in the US economy.
09:48The consequences immediately if these tariffs stick, and of course, that's a big question we
09:53can come back to, is that prices go up hugely for the US consumer. They tighten their belt,
10:01they stop spending. The US investor gets a lot more anxious about how long the tariffs will stay.
10:07Investment slows. So aggregate growth in the US economy slows considerably with higher inflation,
10:14and the Fed unable to cut interest rates unless it sees a really sharp recession. So
10:21this is why in the short term, it clearly is a self-goal.
10:26So you're saying what Donald Trump has done in the short term is a self-goal,
10:31but is it a self-goal just for the United States? What about the rest of the world? The ripple effect
10:35it's having across the world? We've seen the meltdown in India in the markets yesterday.
10:40They've recovered today, though. The general sense is that Donald Trump, what he's done,
10:45has hit the entire world. So it's not just about what's happened with the US
10:49and the self-goal that he may have scored, but is he willy-nilly taking the world you believe
10:54into a trade war that could destroy several other economies as well?
11:00Yes. I mean, that is the collateral effect, of course, of what has been done. I mean,
11:07for the rest of the world, it's not a self-goal unless the reaction to the tariffs that the US
11:15has set creates problems for themselves. But what we are going to see in the next few days is
11:24how this plays out. Clearly, some of this is the US attempting to bring some of its trading partners
11:33to the table. One would have thought there are milder ways of doing it. But clearly, Mr. Trump
11:39is waiting for a call from China to try and discuss what can be done, including, I understand,
11:47the fate of TikTok, the web platform. But I think, more generally, some of these tariffs
11:58are going to stay. And they certainly affect the countries that are selling into the US,
12:03partly because the US consumer himself or herself is tightening their belt, but also partly because
12:09this makes their goods more expensive. And that is going to cause some falloff in demand for those
12:15countries. Some countries like Vietnam are much more affected because of the high level of tariffs
12:21and the high exposure to the US than other countries, for example, like India, where the
12:26tariff setting has been lower and the exposure for our $4 trillion economy is significantly lower
12:33than, say, for Vietnam. Dr. Rajan, I'll come to India in a moment, but I want to focus on China,
12:40because many believe this is the immediate war taking place. After the United States imposes
12:46tariffs, China announced retaliatory tariffs of 34%. You're saying that maybe Donald Trump is
12:54hoping to get China to the negotiating table. Do you believe, as some observers have told us,
12:59that all of this is a US-China war over tariffs? And if the two sides come and settle
13:09and come to the negotiating table, then much of this could be sorted out. There is a sense in the
13:15United States in particular that China has got away with low-cost manufacturing for too long.
13:21Is this Trump versus China? No, I think it's deeper than that. I mean, you have a record of
13:29President Trump talking in the 1980s when China really didn't signify at that point in the global
13:36economy about how the US was being taken advantage of by Japan, by the Europeans, etc.
13:43So part of this is a longstanding grievance in his mind that the rest of the world sells into the US
13:50and any deficit that the US runs is evidence of their taking advantage of the US. Of course,
13:58economists would disagree significantly with that view. I think the second, apart from this general
14:04sense, is that there is a bunch of mercantilist economists around him, like Peter Navarro,
14:12who really believe that deficits are a bad thing. They somehow indicate you're not creating enough
14:19jobs in the US. And by tariffing the rest of the world, you can bring jobs back to the US.
14:25Now, this is a kind of economic theory which has been derided for over 300 years,
14:33right from Adam Smith. But some people still cling on to that. And that's part of the reason
14:40for tariffs. But I think the primary force right now for why the tariffs won't go back to the
14:46previous level is the US needs revenues to fund the tax cuts that the president has been promising.
14:55And tariffs are a source of revenue. So many believe that this 10 percent basic universal
15:02tariff is probably here to stay, even if some of the higher reciprocal tariffs can be
15:09renegotiated down, because the US actually is using this as a source of funding for its tax cuts.
15:18Let's turn to India, then. Ahead of these reciprocal tariffs, Professor Rajan,
15:24Prime Minister Modi was in Washington. There is much talk now of a potential
15:29Indo-US trade deal by the autumn. How do you see India being affected by these tariffs in
15:36the short term? So far, it seems India is not getting any special exemptions, barring in some
15:43sectors like pharmaceuticals, do you believe? How do you see this now play out in India in
15:49the short term or for India in the short term? Well, yes, I mean, this goes back to the way
15:56the tariffs were set based on a somewhat rudimentary formula. And by that formula,
16:03India's exports, manufacturing exports to the US and its surplus played a role in that number,
16:12which, by the way, I see 26 percent, 27 percent, not quite sure what the precise number is.
16:18But the fact is that Indian exports to the United States are relatively small compared to our GDP,
16:29right? GDP of around $4 trillion, exports around $85 billion. And so, yes, there will be some
16:40effect and it will be harmful for Indian exporters. But this is not going to sort of change
16:49the nature of our economy and our growth significantly. It would be nice to negotiate
16:58them down. I think this is also an opportunity for India to bring down its own tariffs, not just for
17:03the US, but more broadly. Some of us economists were a little worried about the creeping rise in
17:10tariffs once again in India over the last few years. This is a chance to do that. Of course,
17:16there are sectors which are more sensitive, agriculture. How can we figure out a win-win
17:22situation there where we create opportunities for our agriculturists in the rest of the world
17:28while giving a little bit on that dimension? Those are things that we need to spend some time
17:34thinking. I am of the view that knee-jerk reactions are probably not warranted, which
17:41the government is wisely not doing. But I do think trying to conclude a deal sooner rather than later
17:48will certainly help our exporters. So what you're saying, Professor Rajan, is that India should
17:53pursue and seal a bilateral deal with the United States, hopefully on favourable terms, not
17:59seemingly at gunpoint, but at the same time maybe use this as an opportunity to get our own tariff
18:04structure in place, maybe explore trading opportunities with ASEAN, with other regions also,
18:10maybe not just be dependent on the US, and maybe take advantage, would you say, of a China plus one
18:16strategy that the world is looking at, look at options to China, and India could be one?
18:21I think that's right. I do think that we shouldn't necessarily favour just the United States in this
18:30deal. We should, if we are giving a certain kind of treatment, follow the most favoured nation
18:39logic and give it to other countries also. There's no reason why we should privilege
18:44US producers in this. But I think more broadly, thinking about the level of our tariffs and
18:50non-tariff barriers, this is a good chance to actually benefit our economy more widely. But I
18:58also think it is a good time to start looking east, looking north, and try and see what other
19:05deals can India do, because the last thing we want to do is be sort of isolated because we don't
19:13belong to any of the regions which are forming right now in terms of trade. So certainly revisit
19:20RCEP, revisit any kinds of links to ASEAN, but also reach out to Japan, reach out to China,
19:29and see how we can create a better trading relationship with China. Of course, with China,
19:35we run the large deficit and perhaps there are ways that can be remedied to be more balanced.
19:44You've also been quoted, Professor Rajan, as saying that tariffs could be disinflationary
19:49for India while sparking possible concerns of growing inflation in the United States.
19:54Could you explain what you meant when you said that this entire tariff
19:59structures that Donald Trump is putting in place could be disinflationary for India?
20:06Yeah, I mean, certainly when countries are kept out of a major buyer, they have excess production,
20:15including in India. Some of our exporters may have production which is not selling in the U.S.
20:22So what do they do? They turn around and look for other markets. Indian exporters might look
20:29for markets in East Asia, but certainly the domestic market will look also somewhat attractive.
20:36Similarly, Chinese production, which is denied sort of entry into the U.S. with the high tariffs,
20:42may look for a home in India. So I think this could, from that perspective, be disinflationary.
20:50Of course, there is a worry in country after country with being flooded by goods from elsewhere
20:58which aren't being sort of absorbed in the United States. I think in the short run, that absorption
21:05will continue. It's very hard for the U.S. to move away from buying from the rest of the world,
21:09and the tariffs will be paid. But in the medium term, I think you will have a reconfiguration of
21:16global trade, and that could be disinflationary for countries like India with more cheap exports,
21:25cheap imports available. So are you saying that in a way, and you referred to this briefly also
21:31earlier, that this is an opportunity maybe for India to be less protectionist, set its own tariffs
21:38and non-tariff barriers in order, and maybe therefore avail the opportunities that may lie
21:43if this potential U.S.-China trade war escalates out of control, India could end up being a
21:49beneficiary in a way as the world looks at options to China? That's right. I mean, nobody really
21:57benefits from an action like this, but there are silver linings. And I think this is why it's
22:04important for India to negotiate that tariff structure sooner rather than later. Don't delay,
22:11but don't be precipitous, but certainly take action sooner rather than later, because that
22:20gives you – you have a large – India has a large domestic market. As it is, producers want to have a
22:28foot on the ground in India. But if in addition you say we are – you have low tariffs in entering
22:36the United States, perhaps that will give an added impetus for countries and firms that are looking
22:44for a China plus one strategy. So I think we don't want to delay too long. This is a moment when
22:53there's a lot of uncertainty among business, and the attractiveness of our domestic market coupled
22:59with the possibility that we are a low tariff entry point into the U.S. could create a lot more
23:05investment if we play our cards right. Of course, we also need to do the other part, which is make
23:12investment more friendly in India, make tax laws more predictable, reduce the
23:20raid Raj from the tax authorities, all that stuff we need to do.
23:25But this is a good time to pull up our socks and do what is necessary.
23:30The worry, though, Professor Rajan, is that we still haven't done enough domestically,
23:35the ease of doing business. There are still companies that are now complaining, some of
23:41them privately, others publicly stating, talking about a raid Raj, about the way taxes are being
23:50put in place, private investment consumption as a result hasn't picked up. Are you suggesting
23:56this is therefore a good time for us to get our domestic act together above all else?
24:03Absolutely. I mean, we should do it anyway, as you put it. But I would say the added sweetener
24:11is that we could see a fair amount of FDI coming. A lot of companies are sort of thinking, well,
24:17China looks a little toxic at this point. And anyway, I was reducing my position in China.
24:23Where else do I position it? It used to be Vietnam, but Vietnam has got hit again
24:28with these significant tariffs. And Mexico is no full solution, as we've seen. So my sense is,
24:37the big domestic market that India has attached to it will be a sweetener. So, worst comes to worst,
24:46India doesn't get tariffed at some point once again. At least there's a large domestic market
24:53we can play to. And India is not poisonous on the geopolitical front, unlike some other countries.
24:59So in that sense, I think that this is an opportune moment for us, but we really need to get
25:07our act together. Overall, though, Professor Rajan, do you believe we are heading for more
25:14global headwinds and uncertainty, that uncertainty over the next year is something the world will
25:19have to live with as long, or perhaps as long as Donald Trump is in power, we will be in uncertain times?
25:29Almost surely the answer is, yeah, I hope this was the big sort of uncertainty coup. But,
25:38you know, the reality is that, you know, policymaking today in the United States is
25:45concentrated in one man. And given that, it will be volatile regardless of the personality. But
25:56given the personality is Mr. Trump, it is even more volatile. So I think the rest of the world has to
26:05live with this. Of course, a lot of countries are going to sort of start thinking of alternatives
26:12that they were ignoring so far. And I think this is a good time for India to revisit its
26:19economic strategy. I think one good news in all this is our services exports have been relatively
26:27untouched by tariffs. And as you know, services exports overtook manufacturing exports recently.
26:34So, you know, we are, in a sense, a little more protected. The U.S. is also a huge services
26:42exporter and therefore has less incentive to tariff services. So my sense is, you know, we have had
26:52somewhat good doses of luck so far. But let's take advantage of this, even though, as I said,
27:01it is a problem for the world, but there are silver linings. You know, speaking of uncertainty,
27:07Professor Rajan, in the last 24 hours, Donald Trump has also said that if China doesn't withdraw
27:14its retaliatory tariffs, U.S. will impose an additional tariff of 50 percent. Do you see all
27:20of this as typical Trump bluster? Or is this all part of a larger bargaining tactic to get the
27:27Chinese to the negotiating table? Is that what you expect to happen next?
27:34I think he signaled fairly strongly that he wants to talk. I think the Chinese certainly were
27:41using back channels to talk to the U.S. even before this, and were a little surprised by the
27:47size of the imposed tariffs on China. But we know that there wasn't a whole lot of calculation that
27:54went into those numbers. That said, I mean, look, 34, 64, 104, that level doesn't matter. It's
28:05hugely disturbing for Chinese exports into the U.S. So you can keep threatening more and more.
28:11At some point, the Chinese are going to say, we're dead on the export front. We can't be deader than
28:17dead. And so to some extent, what you have here is two strong leaders trying to gauge each other
28:28and needing to talk. So I presume back channels are at work right now. And at some point, there
28:35may be more of a discussion. Now, China is complicated from the U.S.'s perspective. On the
28:41one hand, there is a whole bunch of people in the administration who see China as a strategic rival,
28:48which has to be undercut in every which way, including economic. And then there's the business
28:54interest, which basically sees the significant ties with China in so many ways. And a company
29:01like Apple is going to be hurt very, very hard if these tariffs do come on board and there are no
29:08exemptions. So there is a tug of war right now. Elon Musk, for example, has a big Chinese market
29:15and produces that. So there is a tug of war within the administration on views with respect to China.
29:22But I presume some negotiation is on the cards. In conclusion, though, Dr. Rajan, would you say that
29:29the world could be heading for a global recession later this year? Several leading economists,
29:35think tanks seem to suggest that. Do you think a global recession is likely in the near future?
29:44Well, I think that if the level of tariffs which have been imposed do not come down
29:51significantly, you know, 10 percent I think the world can live with, 46 percent on Vietnam,
29:58more on China. Those will inhibit trade significantly, disrupt supply chains,
30:04and to some extent, you know, create a significant slowing in the U.S. economy. Also, in the economy
30:12of exporters, China is not going to do well if its primary export market is cut off. So I think that,
30:21yes, if the tariffs stay where they are, we could indeed see a global recession,
30:28something which was unthinkable at the beginning of the year when, you know, recovery was there
30:34all round. But hopefully, you know, we see reasonable renegotiation of these tariffs
30:42in the next few months. And some of the damage that could be done doesn't actually happen.
30:51A final question, Dr. Rajan, if you were advising Prime Minister Modi, and I guess you probably are
30:56not, what would be that one piece of advice you would give the Indian Prime Minister
31:00on how to deal with Donald Trump and tariffs?
31:05No, I would say that very clearly, you know, treat this as an opportunity for India.
31:13And certainly don't, you know, delay the negotiations on tariffs too long. But also,
31:22you know, we've been talking about improving the business environment. We've done some,
31:28we've taken some actions, including improving infrastructure. But this is to be encouraged,
31:34including, you know, many states, the South, the West, UP, have been trying to lure business
31:43people into India with the promise of easier business environment. I think that should be
31:49encouraged. These fairs where we try and get foreign business people to see what is possible,
31:56these government initiatives, guidance, for example, in Tamil Nadu, helping, you know, business
32:03people with the logistics, with land acquisition, etc. These are all welcome initiatives,
32:12which ease doing business. The center should support the states and basically be neutral to
32:18where things are set up across the country, but encourage much more FDI. This is an opportunity
32:23to do that. Professor Rajan, for giving us your view of where the world stands at this critical
32:31juncture. Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom. Really appreciate you joining us there
32:38from Chicago. Raghuram Rajan on the Trump tariffs. Let's turn back home to the big story of the day,
32:45the major legal victory for the MK Stalin led Tamil Nadu government with the Supreme Court
32:51coming down heavily on Governor Arun Ravi for dealing asset to 10 crucial bills. In a stinging
32:58judgment, the apex court called the governor's move illegal, arbitrary and acting in bad faith.
33:06While the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has welcomed the move and called the Supreme
33:10Court ruling historic, the big question, will the Tamil Nadu governor now step down? In a moment,
33:16I'll be joined by a special guest, but first take a look at what the apex court said.
33:21Big blow to Tamil Nadu Governor Arun Ravi. A Supreme Court bench of justices JB Pardivala
33:29and R Mahadevan came down heavily on the governor for delaying ascent to 10 bills passed by the
33:35state assembly. The court rules that the governor's decision to reserve the 10 bills for president
33:42as illegal and arbitrary. The judges went on to say the 10 bills shall be deemed to be cleared
33:48from the date it was sent a second time to the governor by the assembly. The bench made it clear
33:54that the governor who draws powers from article 200 enjoys no veto power and said governor's
34:00decision on bills is open to judicial review. The court also said time frames for the governor to
34:06act on bills. In withholding ascent and reserving it for the president with the aid and advice of
34:12council of ministers, the governor can take maximum one month. While withholding ascent
34:18without the aid and advice of council of ministers, the governor must return the bill within three
34:23months. If a bill is presented to the governor after reconsideration by state assembly, Raj Bhavan
34:29must clear it within one month. So the court has held that you are not a super legislature. Court
34:35goes on to say lay down a time schedule so that in future the governors of the different states
34:44they keep in mind this judgment. These reports are coming very frequently from various states.
34:50Governors must pass orders within a period of one month to three months depending upon the nature of
34:56the bills. So therefore a timeline has been fixed which should generally be followed.
35:05Tamil Nadu chief minister M.K. Stalin described the supreme court verdict as historic.
35:10The Supreme Court drawing the line for governors, state governments, especially those headed by
35:40the opposition parties will breathe a sigh of relief. It's a big verdict and bigger yet are
35:47the political ramifications of this verdict. Non-BJP ruled states have been raising this
35:53issue for a long time that the delay by governors is a direct attack on their governments. Now with
35:59the apex court drawing a Lakshman Rekha and defining the role and power of governors,
36:06it remains to be seen how this plays out in the political arena.
36:10In New Delhi with cameraman Manisha, this is Anisha Mathur for India Today.
36:36First of all, I must say that this is a path-breaking judgment. It's a very bold and
36:55a courageous judgment. Rarely some judgments come across like this, maybe once every decade.
37:04And I would say full marks to the Supreme Court to uphold the constitution and the oft-quoted
37:15rule that however how you may be, the constitution and the laws are above you.
37:21So whether it be the governor or whether it be anybody else, everybody is subject to the
37:26constitution. The Supreme Court has in a very meaningful manner held that the governor
37:37shall not act as a roadblock but will act as a catalyst because the ultimate supreme masters
37:44under the constitution are the people. The people are represented by the elected government and if
37:52the elected government passes a law, then there are only three courses available. He will ascend
37:58to the law and it will become law immediately. Second is he can send it back for reconsideration
38:06if he feels that there is something objectionable. If it is re-sent back to him or reiterated,
38:13he has no option but to grant ascent. And in the case of a money bill, he can't even send it back.
38:19And the third option is that right in the beginning, if he feels that it requires presidential
38:25ascent because the state law will be violative of a central law, only then it can go to the
38:32president. That's it. It cannot be that you sit over the bills, you don't sign them, you put it
38:38in cold storage, months and months will pass. All that kind of stuff the Supreme Court has said will
38:44be unconstitutional. Now coming to your suggestion whether the government should step down or not,
38:52I personally find in the facts of this case, and I'm glad to say that I started the debate
38:59of this case in the Supreme Court of India, that this was a case of continued
39:05obstinacy and inaction of the governor. And despite the Supreme Court giving a long rope
39:14to the governor to finish off this ugly spat, yet the governor stuck to his guns.
39:23And ultimately this verdict has come. And every action of the government has been castigated
39:29in the facts of this case. And I think the governor will do well to resign.
39:35The governor would do well to resign. You're saying something major. You're saying in your
39:40wisdom the governor of Tamil Nadu should step down after this verdict. But the fact is, Mr.
39:46Rodgi, the governor is showing no signs of stepping down. And remember, there are other states also,
39:53not just Mr. Ravi, other state governments in tussle, opposition ruled state governments in
39:57tussle with governors, be it Kerala, be it West Bengal. Are you saying that this judgment could
40:03have a salutary effect on all of them? Will anything really change?
40:10See, Rajdeep, whether the honorable governor resigns or not is a matter of his personal
40:15discretion. If you uphold high values, then you know you take a particular course. But your larger
40:24question, whether this will help in solving the tussle which is going on, I know it is going on
40:35in Kerala also. And the Kerala case is also pending in the Supreme Court. According to me,
40:41the law of the land has now been clearly settled, explicitly stated in bold terms by this judgment.
40:49Everybody is bound by the judgment of the Supreme Court. By virtue of Article 141 of the
40:56Constitution, a judgment of the Supreme Court is law. It is akin to parliamentary legislation.
41:04That is the impact of a judgment of the Supreme Court. Everybody is bound, including the Supreme
41:10Court itself, unless it overturns its own judgment. Therefore, there's no point in saying,
41:17I mean, to be a cynic, to say that whatever the Supreme Court may decide, nothing will change.
41:21I'm sorry, that is not the way one should look at it. One should look at it constitutionally,
41:27holistically, and positively. This has laid down the law. Everybody is bounded. Mind you, Rajdeep,
41:36I said the judgment is very bold for one more reason. It has now set out timelines for a
41:42governor to act within one month in certain situations, and within three months in certain
41:46situations. The court has used the phrase that the governor cannot choke the assembly,
41:52because the assembly is discharging a constitutional function of passing laws and implementing laws,
41:59which is the will of the people. That's how this pyramidical structure is based,
42:02that the ultimate masters are the people. May I ask you, though, in conclusion, that is this also
42:10about the larger question of the way governors are appointed in this country. They are seen largely
42:16as nominees of the center, do the center's bidding. Do you believe that this judgment
42:20will have a salutary effect on the way governors are appointed?
42:27I don't know how far that will change. That is how governors have been appointed for the last 75
42:33years. But you know, if you ask my humble opinion, according to me, the office of the governor should
42:39be abolished. Mukul Roggi, former attorney general is telling me the office of governor
42:47should be abolished in this country. Yes, I have a governor who is by and large,
42:56you know, who is doing symbolic things. Ultimately, it's the will of the people.
43:03Why have such great expenditures for governors? For no rhyme or reason. It's a feudal mindset
43:10that you have a governor or a governor general, or the viceroy, as we used to have in the old days.
43:19What is the need of having a governor? You can do without it. According to me, there is no need.
43:26The only by and large, by and large, the governor has only one discretion,
43:32which is not mentioned in the Constitution. And that discretion is who to swear in at the time
43:38when the elections are held. When two people put across their competing claims, he has to decide
43:44who will, you know, be sworn in. That can also be specified by laws. If somebody has a larger
43:50number, somebody can be sworn in. The power can be given to somebody else, can be given to a
43:54speaker also. Why have one full institution with these kind of expenses? You don't need
44:03Raja to be, you know, over the public or the proletariat. And if you remember, I can only tell
44:09you, in another context, Dr. Ambedkar had said that we don't want an imperio and imperium.
44:16That means we don't have a king amongst no kings. It was said in a different context,
44:23which was the power of the Chief Justice of India to appoint a judge. And Ambedkar said,
44:28I cannot give this power solely to the Chief Justice, because he's also a human being.
44:33If that is good for the Chief Justice, certainly good for a governor. So why have it?
44:39Bukul Rodgi, for joining me and claiming that you believe the governor should step down,
44:43that you don't even believe there should be a governor's office anymore. I appreciate you
44:47joining us with that plain speaking after that major landmark judgment of the Supreme Court.
44:52Let's turn to the other big political story of the day, the ugly spat between two prominent
44:58Trinamool Congress MPs now playing out in the public domain through leaked videos and WhatsApp
45:04chats. At the center of the storm are the Trinamool Congress's Chief Whip, Kalyan Banerjee,
45:10and its leader in the Lok Sabha, its MP in the Lok Sabha, Mawa Moitra. The infighting is out in
45:18the open. And the question now is, will Mamata Banerjee step in and act? Take a look.
45:40A nonstop rant by senior TMC MP, Kalyan Banerjee,
45:45where he refers to a chaur woman and then slams her, questions her integrity.
45:52Attempts to pacify him by colleagues like Derek O'Brien did not work.
45:57Also seen in the video with Kalyan Banerjee is another TMC MP, Sagarika Ghosh.
46:16Kalyan Banerjee,
46:17who is a member of the Lok Sabha Congress,
46:19is a member of the Lok Sabha Congress.
46:21Kalyan Banerjee,
46:23who is a member of the Lok Sabha Congress,
46:25is a member of the Lok Sabha Congress.
46:27Kalyan Banerjee,
46:29who is a member of the Lok Sabha Congress,
46:31is a member of the Lok Sabha Congress.
46:33Kalyan Banerjee,
46:35who is a member of the Lok Sabha Congress,
46:37is a member of the Lok Sabha Congress.
46:39Kalyan Banerjee,
46:41who is a member of the Lok Sabha Congress,
46:43is a member of the Lok Sabha Congress.
46:45Kalyan Banerjee,
46:47who is a member of the Lok Sabha Congress,
46:49is a member of the Lok Sabha Congress.
46:51Kalyan Banerjee,
46:53who is a member of the Lok Sabha Congress,
46:55is a member of the Lok Sabha Congress.
46:57Kalyan Banerjee,
46:59who is a member of the Lok Sabha Congress,
47:01is a member of the Lok Sabha Congress.
47:03Kalyan Banerjee,
47:05who is a member of the Lok Sabha Congress,
47:07is a member of the Lok Sabha Congress.
47:09Kalyan Banerjee,
47:11who is a member of the Lok Sabha Congress,
47:13is a member of the Lok Sabha Congress.
47:15Kalyan Banerjee,
47:17who is a member of the Lok Sabha Congress,
47:19is a member of the Lok Sabha Congress.
47:21Kalyan Banerjee,
47:23who is a member of the Lok Sabha Congress,
47:25is a member of the Lok Sabha Congress.
47:27Kalyan Banerjee,
47:29who is a member of the Lok Sabha Congress,
47:31is a member of the Lok Sabha Congress.
47:33Kalyan Banerjee,
47:35who is a member of the Lok Sabha Congress,
47:37is a member of the Lok Sabha Congress.
47:39Kalyan Banerjee,
47:41who is a member of the Lok Sabha Congress,
47:43is a member of the Lok Sabha Congress.
47:45Kalyan Banerjee,
47:47who is a member of the Lok Sabha Congress,
47:49is a member of the Lok Sabha Congress.
47:51Kalyan Banerjee,
47:53who is a member of the Lok Sabha Congress,
47:55is a member of the Lok Sabha Congress.
47:57Kalyan Banerjee,
47:59who is a member of the Lok Sabha Congress,
48:01is a member of the Lok Sabha Congress.
48:03Kalyan Banerjee,
48:05who is a member of the Lok Sabha Congress,
48:07is a member of the Lok Sabha Congress.
48:09I have no personal knowledge
48:11about the spat that took place.
48:13I have no personal knowledge
48:15of the spat that took place.
48:17His uncivilized behaviour
48:19has been diffused in our view several times.
48:21The Senior Vice Chancellor
48:23of Netherlands,
48:25everybody knows
48:27that languish
48:29and oppressive
48:31Kalyan,
48:33he became furious
48:35even though he could
48:37Even if I had 10 plates of food with me, I wouldn't have been able to speak.
48:42Kalyan Banerjee, though, remains defiant.
48:45Once a woman MP asked me why I didn't collect signatures.
48:51Then she was shouting. At the top level, I was also shouting. No doubt about it.
48:58In the meantime, that woman ran away.
49:01I told BSF to arrest me.
49:07I have been in politics for 40 years.
49:11I have fought against Congress, CPM, BJP.
49:15You don't see how I fight in Parliament.
49:18I don't fight only against Adani and Modi. I fight against everyone.
49:22He has even offered to quit the party.
49:27If I say I will leave politics, I won't leave politics.
49:33But I won't tolerate that woman MP.
49:38She can speak for 20 minutes.
49:44What is this?
49:46I can take pressure of everyone.
49:49But I cannot take the pressure of that particular MP for saying
49:55that I have to make so many allotments.
50:25The police have denied reports of stone pelting by the minority community
50:29and instead have released videos to back their claim.
50:33Will the police act against those rumour mongers? Take a look.
50:47Ram Navmi Shobha Yatra leading to vandalism in Kanpur.
50:55The police have released videos to debunk claims of stone pelting during festivities earlier this week.
51:03The videos show people who took part in the Shobha Yatra go berserk at a location.
51:09In another place, they are seen jostling with the police.
51:18The police have filed more than a dozen FIRs against nearly 200 people
51:23from Hindu outfits who took out processions at several places.
51:29The FIRs are for allegedly spreading rumours, conspiracy to incite riots, etc.
51:39There was a Shobha Yatra held at Maestral Road.
51:43Some YouTubers and those who were unsuccessful spread rumours
51:49that there was a riot, which was completely wrong.
51:56Those named in the FIRs include local BJP and Bajrang Dal leaders.
52:01We will talk to the administration and decide that we will not let any worker go to jail in this case.
52:09But if any of our anti-BJP workers have made any mistakes, we will sit in the room and talk to them.
52:17A meeting has been called of the MLAs and MPs, which will decide the course of action by the BJP.
52:23Also, on the other hand, police is maintaining that they are going to the city.
52:28On the other hand, police is maintaining that they are going to the CCTV cameras.
52:32They have got some more videos on the basis of which some more miscreants are being identified
52:37and the action will be taken against them.
52:40With video channel Shivam Shukla, this is Simar Chawla in Kanpur for India Today.
52:59After the President's approval, the Waqf Amendment Bill became a law on 5th April.
53:04The government says that this law has been made with the aim of improving the management and administration of Waqf properties.
53:10A video is being shared on social media saying that action has been initiated under the Waqf Act
53:15and Madrasas are being sealed in Uttar Pradesh.
53:17But, India Today Fact Check found that this video is not from UP but from Uttarakhand.
53:22Also, this video is from a few days before the Waqf Bill was passed.
53:26This fact check on viral fake news is done by India Today's team of Waqf.
53:30This is AI Sana signing off.
53:57Remarkable pups were brought back to life using ancient DNA extracted from fossilized remains.
54:03Quite a story to leave you with.
54:05Stay well, stay safe. Good night, Shubratri. Jai Hind, Namaskar.
54:08Take a look at this report.
54:26Computer generated versions of a wolf species that became extinct nearly 13,000 years ago.
54:43The dire wolf is now back from extinction.
54:48Meet Romulus and Remus.
54:50The world's first de-extinct animals.
54:53Brought to life using ancient DNA, they were born on October 1st, 2024.
54:58Their sister, Khaleesi, is just two months old.
55:04Texas-based Colossal Biosciences used two sets of fossils,
55:08one dating back over 70,000 years and another over 13,000 years,
55:13to reconstruct a dire wolf genome.
55:17Using the DNA recovered from the fossils,
55:19the researchers edited 20 genes of grey wolves to give them features of dire wolves.
55:25The embryos were then implanted in surrogate dogs.
55:31The result, a howling moment in genetic history.
55:37Over the months, the wolves have grown, gaining size, strength and features of their Ice Age ancestors,
55:43like long white fur and muscular jaws.
55:49Many scientists, however, sound a note of caution.
56:13Does it make a slightly modified grey wolf? Yes.
56:16And that's probably about it.
56:19Colossal Biosciences is calling this the age of de-extinction.
56:23The researchers at Colossal are now working to bring back the woolly mammoth and dodos.
56:30Bureau report, India Today.