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00:00Good evening, hello and welcome. You're with the news today. This is your primetime destination.
00:05News, newsmakers, talking points, news without the noise.
00:09The big political story will be one of our talking points.
00:12The BJP has gone ahead and sealed an alliance with the AIDMK for next year's Tamil Nadu polls.
00:19Could this be a game changer in that battleground state?
00:22Also, Donald Trump versus Xi Jinping. The tariff war keeps escalating.
00:29We'll have guests from both America and China join us as well as look at what it means for India too.
00:36But first, as always, it's time for the Nine Headlines at Nine.
00:42The BJP and the AIDMK seal and alliance in Tamil Nadu will fight the 2026 assembly elections under the leadership of E. Pallani Sami.
00:53Amit Shah says the move is to counter the DMK's narrative.
00:57The DMK says this is purely a marriage of convenience.
01:04BJP also announces that Nainar Nagendran will succeed Anna Malai as the new Tamil Nadu BJP chief.
01:11Home Minister Amit Shah thanks Anna Malai, says his contributions to the party unprecedented.
01:15NIA Grylls 2611 plotted Tahavur Ranar. Tahavur questioned on his Lashkar links and fundings from Pakistan.
01:26Protests against the Vakf law continue across India.
01:34The West Bengal government versus centre escalates over the issue.
01:38West Bengal Minister Firat Hakim says law won't be effective in the state.
01:42Vows to take the fight to the Supreme Court.
01:44Garnataka contractor's body alleges corruption has worsened under Siddharamaya-led Congress rule.
01:52Garnataka cabinet says serious note taken on contractor allegations.
01:56SIT will investigate the matter further.
01:59Two days after India Today's ground report exposed rampant female feticide in Haryana,
02:07Chief Minister Nayib Saini asshaws action.
02:09Punjab police now also registered an FIR against the accused.
02:16Allahabad High Court grants bail to rape accused.
02:19Says victim herself invited trouble for consuming alcohol and visiting accused residents.
02:23DMK Minister Ponmudi removed from party post over vulgar remarks on Shaivism and Vaishnaism.
02:33Opposition says action not enough. Demands sacking from cabinet.
02:38US-China trade war worsens as China raises tariffs on US goods to 125%.
02:45Indian markets rebound amidst the pause on tariffs for India.
02:53For our top story tonight, Tamil Nadu is now the next big battleground for the Bharatiya Janata Party.
03:05After days of speculation surrounding a potential deal between the BJP and the opposition AIADMK,
03:12an alliance for the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections was sealed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah currently in Chennai.
03:21Shah confirmed that the AIADMK and the BJP will contest the 2026 Assembly elections together as part of an NDA alliance.
03:30He was addressing a joint gathering of BJP and AIADMK leaders.
03:34Shah stated that the election will be led nationally by Prime Minister Modi
03:38and in Tamil Nadu by Edhapadi Pallani Sami and the AIADMK.
03:43Is this the next big move that the BJP intends to take in a state that so far has proved a bridge too far?
03:53First, listen in to what Amit Shah had to say.
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04:21рдпрд╣ рдЪреБрдирд╛рд╡ рд░рд╛рд╢реНрдЯрд┐рдпрд╕реНрддрд░ рдкрд░ рдирд░реЗрдВрджреНрд░ рдореЛрджреА рдЬреА рдХреЗ рдирд┐рддреНрд░реВрддреЛрдВ рдореЗрдВ
04:28and Rajashtar per AIDMK
04:32Kera Padi ji ke netrutu me
04:36lada jayega
04:381998 se
04:42AIDMK
04:46NDA Gatwandan
04:48ka hissa hai
04:50or lambay samayi tuk
04:52Modi ji
04:54or mahan jayil alita ji
04:56ne saath mein mil kar
04:58rastriya radniti mein kaam kiya hai
05:04And joining me now is a very special guest
05:06I'm joined by Swaminathan Gurumurthy
05:08RSS ideologue Tughlaq editor
05:10and some would say Mr. Gurumurthy
05:14Let me go first to Mr.
05:16And some would say Mr. Gurumurthy
05:18the person who is behind
05:20the entire alliance
05:22the alliance which has been forged
05:24between the AIDMK
05:26and the BJP
05:28many believe that Mr. Gurumurthy
05:30has played a key role
05:32in forging that alliance
05:34Before that I'm also joined
05:36at the moment by Narayan Lakshman
05:38joins me of the Hindu
05:40Before we go to Mr.
05:42Gurumurthy Narayan just to get
05:44from you how this all plays
05:46out because when I look at
05:48and I'm going to put the Lok Sabha
05:502019 Tamil Nadu seat share
05:52The DMK
05:54swept the elections
05:56in 2019 Lok Sabha
05:5838 seats AIDMK
06:00one seat the DMK Congress
06:02alliance with smaller parties
06:04at 53% AIDMK
06:0630% switch to
06:082021 Tamil Nadu assembly
06:10elections the DMK
06:12had 159 seats
06:14their vote share was about
06:1645.38%
06:18The AIDMK seat share
06:20at that time was 75
06:22with a vote share of 39.7%
06:24When I look at Lok Sabha
06:262024
06:28Narayan again
06:30it was a domination of the DMK
06:32they swept the state 39 to 0
06:34with a vote share of 46
06:36AIDMK 23 but the BJP on its own
06:38or with smaller parties got 18%
06:40at the 2 it would be closer
06:42what's your sense is this
06:44alliance being dictated in a way
06:46Narayan by the arithmetic
06:48of it if AIDMK and BJP
06:50come together they have half
06:52a chance otherwise it would be
06:54DMK all the way
06:56Yes I think
06:58it's very much about the arithmetic
07:00but there is also the aspect of
07:02you know what is the balance of power
07:04between these parties
07:06what is the trend and how which
07:08way is it you know heading in the future
07:10So let's look at both
07:12if you look at the actual numbers
07:14as you said certainly the DMK has been
07:16in pole position for at least the last
07:17three elections
07:18two of them Lok Sabha one state assembly
07:20and they have dominated
07:22across the state
07:24so regions that were traditionally
07:26you know considered to be
07:28the strongholds of the AIDMK
07:30the Tevar regions etc.
07:32The DMK has done well across many of them
07:34and that indicates a level of weakness
07:38within the ADMK's sort of
07:40electioneering machine
07:42that needs either a severe
07:44rectification or it needs a partnership
07:46it needs another ally to come on board
07:48to lift those numbers up and
07:50so therein you come to the second aspect
07:52which is that the BJP
07:54obviously expanding its footprint across
07:56the country in many states through state
07:58assembly and Lok Sabha elections
08:00has hit a wall in many ways
08:02not for multiple elections and it sees
08:04the AIDMK now as a potential ally
08:07which is in a position to
08:09actually tie up with the BJP
08:12because its own leadership
08:14has got consolidated under
08:16Edapati Palani Sami.
08:17So the BJP was very careful
08:18to go its own way
08:20at certain points when
08:22there was a real question mark
08:23and a fracture within the AIDMK
08:25in the aftermath of Jalalitha's passing
08:27where Edapati Palani Sami
08:29you know had all these struggles
08:31and conflicts and internal strife
08:33with other members of his party
08:36OPS and others.
08:37But that has been obviously set aside now
08:39and Edapati has a clear mandate
08:41to govern his own party
08:42making the AIDMK a much better partner
08:45for the BJP.
08:46Right.
08:47And that again lends credence
08:48in terms of concrete discussions
08:50in terms of seat sharing.
08:51So I think the arithmetic front and centre
08:54but also which party brings what
08:56to the table in terms of contesting
08:58the election and winning.
09:00But the truth is that Narayan
09:02the AIDMK after Jalalitha's death
09:05has struggled to remain this dominant force.
09:08Its vote share has fallen.
09:10It has found different leaders
09:12squabbling with each other.
09:13There was the Sashikala faction.
09:15There was the O Paneer Selvam faction.
09:18There is the faction led by Palani Sami.
09:21Are you saying that they are now
09:23far more consolidated
09:24and therefore in a better position
09:26to challenge the DMK in this election
09:28next year?
09:29That's a really good question.
09:30It goes to the heart of what
09:32the Tamil voter wants and expects
09:34from the people governing the state.
09:36And that is they want strong
09:38centralized leadership.
09:40Yes, of course, couched within a democratic ethos
09:43and couched within the idiom
09:45of the Dravidian movement
09:46which is about federalism,
09:48federal politics,
09:49but about state autonomy.
09:50And as you know,
09:51Tamil Nadu over the last 50 years and more
09:53has fiercely shouted for state autonomy
09:55and has fought for its rights.
09:57So the people, the voters here
09:59expect a strong leader
10:01who can actually take that fight
10:03to New Delhi,
10:05who can sit boldly
10:06at the negotiating table
10:07and talk about everything
10:08from a fair share of central resources
10:11in terms of tax revenue sharing
10:13to, you know, language,
10:16Hindi imposition, language issues
10:18and other major concerns
10:19that have been part of the culture
10:21and psyche of the state.
10:22And I think despite Parni Sami
10:25actually, you know,
10:27in the court system,
10:29navigating his conflict
10:30and coming out the winner,
10:32he is still, I believe,
10:35perceived by voters
10:36as not yet having attained
10:39a comparable status to M.K. Stalin,
10:41which is have a party
10:42that is firmly behind you
10:44and you are capable
10:45of leading it successfully
10:47through an election.
10:48So there is always a fear
10:49that EPS, as he's called,
10:51may, you know, in the future suffer
10:54or maybe at the receiving end
10:56of conflict within the party.
10:59So, you know, the Sasi Kala factor,
11:01the OPS factor,
11:02these have not really gone away
11:04just because a court with a,
11:06you know, the signing of a pen
11:08with a stroke of a pen
11:10has actually, you know,
11:11passed a judgment
11:12to bring it all under EPS.
11:14I don't think these fights have gone away
11:16and the people know that
11:17and therefore,
11:18you do see this perceptible difference
11:20as you correctly put it
11:21between the DMK's dominant position politically
11:25vis-a-vis the ADMK
11:27and indeed,
11:28it's a question that the BJP
11:29will have to ask as well.
11:30In a moment,
11:31I'll be joined by S. Guru Murthy,
11:33but one quick final question to you,
11:34therefore Narayan Lakshman.
11:36In recent times,
11:37the DMK has taken on the centre
11:40and tried to build this,
11:42you know,
11:43tried to build their identity
11:44over standing for Tamil pride.
11:46How will that fit in
11:47with the AIDMK choosing now
11:49to align with the BJP?
11:51Will this election,
11:52therefore, next year,
11:53according to you,
11:54be between a party
11:55which claims to stand for Tamil pride
11:57versus another party
11:58which claims to stand possibly
11:59for building a better equation
12:01with the centre?
12:02Quick answer.
12:04Well, the quick answer is,
12:05Rajdeep,
12:06everyone in the state again knows
12:07about how both the DMK
12:08and the ADMK have played
12:10the politics of convenience
12:11and allied with the BJP
12:12whenever it is required,
12:14expediency has required it.
12:15So I don't think they'll hold that
12:17against the ADMK so much,
12:18but I think they will be focused
12:20on how much is the BJP dictating
12:22the terms of the deal
12:23versus has EPS really put himself
12:26in the driving seat
12:27and he's just using this alliance
12:30to boost the ADMK
12:31to its former state of glory.
12:33Now, a lot of people may question
12:34whether that's actually possible
12:35given the balance of power
12:37between the two new allies.
12:39Right.
12:40But this is a shot,
12:41this is possibly EPS's last chance
12:43to actually vault back
12:45into a real competition
12:47with the DMK,
12:48which for the last few years
12:49has not been happening.
12:50Okay.
12:51Narayan Lakshman joining me there
12:53to give us an explanation
12:54as to why this alliance
12:55has happened at the time
12:56that it has.
12:57A good time to go to someone
12:59who many believe plays a key role
13:01whenever BJP's politics
13:02is thought about in Tamil Nadu.
13:04I am joined now
13:05by the Tughlaq editor
13:07and RSS ideologue S. Gurumurthy.
13:09I appreciate your joining us,
13:11Mr. Gurumurthy.
13:12Why don't you settle that
13:13for us first?
13:14Because Amit Shah came to meet you
13:16when he landed in Chennai,
13:18led to speculation that
13:19Mr. S. Gurumurthy
13:20is the one who's sealing the pact
13:22between the BJP and AIDMK.
13:24See, possibly because I am
13:28one of the two persons,
13:31Choramaswamy and myself,
13:33who have a five decade perceptions
13:37about the way Tamil Nadu politics
13:39has moved.
13:40From Dravidianism
13:42to nearly the post-Dravidian
13:44ideological positioning.
13:46Today, both these Dravidian parties
13:49are Dravidian parties only in name.
13:52They have nothing to do
13:54with the original Dravidian ideology
13:56which they had propounded and expounded.
13:59So to say that these are Dravidian parties
14:02and they have this federalism
14:05and autonomy and all that,
14:07these are all slogans.
14:09Even anti-Hindi propaganda
14:13which they are making
14:14is merely a slogan.
14:16As Stalin had to say
14:19that the schools run by the DMK
14:22men are taught teaching Hindi
14:24because of the central government.
14:26I mean, I cannot understand.
14:28If you don't want Hindi
14:30in public schools,
14:32government schools,
14:34why do you offer it in private schools
14:37run by the DMK?
14:39So, ideologically,
14:41the anti-Hindi stance has failed.
14:44In Tamil Nadu,
14:46lakhs of people are appearing
14:48privately for Hindi examination.
14:50And so these are all only cliches.
14:52For example,
14:53in NEET, opposition to NEET.
14:55Tamil Nadu is one of the largest
14:57sharers in the seat allocation
14:59through NEET.
15:01And this is still being maintained
15:03because these are all slogans
15:05which help
15:07because another party is in power
15:09at the centre.
15:10But I don't think this is touching
15:12the people at the base.
15:14Society in Tamil Nadu...
15:16But the fact is,
15:17you're saying it's not touching
15:18people at the base.
15:19But we've seen,
15:20if I go back to 2019,
15:22Lok Sabha,
15:232021,
15:24Vidhan Sabha,
15:252024,
15:26Lok Sabha,
15:27the DMK Congress-led alliance
15:29has swept the elections.
15:30And the AIDMK has seemingly
15:32now become a secondary force
15:35post Jailalitha.
15:36Is this therefore a marriage
15:38of convenience between the BJP
15:40which wants a foothold in Tamil Nadu
15:42and the AIDMK which is desperate
15:44for some kind of a resurgence?
15:46See, basically you have to understand
15:49that the DMK strength is not the DMK.
15:53It is the alliance.
15:55DMK cannot fight and win an election alone
15:59like Jailalitha did in 2016.
16:01It has never fought an election alone.
16:06Ever in its entire history.
16:09From 1967,
16:1171,
16:1277,
16:1380,
16:1489,
16:15any take,
16:16any election.
16:18Their strength is their capacity
16:21to weave an alliance.
16:23They have had a better alliance
16:26in 2019,
16:2721 and 24.
16:30But the ADMK received the shock,
16:34the post Jailalitha shock of a split
16:38and it got weakened.
16:40And the BJP had not actually risen
16:44in that period.
16:45If you look at the voting of the BJP
16:48in 2016 or 2021 or 24,
16:54the BJP's rise is in 2024.
16:58So the BJP is now filling the anti-DMK
17:02space with the nationalist orientation
17:06which the Congress used to do.
17:08Rajiv Gandhi tried to do it in 1989
17:12by making the Congress fight under the leadership
17:15of Mupana,
17:16both the DMK and the split ADMK
17:19and he got 21% votes.
17:22But afterwards,
17:23the Congress did not pursue it.
17:25The nationalist votes had got smuggled
17:27into the ADMK
17:29and that was the strength of the ADMK.
17:33The BJP is now picking up the nationalist
17:35votes from the ADMK
17:37and that is actually causing the decline
17:39of the ADMK.
17:40But both the DMK and ADMK
17:43are only political parties today.
17:45They are no more the same ideological movement
17:47as they used to be.
17:49But that's precisely the question.
17:51Just 11 months ago,
17:53AIDMK, BJP, DMK
17:55all fought in separate alliances
17:57and the BJP leadership at the time,
18:00Anna Malai,
18:01who I haven't mentioned until now,
18:02was the one who said that
18:04both these Dravida parties are corrupt.
18:06Both these Dravida parties have betrayed the ideology
18:10of the Dravidian movement.
18:1111 months later now,
18:13Anna Malai is pushed to the side
18:15and the BJP goes and ties up with the ADMK.
18:18Are we suddenly saying that the ADMK is no longer corrupt?
18:21Is this pure politics of opportunism and convenience, sir?
18:25You see, I would put it this way
18:28because I am editing the Tughlaq
18:30and Joe Ramaswamy used to maintain this position.
18:33We look at the lesser of the two corrupt parties.
18:36We look at the lesser of the two evils.
18:39Otherwise, you can never form alliances, political alliances.
18:43If you are a puritan, you can look.
18:45But the BJP is looking for a grand alliance to defeat the DMK.
18:53Its purpose in 2021-26 elections is to defeat the DMK.
18:58But don't think that Anna Malai is pushed to the side
19:02because I am very intensely involved in the discussions.
19:04Anna Malai and me had one and a half hours discussion yesterday
19:08before Misha and me met today.
19:11Of course, I am not playing...
19:13But he has been removed as party president, sir.
19:14It seems too much of a coincidence
19:16that Anna Malai has removed as party president
19:18and immediately a new BJP president is brought in
19:21and the alliance is sealed in today.
19:22Surely, somewhere down the line,
19:24Anna Malai's stand that he wanted to build the BJP
19:27independent of these Dravidar parties
19:29has been rejected by the party's central leadership.
19:32Oh, wait a minute.
19:34BJP has not repeated its precedence anywhere in the country,
19:38state presidents.
19:39In every place the president has been changed.
19:42Do they make an exception in the case of Tamil Nadu?
19:47And Anna Malai is the only leader, a state leader,
19:53who has made resonance at the national level.
19:56He is a national level prospect.
19:59So, the BJP is thinking of building him at the national level.
20:02This also helps to ease the relationship with the ADMK.
20:07So, it is not a shift from an anomalized position.
20:13The BJP's position stands.
20:15If the BJP and the ADMK will share everything together, they should merge.
20:20They cannot.
20:21Sir, can I though raise the question that I also raised with Narayan Lakshman earlier.
20:25The DMK has built its strategy in recent times as pitting Tamil identity versus the centre.
20:30Whether it's on language, whether it's on need, they are looking for issues
20:34where they say that Tamil Nadu is being discriminated against.
20:37On the other hand now, AI-DMK goes and ties up with the BJP which is led by Prime Minister Modi.
20:44Is this therefore two different visions of how Tamil Nadu should move ahead?
20:48DMK is saying we will stand for Tamil pride and identity versus AI-DMK which wants to in some way
20:55do some kind of a deal with Delhi under Mr. Modi's leadership.
20:59And therefore, it's brand Modi now versus Tamil identity in 2026.
21:05Shall I tell you this Tamil identity or fight for state's rights or for cooperating this federalism
21:13with the state autonomy, all these have been reduced to slogans because of the very conduct of the DMK.
21:20They never raised this issue when they were sharing power with Vajpayee or with the Congress at the centre.
21:27All these only when they were not sharing power.
21:30So, these issues are not making resonance at the ground level.
21:36It is issue at the media level, day-to-day discussions.
21:40So, what's the ground level issue?
21:43What's the ground level issue then Mr. Gurumurthi?
21:45What's the ground level issue?
21:46It has weakened.
21:47Actually, you must conduct someтАж
21:50The society has shifted away from both the Dravidian party's core ideology.
21:55They are nowтАж
21:57You know the DMK people are now finding their leader's photographs in temple festivals.
22:03They wanted to destroy the temples.
22:06Today, they want to be seen with gods.
22:10So, where is the question of some Dravidian ideology and theirтАж
22:16It's all gone.
22:17But they still have aтАж
22:18They are just a political partyтАж
22:19Sir, their combined vote shareтАж
22:21Their combined vote share was overтАж
22:24DMK plus Congress was 46% along with smaller parties like MDMK and others.
22:29On the other hand, BJP was 18%, AIDMK was 23%.
22:34The point is, by coming togetherтАж
22:37Is it about accretion?
22:38Will they also need someone like actor Vijay to join them?
22:41Is this all an attempt in which I told you are involved to build a grand alliance against the DMK?
22:47You see, actually, when BJP and the ADMK come together, you don't just add only their votes.
22:56That this alliance has the capacity to defeat the DMK adds to its value so far as the state politics is concerned.
23:05Central politics is different.
23:07There is a different pattern of voting between the state and the center all over the country.
23:12In state politics, who can form the government becomes more important.
23:17And the DMK will never be able to form a coalition government.
23:23In 2026, when they did not get the majority, they did not co-opt the alliance parties into the government.
23:30So the DMK can never, never head a coalition government.
23:34It would prefer to be part of a coalition government at the center, not in the state.
23:39But the ADMK is now settling for a coalition government.
23:43So let me ask you in conclusion, do you believe this day marks a tectonic shift in Tamil Nadu politics ahead of next year's election?
23:54Or is it simply another triumph of the politics of opportunism and flexibility?
23:59You see, you can, you can use any term, every, every political alliance for a particular election.
24:06You can describe it in two ways.
24:08You can say it is strategic or you can say is opportunistic.
24:11But the fact is that the DMK government has incurred such bad name in the last two, three years.
24:17It is not being brought out by the media because the Tamil media is dependent on the state government.
24:23The English media is ideologically opposed to the BJP.
24:27This is a double advantage for the DMK.
24:30Because I am involved in the media and I am running Tughlaq magazine, which is one of the boldest magazines in the country.
24:36Yes, but you are, you know, you also, you also will be accused by the DMK of being aligned with the BJP.
24:45Is this Prime Minister Modi trying to reach out to the one state which has been a bridge too far, sir?
24:51Tamil Nadu has been a bridge too far all these years for the BJP.
24:54Can anything really change?
24:56So can I always, I always say there is nothing like a neutral media.
25:00There is always an independent media.
25:02That you express your views fearlessly is the most important thing.
25:06This is what Ramnath Goenka taught me.
25:09Ramnath Goenka used to say, Guru, if it is a neutral media, you fall between two stools.
25:15You've got to be bold and say what you believe in.
25:19Okay.
25:20There is nothing called bias or anything in the media.
25:23Media means that you speak what you believe to be the truth.
25:26That is what Tughlaq used to do.
25:28And Cho Ramaswamy used to very powerfully support Jail Elita at one point.
25:33Karuna Gandhi at one point.
25:35Rajiv Gandhi at one point.
25:37Because he believed in it.
25:38That is what I do.
25:39That is what we do.
25:40Okay.
25:41I am going to leave.
25:42But nobody can say we are doing it for any purpose.
25:47Let me leave it there, Mr. Guru Murthy.
25:49As I said, today is a day which has shaken Tamil Nadu politics once again.
25:53We will wait and see how it plays out in the weeks and months ahead.
25:57Exciting one year ahead for Tamil Nadu.
25:59But I appreciate you joining me on the show tonight.
26:02Thank you very much.
26:03Swaminathan Guru Murthy of the Tughlaq joining me there.
26:06Claiming that this is an alliance in a way whose time has come.
26:10We will wait and see.
26:11Well, one thing whose time has come is America versus China.
26:17Tensions rising by the day as the US-China trade war intensifies.
26:22President Donald Trump sharply raising tariffs on Chinese imports now soaring to 145%.
26:28China today responded firmly, hiking its tariffs on United States goods to 125%.
26:34How will all of this play out?
26:36In a moment, I will be joined by guests from both China and the United States.
26:40But first, take a look at this report.
26:41A tariffs teardown that is escalating at lightning speed.
26:49US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are toughening their stand every passing day as they wait for the other side to blink first.
26:58The US on Thursday raised the tariffs on China to an unprecedented 145%.
27:05What happens with China?
27:07We would love to be able to work a deal.
27:10They've really taken advantage of our country for a long period of time.
27:15Well, I have great respect for President Xi.
27:18He's been, in a true sense, he's been a friend of mine for a long period of time.
27:22And I think that we'll end up working out something that's very good for both countries.
27:28I look forward to it.
27:30While the White House tries to force China to join the negotiating table, President Xi is having none of it.
27:37Just hours after the US raised tariffs, Beijing announced it is increasing duties on American goods to 125%.
27:47China is now reaching out to other countries in an effort to corner the US.
27:52In a meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in Beijing, Xi invited the European Union to join hands with China to resist bullying.
28:02Beijing stated that President Xi told Prime Minister Sanchez that there will be no winners in a tariff war and going against the world will isolate oneself.
28:13Not long ago, I co-authored an article with Brazilian President Lula and South African President Ramaphosa calling for support for multilateralism, the safeguarding of the common good of all humanity and opposition to isolationism, unilateralism and decoupling.
28:32The Chinese president who held talks with leaders of Saudi Arabia and South Africa will travel to Southeast Asia, including Vietnam and Cambodia next week.
28:45While the tariff war escalates, Beijing has hinted it may not raise tariffs anymore as American products at current tariffs will be unattractive for the Chinese customers.
28:57The question remains, who will blink first, Xi or Trump?
29:02Bureau Report, India Today.
29:04So how should we see this tariff war that's escalating by the day?
29:12Is this Donald Trump's bid to make China simply come to the negotiating table?
29:16Will this trade war now be a prolonged one?
29:19Who's going to blink first?
29:21Or has Donald Trump already blinked when he gave that 90-day pause?
29:25Joining me now, Gabriel Mathi, Associate Professor, Department of Economics at American University in Washington, D.C.
29:31And Andrew Lewin is China's strategist and analyst in Hong Kong.
29:35Let me come to you first, Gabriel Mathi.
29:38Are we seeing the beginning of a prolonged trade war or is Donald Trump using these tariffs as a way to bring China to the negotiating table?
29:50What's your take?
29:53Well, it's hard to say.
29:54With President Trump, everything changes day by day.
29:57We saw that we had a delay already with the tariffs only in place for a few hours that he backed off on the reciprocal, supposedly tariffs and switching to a 10 percent tariff.
30:09I think that President Trump thinks this is a trade war that he can win, but it's not clear that the American people will be willing to pay much higher prices on Chinese products given these exorbitant tariffs.
30:22And so I suspect that President Trump will be the first to blink, though he may not know it yet.
30:27Interesting.
30:28You're saying President Trump could be the first to blink.
30:31Andrew Lewin, how is China looking at this?
30:33Today they've gone ahead and they've also hiked tariffs to 145 percent.
30:37Is China ready for this trade war or is China also being caught by surprise by what Trump has done?
30:43I think that all Americans target trading partners, none of them want a trade war.
30:53They all want to come to some sort of agreement or accommodation.
30:59But I don't think that China particularly wants to be put into a position of and supplicant, in other words, begging America for mercy.
31:10That's what Trump is trying to do using this bullying tactics and imposing huge tariffs on all his target trading partners so they can light up and kiss his A, as he said, you know, sort of begging for mercy.
31:25But I don't think that China is in that position because China's leverage over the United States is much higher than the other.
31:36So you're saying, are you telling me, are you telling me, Andrew Lewin, China is in a position to enter into a prolonged trade war?
31:45That China will not blink first?
31:47No, no, no, no, no.
31:48No, don't put, please do not put words into my mouth, okay?
31:51Let me finish.
31:52Well, if you go to any American supermarket, you'll find that they're all flooded with China's products.
32:01I would say over 90% of the products are made in China, even though products are not marked made in China.
32:09They have China embedded in it, in terms of materials, in terms of components, parts, and logistics, in a sense that the supply and value chain and transported goods are based on container ports.
32:22The top seven container ports out of the top 11 are located in China.
32:27Apart from the fact, of course, China lost the rare earths, which find its way into very important products.
32:35The processing, almost 85% or higher is concentrated in China.
32:42Now, of course, China doesn't want a war, but China wants to come to the negotiation table as an equal and not as a supplicant.
32:51That's an interesting, that's an interesting, that's an interesting point you made, that China wants to come to the negotiating table as an equal, not as a supplicant.
33:00Do you believe, Gabriel Methi, that Trump has underestimated China somewhere down the line?
33:07The very fact that he's had to put a pause with other countries, many believe, is because the manner in which bonds markets have shaken, given these tariffs, because China is holding firm.
33:16Has Trump underestimated China at the moment?
33:20Well, I think absolutely.
33:21You know, I think there's a lot of arrogance from the administration, the idea that America is very strong and every other country will simply bend the knee.
33:29You can see how they conduct themselves like a 19th century empire.
33:34I'm talking about conquering Greenland, expanding its territory and unprovoked aggression.
33:40So it's clear, I think, that the administration, the American administration has overestimated its position.
33:47It's clear why the Chinese are not going to back down.
33:50They're in a struggle for global hegemony with the United States.
33:54And this is a trade war that they can win geopolitically, even if they're short term pain.
33:58They can see all of America's allies, which are being alienated.
34:02And there's a chance to form new partnerships across the globe.
34:06There's a clear opportunity for them.
34:07There's no reason for them to back down.
34:09Andrew Lewin, is China ready for some short term pain?
34:14Or is China got a plan B already in place in your view?
34:19Of course, China doesn't want to give up its sovereignty.
34:22And China doesn't want to be bullied.
34:24But it doesn't mean that China doesn't want a settlement.
34:27Because there are lots of differences between the two countries.
34:31And yet there are huge areas of cooperation, not least of climate change, green energy, and above all, something very close to the heart of the United States, which is the flood of the federal.
34:46The drugs tsunami.
34:49And China is playing a part.
34:51So if you think that all these leverages China has, there's no surprise that the presidency doesn't want to appear just to become a supplicant.
35:05Now, it's also very important.
35:08China has responded to the latest terrorist hike of 145% by upping its own terrorist to 125% and said that's very important.
35:19They said, well, beyond that level, all the numbers don't count, don't mean a thing.
35:24Because at that level, it's not possible to do any trade.
35:27I mean, you ask any multinationals whether they can ship goods to the United States at that level of tariff.
35:35So all the, you just hike the tariffs even higher to a thousand percent.
35:40It doesn't make sense.
35:41It's only a numbers game.
35:42Okay.
35:43So President C makes it quite clear.
35:44He doesn't want to play that game.
35:46You know, you either that American can call China and then both sides can talk.
35:53Otherwise, China would not like to just kneel and kiss President C's A.
36:00Okay.
36:01He doesn't want to kiss.
36:04Okay.
36:05Andrew, we're going to leave it there because I'm getting a bit of breaking news at the moment.
36:08But I appreciate both my guests joining us and giving us where they stand on what is becoming a virtual trade war between the two countries.
36:18The breaking news coming in at the moment.
36:20You may have seen those flashes.
36:21U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance likely now to visit India between April 21 and 24.
36:27U.S. NSA also likely to visit India, we're told, on those same dates.
36:32Apart from meeting Prime Minister and other senior officials, Mr. Vance will be travelling to Jaipura Nagra.
36:37His wife of Indian origin, Usha Vance, will also be accompanying him.
36:42Geetha Mohan joins me with the very latest.
36:45Geetha, slew of American visitors coming into India in the last month.
36:49The latest likely to be the Vice President.
36:52Well, that's a very important one.
36:55There were reports coming in that he could come end of March, but it is happening end of April.
37:03An important visit because this comes during the 90-day hiatus on the tariffs between India and the United States of America.
37:12While there will be a lot of areas that he'll touch upon, it also is going to most likely coincide with Michael Walsh,
37:19the National Security Advisor of the United States of America, his visit to India as well.
37:25So, security aspects, the Havurana being in India, the other cases that are ongoing between India, the United States of America,
37:34strategic cooperation, and also tariffs, which is very close to Donald Trump's heart,
37:40and how he wants to see the ties and relations go forward.
37:43So, at such a juncture, you'll have the U.S. Vice President visit India and accompanied by his wife, Usha Vance.
37:52Okay, Gita Mohan with that piece of breaking news on the U.S. Vice President set to visit India in a few days from now.
38:00Now, Donald Trump's 90-day pause on tariffs hikes has acted as a boost for Indian markets.
38:07The BSE Sensex ended with a jump of 1,310 points today, or 1.77%.
38:15The NSC Nifty also rising by 429 points.
38:20How is all this going to play up? How is India looking at this tariff war between China and the United States?
38:28I'm joined by Nilesh Shah, member of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council
38:32and also managing director at Kotak Mahindra Asset Management.
38:36Appreciate your joining us, Nilesh.
38:38The market's recovering strongly today, as have most global markets,
38:42after Donald Trump announced that 90-day pause on tariffs.
38:45But is your sense that we are heading for really uncertain times in the next few months?
38:50Undoubtedly, we think there is volatility ahead.
38:54We haven't seen the last word on the tariff.
38:58There will be counter moves by China and then by U.S.
39:02The world will remain volatile as there is a lot of uncertainty about the future.
39:08What, according to you, though, is the trigger?
39:13Is it simply India now carefully watching how this U.S.-China,
39:17Indian markets watching how the U.S.-China tariff war plays out,
39:20that until this war is resolved, the markets will remain uncertain?
39:25Is that the sense you get, Nilesh?
39:27Undoubtedly, markets are looking as to whether India can benefit from this trade war or not.
39:35As China tariffs are at 145%,
39:39practically all exports to America will come drastically down.
39:43And America will still consume those things.
39:46They will require alternate supplier.
39:49Can we beat that alternate supplier?
39:52The second eye will be on China has large manufacturing capacity.
39:56They will need a market to sell those goods.
40:00Will that be India?
40:02How proactive India will be in ensuring that China doesn't dump those goods in India.
40:07So market will be very keenly watching both opportunity as well as the threat.
40:13But are we now looking, therefore, in the near term at least,
40:17at a market which is not going to see a rally across the board,
40:21but specific sectors, specific companies that may in some way believe they benefit from a U.S.-China trade war?
40:29Is that the sense you get, Nilesh?
40:32Very well said, Rajdeep.
40:35I think there will be domestic themes which will get a preference.
40:39For example, consumption should get a boost as about one lakh crore of tax ribbit comes into play from 1st April 25.
40:48April salary, when it reaches people's pocket, they will see lower TDS.
40:53There could be potential petrol and diesel prices cut at the pump level.
40:58As interest rates have been cut by RBI by 50 basis point, EMI burden will ease off and consumers can be spending that money.
41:07And finally, somewhere towards the end of 2026, beginning of 2027,
41:138th Pay Commission will put money in the pockets of government employees.
41:17All these things will give boost to consumption which will be reasonably immune from the tariff war.
41:23So, I believe consumption kind of theme will get supported in the market and will be an outperformer.
41:30You know, but for now at least, Nilesh Shah, the consumption spike that the government is hoping for hasn't taken place.
41:37Private investment also hasn't quite got boosted post-budget.
41:41Is it simply because even private investors are just watching very carefully what happens in this trade war?
41:47There are fears of a global recession, certainly a US recession.
41:51Are investors playing simply a wait and watch game at the moment?
41:56Undoubtedly, the private capex will get delayed further with this kind of uncertainty.
42:02Today, people who have opportunity in US will also be careful in spending because they may have supply chain linkage to China.
42:11All our exporters will have to prove to US authorities that they are not rerouting products made out of China to America.
42:20Second, there is also technological change happening.
42:23The person who put up the first lab-grown diamond machine is now looking at losses
42:28because the cost of making lab-grown diamond has come down dramatically.
42:32The first mover advantage there becomes a liability.
42:36Between the global uncertainty and technological changes, it's quite likely that private capex will get pushed a little bit because of these uncertainties.
42:48My final question, therefore, to you, Nilesh, is what is your suggestion to market traders and, dare I say, retail investors?
42:57Should everyone just lie low for the next few months and be very careful about their investments?
43:03Undoubtedly, if you are a trader, it's better to lie low and stay out of the market rather than getting caught in this whirlpool of volatility.
43:13If you are an investor, then, you know, keep on buying during the correction, but don't be in a hurry to deploy.
43:22Give preference to quality over momentum.
43:25Give preference to reasonable valuation over expensive valuation and domestic theme over international theme.
43:32Nilesh Shah for giving us a sense of how this is all playing out on the markets.
43:39I appreciate you joining me.
43:41Clearly, we'll be watching what happens in that U.S.-China trade war very closely in the weeks and months ahead.
43:48Let's turn to the very latest on the Tahavur-Rana interrogation.
43:51The National Intelligence Agency began that interrogation formally today.
43:56Remember, Rana, a key accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, was extradited from the United States only yesterday.
44:04He's been questioned in detail to unravel the complete conspiracy behind 2611.
44:10Rana has been sent to NIA custody for 18 days.
44:14Take a look at what happened.
44:17NIA begins interrogation of 2611 Mumbai attacks conspirator Tahavur-Rana.
44:23The terror accused was remanded to 18-day NIA custody after a late-night court hearing in Delhi that followed his extradition from America.
44:31The court has directed that any medical requirements on his behalf would be taken care of and comprehensive medical tests would be done when he's taken into custody and before he's brought back into court.
44:44Tahavur-Rana is being questioned at the NIA headquarters in Delhi by a team led by the NIA-DG.
44:51Sources tell India today that Rana was confronted with a series of questions prepared by the agency.
44:57Two cameras are installed in Rana's interrogation cell and his questioning will be recorded.
45:04Rana has been kept in a lockup on the ground floor of the NIA HQ.
45:08His interrogation cell is located just above the lockup.
45:11The terror accused is being served food in the same lockup and only a team of 12 officers have access to Rana as per sources.
45:20Three sets of questionnaires have been prepared by NIA.
45:24Tahavur-Rana is being questioned on his location on the days of the terror attack and why he was there.
45:31Rana is also to be questioned on people he met during his stay in India and why he sent Headley to India on a fake visa.
45:38As per sources, the priority is to find out who was Rana's handler in Pakistan, who was funding him, who are the sleeper cells, who are his business partners, who was he funding in India, who all Headley contacted in India and to whom was the money given.
45:57Apart from this, efforts are also being made to find out why Sajid Mir came to India to watch cricket.
46:04And did anyone else accompany Rana to the places where he gave videos to the Pakistani army?
46:10The U.S. has made a big revelation.
46:13After the attacks were complete, Rana allegedly told Headley that Indians deserved it.
46:18In an intercepted conversation with Headley, U.S. revealed that Rana allegedly commanded nine L.E.T. terrorists who had been killed in the attack and said they should be given Pakistan's award for gallantry in battle.
46:29Prior to landing in India, Rana was handed over to NIA by the U.S.
46:36And India today has accessed the images where Rana can be seen shackled.
46:45The NIA told the court that David Headley, already convicted, had discussed the entire plot with Rana before coming to India.
46:52Headley also emailed Rana details of his belongings and informed him of the roles of Pakistani nationals Elias Kashmiri and Abdul Rahman.
47:02With Shivani Sharma in Delhi, Bureau Report, India Today.
47:10Let me leave you though at the end of this long week with our good news today story.
47:14It's a story of a group of rappers who've joined hands with the Signing Hands Foundation to spread awareness about sign language and to help the hearing impaired.
47:26Just how are they doing it?
47:28Watch this report.
47:29Stay well.
47:30Stay safe.
47:31Good night. Shubratri.
47:32Jai Hind.
47:33Namaskar.
47:34A beat you don't just hear, but see.
47:48The Right Sign campaign turns rap into a language of hands, reaching the deaf, reshaping inclusion.
47:56The Signing Hands Foundation, in collaboration with young rap artists, has launched the initiative to bring communication and music to the hearing and speech impaired.
48:10We just promote the Indian sign language and try to increase awareness about it.
48:23The first thing is that this is a sign.
48:27Different.
48:28Yes. Different.
48:29And there is a next sign which is this sign.
48:33Meet to the next.
48:34Like in music, we are also next.
48:36So yes.
48:37To support the campaign, rappers began by learning sign language and later brought their hit tracks to life through signs.
48:5220% of world's deaf population is in India, but still there is very much less awareness on the sign language spoken in India.
49:01Hence, this sign language has been included in the rap song through an initiative to spread more awareness.
49:08If normal people start speaking this sign language, it will help the deaf people become a part of society and live their daily life like us.
49:17This will help people understand that, oh, what is, and it will understand rap.
49:22Sometimes you might not need an interpreter, you know, instead of asking families or whoever, they can directly look, see the song, see the signs and understand.
49:32Just like how you hear the song, I can see the song, I can see the sign.
49:36With around 18 million deaf or hard of hearing people, India holds the largest share of the global deaf population, making up nearly 20% of the total.
49:49But there is a lack of awareness. Communication barriers often leave deaf individuals feeling lonely, affecting their mental health.
50:02If you don't give them anything, then they'll be stressed, you know. Growing up, I was stressed. I couldn't communicate.
50:17It was in my mind. I was so innocent. I want to learn. What is this? What is this? What are they saying?
50:23I was so interested to learn. I have a right to learn. You can't just keep saying it's okay, it's okay, right?
50:29So the right signs will help to make lives easy. It's a very simple way to learn. It will help them relax also.
50:36These rappers are turning up the volume on inclusivity.
50:42The blend of hip-hop and hand gestures is breaking barriers and making sure everyone can feel the music.
50:50With Mustafa Sheikh, Bureau Report, India Today.
50:55With Mustafa Sheikh, Bureau Report, India Today.
51:00You can meet to the President and it meets to the next step.