Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met with Bangladesh's Chief Adviser, Muhammad Yunus, on the sidelines of the 6th BIMSTEC Summit in Thailand's capital city of Bangkok. During the bilateral talks, PM Modi cautioned Yunus against rhetoric that could strain bilateral ties and stressed the need to ensure the safety of Bangladesh’s Hindu minority.
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00:00Prime Minister meets Eunice amid strained ties.
00:19Bangladesh raises Haseena extradition with Prime Minister.
00:33India raises attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh.
00:44Meet first since Sheikh Hasina's ouster.
00:48Top focus at five live with Gaurav Sawant.
00:54So Bangladesh had sought this meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
00:57This was the first meeting between Prime Minister Modi and the Chief Advisor to Bangladesh
01:01Administration Professor Muhammad Yunus since the regime change in Dhaka last year.
01:07India made one thing very clear.
01:09India supports a democratic, stable, peaceful, progressive and inclusive Bangladesh.
01:16Prime Minister Yunus raised the issue of ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
01:21being sheltered in India, targeting the regime from there and her extradition to Bangladesh.
01:27India heard Bangladesh on this.
01:30Is this meeting an icebreaker?
01:31Should we look at it as an icebreaker?
01:34Will Bangladesh crack down on radical Islamists, prosecute and punish them as India seeks to
01:39protect minorities including Hindus in Bangladesh?
01:43And what about the future of Sheikh Hasina who is in India?
01:47We'll talk about that in greater detail.
01:50I'm Gaurav Sawant.
01:51As always, let's get started with the headlines on Five Live.
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02:04Prime Minister Narendra Modi hails the landmark legislation, calls it a watershed moment.
02:11Congress MP moves Supreme Court against the Waqf Bill.
02:16If Congress Party and other opposition parties don't pass the Waqf Amendment Bill,
02:22we will get many more votes because everyone supports the Waqf Amendment Bill from the bottom of their hearts.
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02:41during Waqf Bill voting, accuses Rahul Gandhi of not speaking against the bill.
02:53Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal flays Indian start-ups, Goyal comment triggers a start-up storm.
02:59Indian start-ups need a reality check, says we are food apps, China has EVs.
03:12BJP targets Mamata Banerjee over teacher recruitment scam, says Bengal's most corrupt under Mamata Banerjee
03:20seeks her resignation as Chief Minister, says Didi will be in jail soon.
03:31US revises tariff for India from 27% to 26%, White House documents showed 27% duty on India, now revised to 26%.
03:42Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Thailand for the BIMSTEC Summit.
03:55Now there was a bilateral meeting with the Chief Advisor to Bangladesh Administration,
04:01Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit.
04:07In this meeting, India raised several concerns with Bangladesh.
04:12The situation in that country since the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina government,
04:16India reiterated that New Delhi seeks a stable, peaceful, progressive and inclusive Bangladesh.
04:23India not only sought protection of all minorities including Hindus in Bangladesh
04:28but also arrest, prosecution and action against the perpetrators of that violence.
04:37Bangladesh raised the issue of not just the Teesta waters but also the extradition
04:42of the ousted Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina
04:46who barely managed to leave Bangladesh as radical Islamists reached her house and escaped to India.
04:53We bring you more in this report.
05:00Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Bangladesh's Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus
05:05on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok on Friday.
05:08This was their first meeting since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina from Bangladesh.
05:13India took up the issue of atrocities against Hindus in the neighboring country during the talks.
05:20Prime Minister Narendra Modi
05:22The situation of minorities in that country
05:28was raised by the Prime Minister.
05:35The responsibility lies with the government of Bangladesh
05:39and he assured that the government of Bangladesh will take up its responsibilities
05:44and will investigate these issues.
05:48The Yunus regime, on his part, raised the asylum given to Sheikh Hasina by India.
05:53We spoke about all the issues related to our cultural heritage
05:58at the meeting of our Chief Advisor.
06:02Sheikh Hasina's education, incendiary comments, etc.
06:12We have received a request from Bangladesh
06:17regarding the issue of Sheikh Hasina.
06:23It would not be right for me to say anything else on this issue.
06:30Prime Minister Modi reiterated India's support for a democratic, stable, peaceful and progressive Bangladesh.
06:38The talks between the two leaders takes place just days after Yunus invited China
06:43to expand its influence in the region.
06:46Seven states of India, eastern part of India, called Seven Sisters.
06:52They are landlocked country, landlocked region of India.
06:55They have no way to reach out to the ocean.
06:58We are the only guardian of the ocean.
07:01In the meeting on Friday, the two leaders appeared to break months of chill.
07:06Yunus presented a throwback photo to Prime Minister Modi.
07:09The portrait showed Prime Minister Modi presenting a gold medal to Yunus
07:13at the 102nd Indian Science Congress in 2015.
07:17With Geeta Mohan, Bureau Report, India Today.
07:23So I want to talk a little more about India seeking a democratic, stable, peaceful, progressive and inclusive Bangladesh.
07:32Clear indication that Bangladesh is right now neither stable nor peaceful.
07:37Clearly not progressive given the fact that radical Islamists are on center stage.
07:42Clearly not inclusive with minorities including Hindus being targeted, being forced out of their jobs.
07:48And we are giving you those images and statistics of how minorities,
07:53especially Hindus have systematically been targeted under the garb of being Sheikh Hasina supporters.
08:01But is that actually true?
08:02We'll get you the ground reality on this broadcast.
08:05Because when the Prime Minister of India insists that people-to-people cooperation
08:11is one of the main cooperations between India and Bangladesh,
08:17people of India are seeing what's happening in Bangladesh.
08:20And it's clearly unacceptable.
08:22Take for example, in August 2024 itself, after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina,
08:26ISKCON centre was targeted in Khulna division.
08:29It was set on fire. Why should a temple be set on fire?
08:32Incident destroyed the temple, sacred deities.
08:35Why should Bhagwan Jagannath statue idol be vandalized?
08:39Or Bal Bhadra or Devi Subhadra?
08:43Why should that happen if it's a political protest?
08:46Why are temples being targeted?
08:48Again, in August, ISKCON temple and Kali Mata temple were targeted.
08:52Devotees were forced to seek shelter.
08:55Two Hindu counsellors were targeted.
08:58A temple in the Navgrabadi was burnt in Chittagong in Bangladesh.
09:03Is this political? Or are elements, not just in Bangladesh,
09:07but their apologists in India trying to justify it?
09:11February 2025, so it wasn't just in the heat of the moment then.
09:14February 2025, in Firozpur in Bangladesh,
09:18a Muslim mob attacked a Hindu shop, vandalized the shop, targeted a Durga temple.
09:24We'll show you images how Hindus were pleading for help.
09:28Again, the Radha Govinda temple in Patukhali, that was targeted in Bangladesh.
09:34Ram Krishna mission was attacked in Bangladesh.
09:37So, is this political?
09:39If it's political, why are temples being targeted?
09:42Unless calling it political is just an excuse to give cover fire
09:47to radical Islamists who now rule Bangladesh.
09:50I have Geeta Mohan joining me on this special broadcast.
09:54Ambassador Veena Sikri, India's former High Commissioner to Bangladesh,
09:58joins me on this special broadcast.
10:00Ambassador Sikri, how would you look at India's statement
10:04that India supports a democratic, stable, peaceful, progressive and inclusive Bangladesh?
10:10Is India telling Dhaka, New Delhi telling Dhaka and Bangkok
10:14that you are none of these, high time you become this?
10:24Ambassador Sikri, can you hear me?
10:26I can hear you, but what is happening? It's 10 minutes now I'm sitting here on this channel.
10:30Go on, Ambassador Sikri.
10:36Ambassador Sikri, when India says we support a stable, peaceful, progressive and inclusive Bangladesh,
10:42what's India's message? How would you read this between the lines?
10:48Well, India wants early elections in Bangladesh.
10:50This is the need of the hour.
10:53India wants a democratic, stable, peaceful, prosperous and inclusive Bangladesh.
10:59These are the five elements.
11:01We have to analyse each of these five elements and see.
11:03When we look at the first one, the democracy,
11:05the very first one is that this regime, are they capable of organising elections?
11:10For me, it seems that they are unwilling or unable to organise elections.
11:15First of all, they're not even a caretaker government
11:17because they do not fulfil the mandates of being a neutral, non-party regime.
11:23They have the Islamist parties within them.
11:25They have the Hizb ut-Tahrir, they have the Islami Anzolan Bangladesh,
11:28they have the Ifat-e-Islam and you have the Jamaat-e-Islami,
11:31which is the real power behind the throne of Muhammad Yunus.
11:34Muhammad Yunus is unable to act on his own without the Jamaat-e-Islami's clearance.
11:39So I think that the first thing to be seen is that
11:42unless there are democratically held elections in Bangladesh,
11:46which include all the political parties, which are free and fair,
11:49the situation in Bangladesh is going to continue like one of anarchy,
11:53where there's no law and order, where the economy is totally in the doldrums,
11:57there's unemployment, factories are closed, inflation is high
12:01and they're trying to get all their supplies for the factories from other countries,
12:06other than the traditional India, let us say like cotton or cotton yarn or cotton fabric,
12:10but it's proving to be impossible for them.
12:13So I think that we have to call this government out,
12:18call the Yunus regime out on their ability to,
12:22or with their willingness to organize free, fair and inclusive elections at the very earliest.
12:29Today in the Bilstech Summit in Bangkok,
12:33we did see that Muhammad Yunus in his speech said that he's going to have elections at the earliest.
12:38Now here this use of the word earliest was a move away from his earlier statements in Bangladesh,
12:45where he said, oh, it'll be at the end of this year or by June of next year, very, very vague.
12:50But he also said in his speech in Bilstech Summit today,
12:54that we are mandated to do reforms in Bangladesh.
12:57Now this is my question, who has mandated them to do reforms?
13:01This is not the job of an interim regime to do reforms.
13:05Reforms are the task of an elected parliament.
13:08So this mandate, the so-called mandate that Muhammad Yunus spoke about,
13:12really does not exist.
13:13So actually they should give up this whole idea of reforms
13:17and just focus on getting in a caretaker government,
13:20which will be non-party, which will be neutral,
13:22and which will conduct the elections within three months.
13:25This is what has to happen in Bangladesh.
13:27Ambassador Sikri, Sheikh Hasina barely survived by the skin of her teeth
13:32as she escaped from Bangladesh.
13:34Radical Islamists were practically at her door.
13:36Now Dhaka wants India to extradite her.
13:41They spoke of Pratyarpad as their advisor to their foreign minister said.
13:46How would you view this?
13:48Is Dhaka also seeking to gag her in India
13:51when they say that she's been making, in their words,
13:54incendiary speeches sitting in India?
13:57First of all, the whole process of extradition is a highly complex legal process.
14:02I think so far, as far as I know,
14:04Bangladesh has only sent one note mobile saying,
14:07please send her back.
14:08But that is not the extradition process.
14:11In Bangladesh, within their own country,
14:13they have to conduct a full legal process.
14:15Trying her, what are they trying her for?
14:17What are they accusing her of?
14:19Even the UN report, the UN Volkata report,
14:22said quite clearly that the evidence we have been provided with
14:26does not enable us to assign any individual guilt.
14:30So there is no guilt at all with Sheikh Hasina for what she has done.
14:33So I think this whole business of extradition is a non-starter.
14:36They can talk as much as they want about it,
14:39but the question is that the extradition process
14:41means a full legal process in their country.
14:43Then they give the details to us,
14:45then we do a full legal process here.
14:47It is not an easy process.
14:48It is very long.
14:49It is very complex.
14:50It is fully judicial.
14:51So the other part of it is that in the meanwhile,
14:54the U.S. regime themselves are making all these
14:57very strong anti-India rhetoric,
14:59which our Prime Minister even referred to today,
15:02that this does not help the relationship at all.
15:05I do not think there is a single evidence from Bangladesh's present regime
15:09that they want good relations with India.
15:11They are talking about, you know, when Yunus went to China,
15:14he spoke to the Chinese businessman a few days ago,
15:17four or five days ago,
15:18and he talks about the northeastern states of India
15:20and says, you know, Bangladesh controls their access to the Indian Ocean
15:24and please take the northeastern states of India
15:26as an extension of the Chinese economy.
15:28Now, is this possible?
15:30Can a part of sovereign India,
15:33northeastern states are a sovereign integral part of India,
15:36can it be offered by Yunus to China like this?
15:39This has caused a lot of furor in India.
15:41And today we have seen another statement today.
15:44Yes, that statement was meant to annoy India
15:48or lead to a response from India
15:50because Muhammad Yunus wasn't born yesterday.
15:53He knows that he's making a statement about a sovereign country
15:57and he has no right to do that and yet he did.
16:00So is he deliberately doing this?
16:02He does not want good relations with India
16:04and yet since it's BIMSTEC,
16:07they sought a meeting and a meeting was granted.
16:10Will this only embolden radical Islamists in Bangladesh?
16:14Well, I think the way in which our prime minister conducted the meeting
16:19and he was very, very clear, he was very, very frank
16:22and he laid all the cards on the table.
16:24There can be no anti-India rhetoric.
16:26You cannot blame, you know, there must be democracy,
16:28peaceful, stable and inclusive democracy in Bangladesh
16:32that you cannot go on talking.
16:33You know, Bangladesh keeps talking about so-called border killings
16:36but it is their people who come and attack the BSF at night
16:39and then when somebody gets hurt,
16:40then they, you know, scream blue murder and say that this is what has happened.
16:44So I think all these issues have been called out
16:46but now it is for India to read the writing on the wall
16:49that can this Yunus regime, which is an illegal unconstitutional regime,
16:53can they be expected to conduct free, fair and inclusive elections in Bangladesh?
16:57In Bangladesh, it seems to me to be highly unlikely
17:00and, you know, they are just staying on their own.
17:03There is absolutely no reason why they should be staying on,
17:06you know, claiming that they are going to do reforms
17:08which are totally outside their mandate.
17:10So I think India has read the right act to Mohammed Yunus
17:14and I think that in the coming days and weeks
17:16we have to be very careful monitor the situation
17:19because the Mohammed Yunus regime has shown no interest at all
17:23in having good relations with India.
17:25They make anti-Indian statements all the time.
17:27They blame India for all their problems
17:29and they have shown no interest in having good neighborly relations.
17:32We have been giving them rice, you know, 50,000 tons, 100,000 tons.
17:36We have been, you know, willing to sell them all the traditional exports from India
17:41like cotton, cotton yarn, cotton fabric
17:44but Bangladesh is trying their best to get it from other countries
17:47and it's not working out
17:48because it comes out to be much more expensive from other countries.
17:51So they are in a very difficult situation.
17:53The main thing is that this regime does not reflect the wills of the people of Bangladesh.
17:58Stay with me for a moment.
18:00I want to also quickly bring into this conversation
18:02my colleague Geeta Mohan who joins us from Colombo of course
18:06and Geeta has also been speaking to her sources in the Ministry of External Affairs.
18:11Geeta, we heard Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri
18:14what India sought from Bangladesh
18:17but tell us what sources are telling you.
18:20What was the conversation like?
18:22What are India's expectations of Bangladesh?
18:24And, you know, India said yes, we heard you on the issue of extradition of Sheikh Hasina
18:29but what is India's stance, Geeta?
18:35Well, India is very clear.
18:36She's a guest and a lot has changed in geopolitics, Gaurav.
18:41India does not really have to or will not be feeling the pressure from Washington D.C.
18:46as it did earlier.
18:49The Trump administration is very clear on what has happened in Bangladesh
18:53is absolutely wrong.
18:55So, India stands in good stead over here.
18:58When it comes to hosting Sheikh Hasina
19:01the change that is required and has to be brought about in Bangladesh
19:07with an election, with the due process of an election
19:10Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian government are very clear on these counts.
19:15So, while the Indian side spoke about minorities
19:20and the situation of minorities
19:22there are certain quarters that were pushing for Sheikh Hasina and the extradition.
19:27The laws are very clear that the laws should apply
19:31and since there is no process that has been initiated
19:35there is nothing that India can do but wait to see what Bangladesh
19:39and Bangladesh's interim caretaker government is really going to do
19:44in conducting of elections
19:46and in the meanwhile ensuring security and safety of minorities in Bangladesh
19:51as also ensuring that India and Bangladesh remain engaged
19:55irrespective of who controls Dhaka.
20:01Ambassador Sikri, Bangladesh is dependent on India
20:05from energy to electricity, from rice to cotton
20:08and yet we see a rather hostile attitude for 8 months and counting
20:13you know first Bangladesh goes to Pakistan, tries to play the Pakistan card
20:18then it tries to play the China card
20:20and we continue to accommodate Bangladesh since we've had a historic relationship with them
20:26what is it that India needs to do to send across that message
20:30that one, this is unacceptable, there will be costs on this
20:34and yet ensure it doesn't go into the Chinese orbit
20:36because we've seen many neighbours cut their nose to spite their face.
20:41Look, Chinese orbit is what Mohammad Yunus is seeking
20:45there is no question about it, let's not make any bones about it
20:48Yunus is seeking the Chinese orbit supported by Pakistan
20:52so that to make himself last indefinitely in power
20:56he's doing that blatantly, he's doing that openly
20:59so to think that we are going to try and prevent him from going to the Chinese orbit
21:02is not correct because that has already happened
21:05and he's using the Chinese pressure for this
21:08whether we are constrained because of the present state of relations between India and China
21:12I don't know, but I do think that for our own regional interests
21:16for our own interests about safety and security in the Northeast India
21:20in West Bengal, in all this region
21:23we have to be very clear on what we tell the Yunus regime
21:28and we have to be very clear that if the Yunus regime does not abide by what we are saying
21:33I don't think this regime can exist much more
21:36because there isn't any popularity for the regime
21:38they are all waiting to see what India's views of the regime are
21:41but I think today the way in which PM Modi has very categorically stated his views to Mohammad Yunus
21:47Mohammad Yunus was certainly looking very nervous during that meeting
21:50the papers in his hand were tumbling away and so on
21:52so obviously he has got a very strong message today from PM Modi
21:57and it's up to him to see what he will do about it
22:01and if he doesn't, even after this meeting
22:03because PM Modi has given this meeting after repeated pressure from the Mohammad Yunus regime
22:08and he has explained categorically and very frankly
22:13what India's concerns are
22:15now if the Mohammad Yunus regime is not going to
22:18even now we are not going to abide by India's security red lines
22:21then I think we certainly have to think of a very specific action
22:25now what would that specific action be
22:28because you know frankly if Mohammad Yunus
22:33is talking about India's Siliguri Corridor area in whale terms
22:38should we look at it as a threat
22:40when he talks about the north east being
22:42the seven sisters being landlocked and cut off
22:45and Bangladesh being guardian of the ocean
22:47and external affairs minister Dr S Jaishankar
22:49you know showed him a mirror very clearly
22:51that 6500 kilometers is our coastline
22:54in the Bay of Bengal region
22:567500 kilometers across the length and breadth of India
23:00is a massive coastline
23:01but I want to understand from you
23:03if he is talking about seeking Chinese investment
23:06to make a military base
23:08near the chicken's neck area
23:11and getting Pakistan there as you said
23:13this clearly is one, not friendly
23:17it's clearly a very hostile action
23:19an act that he is contemplating
23:21it is a hostile action
23:23we have to recognize it as such
23:24and we have to call it out as such
23:26we are not going to allow Chinese labor
23:29Chinese people, Pakistani generals
23:31to roam around in that Siliguri Corridor area
23:34I think we have to draw up those red lines
23:36because this just cannot be done
23:38and I think that even further calling out
23:41of the statement on the north east is important
23:43we have done that
23:44our external affairs minister on the statement
23:46made yesterday in BIMSEC ministerial meeting in Bangkok
23:50was very clear
23:51he said there is no cherry picking allowed in this
23:53it has to be a holistic integrated relationship
23:56as part of this holistic integrated relationship
23:58certainly Chinese or Pakistani presence
24:00in Lal Munirhat near the Siliguri Corridor
24:02is not going to be acceptable
24:04we have to lay down the red lines on that
24:06and this is where we have to come and clear
24:08in our talks between the two army chiefs
24:11I think it would be a good idea
24:12for the army chief of Bangladesh to visit India
24:15and to understand from India
24:17what our concerns were
24:18at one time there was a lot of talk
24:20about the army chief visiting India
24:22but we do know that in the meanwhile
24:24even the Pakistanis were conniving
24:26with certain elements in the Bangladesh army
24:28to try and replace the army chief
24:29so you can imagine the length
24:30in which Pakistan is ready to go
24:32to establish their control
24:34they think they are in the pre-71 era
24:36they think that now there is no longer
24:38any question of liberation anymore
24:41and this is once again east Pakistan for them
24:43I think the people of Bangladesh
24:45are not ready for this at all
24:47they do not want
24:48they are proud people
24:49they are sovereign nation
24:50they are very proud of the history
24:51of the liberation war
24:52and their successes
24:54as an independent country
24:55the economic successes
24:57they have achieved
24:58they are proud of that
24:59and they want to continue with that
25:00and they do realize
25:01that a good relationship with India
25:03is mutually beneficial
25:05and Bangladesh
25:06and Geeta
25:07have there been any indications whatsoever
25:09you know because Ambassador Sikri
25:11very clearly points out
25:12that some of the actions
25:13of the Bangladeshi government
25:14in the past 8 months
25:15have been unfriendly
25:18and some instances
25:19clearly very hostile
25:21any indications
25:22that they will mend their ways
25:24or they think
25:25that they will use
25:26that Pakistan card
25:27and China card
25:28against us
25:29like Mohammad Yunus tried
25:30when he went to Beijing recently
25:36well I don't see them
25:37mending their ways
25:38I only see them
25:39changing
25:40or shifting a little
25:42in what they are saying
25:43and how they are saying it
25:44look
25:45this was a gesture in itself
25:47that Bangladesh
25:48sought the meeting
25:49with the Indian Premier
25:50they could have done
25:51without a meeting
25:52given the kind of statements
25:54they are making
25:55and the hostile
25:56or not so friendly statements
25:58came not so very long ago
26:00he was in Beijing
26:01and he spoke about
26:02how Bangladesh is the hub
26:04Northeast is landlocked
26:05and so almost saying that
26:07India needs Bangladesh
26:10for the Northeastern states
26:12Dr. Jayashankar
26:13responded to that
26:14saying that
26:15it is Northeast
26:16that's the hub
26:17and if they need connectivity
26:19and if they need to expand
26:21then Bangladesh requires
26:23this entire region
26:25that is part of India
26:27that was the response
26:28of India
26:29so that's only just one
26:30of the many things
26:31that have happened
26:32there are important relations
26:34and important connections
26:36that they are trying to make
26:37with various countries
26:38balancing America
26:40and China
26:41now getting closer to China
26:43because
26:44the administration
26:46in Washington D.C.
26:47has changed
26:48so it is not for India
26:49right now
26:50Gaurav
26:51to be navigating
26:52this space
26:53I think right now
26:54Bangladesh
26:55is in a very typical position
26:56they are trying to figure out
26:58how to get out
26:59of this spot
27:00and hold an election
27:02and have a smooth transition
27:05of power
27:06and have someone
27:07in Dhaka
27:08who would be close to
27:10the people who are
27:12in power right now
27:13and that
27:14Yunus will not be incarcerated
27:16remember there are cases
27:17against him
27:18so one will again
27:19have to wait and see
27:20how he navigates
27:21this case
27:22Radical Islamists
27:23who have been unleashed
27:24in Bangladesh
27:25they have been kept in check
27:26to an extent
27:27by Sheikh Hasina's regime
27:29though temples were targeted
27:30even then
27:31it remains to be seen
27:32whether
27:33these elements
27:34can be locked up
27:35once again
27:36or there will be
27:37a challenge
27:38for whatever administration
27:39or regime comes
27:40in Dhaka
27:41Ambassador Sikri
27:42and Geeta
27:43Geeta stay with me
27:44Ambassador Sikri
27:45many thanks for joining me
27:46I now want to shift focus
27:47to that big story
27:48the Prime Minister's
27:49second leg
27:50of his visit
27:51is now to Sri Lanka
27:53news just coming in
27:54the Prime Minister
27:55has concluded
27:56his visit
27:57to Bangkok
27:58to Thailand
27:59the Prime Minister's
28:00next stop
28:01is Sri Lanka
28:02and this again
28:03is a very
28:04very important
28:05leg
28:06of his visit
28:07it's a three day visit
28:09to boost
28:10diplomatic
28:12diplomatic ties
28:13and defence ties
28:14between India
28:15and Sri Lanka
28:16there are
28:17civilizational ties
28:18between India
28:19and Sri Lanka
28:20and I'm not talking
28:21about right from
28:22the times of
28:23Mariadapur Shottam
28:24Sri Ram
28:25when he went to
28:26Lanka to get
28:27Devi Sita
28:28back and that's
28:29the time that
28:30Ravan was killed
28:31but also
28:32the
28:33Buddhist link
28:34very very
28:35important
28:36we'll talk about that
28:37in greater detail
28:38I quickly want to bring
28:39Geeta Mohan
28:40who joins us
28:41from Colombo
28:42on the story
28:43Geeta
28:44the
28:45Bangkok visit
28:46the BIMSTEC summit
28:47very important
28:48because BIMSTEC is
28:49something that
28:50India
28:51conceptualised
28:52and is taking
28:53forward but
28:54India-Sri Lanka
28:55ties
28:56very crucial
28:57civilizationally
28:58but
28:59Sri Lanka also
29:00now realises
29:01India is a
29:02friend in need
29:03when they were
29:04going through
29:05bankruptcy
29:06I was reporting
29:07from Colombo
29:08that time
29:09and they said
29:10India is
29:11truly
29:12a real friend
29:13a friend in need
29:18right that's
29:19that's right
29:20you can see the
29:21flags behind me
29:22the Indian flag
29:23and the Sri Lankan
29:24flag
29:25India today
29:26has been reporting
29:27since morning
29:28from here
29:29he is going to
29:30go to the
29:31IPTF memorial
29:32as well
29:33our colleague
29:34the
29:35Nagarjun
29:36the
29:37Dwarkanath
29:38is there
29:39important
29:40significant
29:41he is arriving
29:42late tonight
29:43there is an
29:44entire Indian
29:45community
29:46let me just
29:47span the
29:48camera and show
29:49you
29:50they are getting
29:51the security
29:52clearances
29:53they are all
29:54going to come
29:55in and
29:56wait for
29:57Prime Minister
29:58Modi
29:59to receive
30:00Prime Minister
30:01Modi
30:02we will try
30:03to get in
30:04touch and
30:05speak with
30:06them
30:07are you here
30:08for Prime
30:09Minister
30:10Modi
30:11are you here
30:12to meet
30:13Prime
30:14Minister
30:15Modi
30:16are you from
30:17here
30:18how excited
30:19are you
30:20that Prime
30:21Minister
30:22Modi
30:23is the
30:24first foreign
30:25leader who
30:26is coming
30:27to Sri
30:28Lanka
30:29and any
30:30expectations
30:31what are
30:32your
30:33expectations
30:34on India
30:35Sri Lanka
30:36do you
30:37expect
30:38the ties
30:39to become
30:40better
30:41Sri
30:42Lanka
30:43what about
30:44you sir
30:45same
30:46thing
30:47very happy
30:48to see
30:49Modi
30:50finish
30:51okay
30:52very happy
30:53that Prime
30:54Minister
30:55Modi
30:56has come
30:57to Sri
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43:40So I want to cut across to Karishma Sudhani
43:43who joins us for more on this story
43:45joins us from business today
43:47Karishma, was this expected?
43:50In these terms, 54% effective US tariffs on Chinese imports
43:55and 34% Chinese imposing tariffs on US exports
44:00What does this mean for the two countries and for world economy?
44:04Got it very much in the expected lines
44:06because we all know that US and China both have been at the helm of a trade war
44:11not just in terms of the tariffs that have now been announced
44:14but for the past few months, especially since Donald Trump has taken over as president
44:20the idea has been to keep China aside
44:23and it was since the minute that US had announced the reciprocal tariffs
44:28China took an immediate stand saying that they will go for a reciprocal tariff pack
44:33So it's a situation of a trade war that is happening
44:37and well expected by a lot of economists who said that the US will get it back
44:42especially from those strong economies
44:44who know that they can survive without a lot of interdependence
44:48On terms of global scale, not a good move
44:51from economy point of view, this could not do well
44:55because ideally the whole point of tariff debate
44:59was because of US expressing their economic uncertainty and instability
45:05and depending so much on exports
45:07but now it's going to go a step ahead
45:10and it could actually cause a major disruption when it comes to supply chains
45:15because if two major economies are on a loggerhead
45:19it's not going to be easy
45:20but could be a silver lining for India
45:23Very interesting you mentioned that this could be a silver lining for India
45:27but are we nimble footed to step in Karishma?
45:30Are we poised to step in?
45:32You know everyone's been talking since Covid 2020 about China plus one supply chain
45:38Has India done anything in the past five years there?
45:42Gaurav, I recently was speaking to an economist
45:45and also a very well known member of Niti Aayog
45:48who told me that we were never China plus one
45:50we were China plus five
45:52and that kind of fits the bill
45:54We were after Vietnam, after Taiwan
45:56It's just that we were expecting to be China plus one
45:59but in terms of technology and manufacturing
46:04we will take a lot of years to be there
46:06but it is a good start step for us to now step in and try to take over
46:11Difficult which country we are going to side with
46:14because we've already taken a neutral stance
46:16We have never really tried to go against anybody
46:19Interesting to watch out where will the government see the best gain out of
46:23Fair enough, keep writing that story Karishma
46:25I will come back to you for more for the moment
46:27Karishma Sudhani, many thanks
46:29As Donald Trump announced tariffs, the Dalal Street saw red
46:33The Sensex crashed 827 points to 75,468
46:39Nifty tumbled 304 points to 22,945
46:44So the Indian stock market
46:46It's sinking with investors losing over 10 lakh crore
46:52amidst this broad-based sell-off
46:54Stocks such as Tata Motors, Tata Steel, Sun Pharma, L&T, RIL
47:00IndusInd Bank, RIL
47:02They led to losses on Sensex falling up to 5%
47:06So of the 30 Sensex stocks, 22 were trading in the red
47:12The Supreme Court verdict on West Bengal government job scam
47:15has invalidated 26,000 jobs
47:19The Mamata Banerjee government has challenged the Supreme Court order
47:22It's blaming the BJP of playing a role in influencing the decision
47:26The BJP is escalating its criticism against Mamata Banerjee
47:29It's labelled Mamata Banerjee Hitler
47:32saying Bengal is most corrupt under her
47:35We get you more in this report
47:41The political war in Bengal has intensified
47:43after the Supreme Court upheld the Calcutta High Court order
47:46sacking more than 25,000 teachers
47:49hired by the West Bengal School Services Commission in 2016
47:56Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee
47:58criticised the Supreme Court judgment
48:00that said that irregularities had tainted the selection process beyond resolution
48:09As a citizen of this country
48:11I have every right
48:13I have every right
48:15I respect the judge
48:18but I can't accept the judgment
48:20There are so many teachers
48:23Don't forget that they are students
48:25Did the education system collapse?
48:28Is the BJP the target of the government?
48:31The BJP intensified its attack on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee
48:35calling her a dictator
48:38The principal opposition party
48:40demanded Mamata Banerjee's arrest
48:44The BJP also raked up
48:46former minister Partha Chatterjee's alleged role
48:50in the cash for jobs scam
48:53where a huge stash of cash
48:55was found at a house
48:58of a close aide of Partha Chatterjee
49:02The Central Investigation Agencies
49:05had seized over 50 crore rupees
49:09from flats allegedly owned
49:11by a key aide of Partha Chatterjee
49:39The Supreme Court in its order on Thursday
49:42ruled that the teacher selection process
49:44was marred by fraud and manipulation
49:47and directed the Bengal government
49:49to start a new selection process
49:52and finish it within three months
49:57This is not a judgment, this is very wrong
49:59All we have to say is that
50:01we didn't make any mistake
50:03so what is the punishment?
50:04Now prove the mistake
50:06If there is an injustice in any case
50:10then they will go to the Supreme Court
50:13for justice
50:14But there was the same injustice against me
50:19As a result of the court verdict
50:21thousands of meritorious candidates
50:23have also lost their jobs
50:26The court suggested that affected candidates
50:29could appear for tests again
50:32All eyes are now on Mamata Banerjee's
50:35crucial meeting
50:36with a majority of these candidates
50:39who are going to sit
50:40before the Chief Minister next week
50:42in a process to deliberate and find out
50:45what could be a possible solution
50:47for this mess
50:49With camera person Shyam Sundar Ghosh
50:51in Rajit for India Today in Kolkata