00:01Hello and welcome. Good evening. You're watching Super 6 here on India Today. I'm Akshita Nantikopal.
00:05Over the next one hour, we get you all the top stories that we're tracking this Friday evening with our
00:11focus on the southern states.
00:14So over the next 30 minutes, while I get you all the big updates also coming up at 6.30
00:18this evening,
00:19as India Today explains, where I break down for you the week's biggest stories.
00:24So what have we got lined up for you in this edition of Super 6?
00:27We're going to be talking about some of the highlights from the India Today Keralam Roundtable,
00:32which took place yesterday.
00:34And we asked the Keralam Chief Minister, VD Satishan, on the entire controversy
00:38surrounding the Muslim cleric Abu Bakr Musliar's comments about women.
00:43And while the Chief Ministers called out the remarks, saying very clearly there's no question of backing such a comment,
00:49here's what's interesting is Ally, the IUML, the only woman IUML MLA on the India Today platform,
00:55came out to defend the cleric.
00:57So clearly, there is a divide in the UDF on this particular issue.
01:01VDSS, we all stand together, but the IUML differs on this particular issue.
01:06We'll break down those reactions for you.
01:08Let's begin with the headlines.
01:15Election Commission freezes TMC name and symbol.
01:19Both factions get new symbols ahead of BIPOLs.
01:21Mamata Banerjee calls it a black day in democracy.
01:24Rahul Gandhi claims symbol chori after vote chori.
01:33It's one jolt after another for Didi.
01:36Mamata's Nandigram candidate withdraws from BIPOL's move just moments after her candidate met with Bengal Chief Minister Shubhendu.
01:43Mamata announces support now to the Congress candidate in Nandigram.
01:52Ex-Union Minister Bittu claims attack on this cavalcade.
01:56Attack when Bittu was on route for Thanko to attend Yatra.
01:59Claims three attackers linked to ARP.
02:08Convicted and then acquitted in the Nithari child killings case.
02:12Surinder Kohli dies by suicide.
02:14Kohli was helper of accused, Muninder Pandey.
02:24FSSAI initiates legal action against Nestle India over infant nutrition products,
02:29seeks clarification on 5-edged remorse and whey protein claims.
02:40Big boost to India's growth story.
02:42Moody's raises India's 2027 GDP forecast to 7% hails India's resilience amid West Asia conflict.
03:03We'll begin with highlights of the India Today Roundtable, Keralam,
03:07where you had Chief Minister VD Satishan speaking out in detail for the first time on his mission on Keralam.
03:13One of the big headlines emerged on the issue of the Muslim cleric Abu Bakr Musliyad
03:18and the comment that he'd made about boxing up women not allowing them to step out.
03:22There were, in fact, differing views within the UDF on this.
03:26That was once again reiterated at the India Today Roundtable
03:28because you had the Chief Minister, you had several members of the VDS cabinet
03:33all speaking out in one voice, saying that the comment made was condemnable,
03:37we don't stand by it.
03:39But at the same time, you also had the IUML continuing to maintain that the cleric wasn't wrong.
03:45The only woman MLA in the IUML came out to defend the cleric.
03:50So, once again, the Congress's ally, the IUML, making their stand clear on this entire issue.
03:55Let's get you the details, some of those highlights from the India Today Keralam Roundtable.
04:04At the India Today Keralam conclave, Keralam Chief Minister VD Satishan spoke exclusively to India Today.
04:11And on the sexism row, there was no ambiguity.
04:14Satishan hit out at Muslim cleric Kantapuram Abu Bakr Musliyad's remarks,
04:18asking women to stay inside their homes.
04:22I used to make the press conference only after the Cabinet briefing.
04:27After he made that statement, in my first briefing,
04:31I made strong statements that was appreciated by the secular Keralam.
04:39However, when asked why other Congress ministers and UDF allies did not condemn Abu Bakr's statement,
04:45Satishan said the UDF is one team.
04:49Kerala's coalition politics has changed.
04:53This is not only UDF, this is team UDF.
04:58Team UDF.
05:01His defense of the alliance comes days after Kantapuram Abu Bakr Musliyad said,
05:06women must remain within their homes and should not appear in public.
05:10He also claimed Islam mandates parda for all women.
05:39But Satishan's message was clear.
05:41Politics cannot come at the cost of equality.
05:45Ministers in Satishan's government also backed the same message
05:49and condemned Abu Bakr's remarks at the India Today Keralam roundtable.
05:55I was the first one to openly do that.
05:58Yeah.
05:59You think that those kind of statements have no place in Kerala?
06:01Those kind of statements have no place in Kerala nor in India.
06:05And I don't think anyone would accept something like that.
06:10Asking the women to stay in the home, not coming to stage, share stage with unrelated men.
06:19We can't accept that.
06:20We are living in 2021.
06:23That's 21st century.
06:24How can we accept that?
06:27The society, the privacy society like Kerala can't never accept such statement.
06:33But IUML MLA Fatima Thalia defended the Muslim cleric's right to express his opinion,
06:38adding that she holds immense respect for him.
06:43Yes, he is having full freedom to make a statement in this country.
06:48And it is his constitutional right.
06:51So I'm not having a view as his.
06:55I'm as, and I should say, I'm of an opposite view.
07:00So you don't agree with what he said?
07:01I'm not agreeing with him.
07:03But I have all huge respect for him.
07:06In Kerala, a plain speak message from the Chief Minister.
07:10Sexism cannot be shielded by politics, religion or vote bank calculations.
07:16Bury Report, India Today.
07:19Let me bring in Pramod Madhav, who's joining us from Chennai with more details on this.
07:24Pramod, what's the latest that's emerged in the last few days?
07:27You know, the investigation has been moving forward.
07:29This isn't a question of just one victim, we understand.
07:32There are several minor girls who are now speaking out against this man.
07:37Shalris, Ashita, unfortunately, we don't kind of find a word except then lapses when it comes to this particular case.
07:44Just like you mentioned, this case actually came to light back in 2025, end of 2025, with a pen drive
07:49that was handed over to an agency NGO by an anonymous person.
07:54However, just like you mentioned, the officials at that time tried to close the case claiming that there was like,
07:58you know, no kind of they couldn't find any kind of evidence or such in that matter.
08:02The Poxer Code had to intervene and post-wish.
08:04Now we are getting so many information about that.
08:06In fact, we also got like a recent update claiming this kind of abuse and especially targeting economically weak families
08:13had started back in 2003 itself.
08:16We've been told close to nine victims have been identified so far.
08:19But the important aspect here is that like earlier, how did the police miss all this earlier?
08:23And now one after the other, it's coming up right now.
08:25Abiramani is in prison currently.
08:27And the, you know, police have also sought kind of like custody of him to investigate the matter.
08:32And the police, considering his age, the court has actually stated that the police officials could go to the prison
08:37and investigate, conduct investigations over there.
08:40Just like you mentioned, it is a kind of a huge case when it comes to Tamil Nadu.
08:44And the bigger unfortunate part is that the police are unable to first find the evidence.
08:48And now after the court's intervention, trying to, you know, going ahead and unnotting so much information and so much
08:53unfortunate kind of like atrocities, that's absolutely shocking, Ashita.
08:57This happened many years ago.
08:59It was in the 2000s.
09:002025 is when an anonymous tip came in with the details and that pen drive with videos, allegedly, showing the
09:08sexual assault.
09:08So that's undeniable evidence proof against this baron, against this granite baron.
09:13Mind you, extremely powerful, extremely influential in Tamil Nadu, which is why there are these questions about whether there was
09:19a ghost law, whether there was influence that led to the case being dropped in this manner.
09:23Pramod, while there's an investigation into this man, into the allegations against him.
09:27Is that something that will also be looked into?
09:29Who was involved in allowing him to get away till now?
09:33Well, it looks like the investigation will take a kind of that kind of turn as well.
09:37Because, like, just like you mentioned, imagine a pen drive coming over and the police trying to state that they
09:42were not able to actually trace back where it came from.
09:46And we've been also told to our sources that initially a certain team also said that the person's face was
09:51not clear in that pen drive and such.
09:53And that is what led to the closure of the case.
09:55But very clearly, considering the situation, the court stepped in and said, like, whatever the matter is, a kind of
10:00a minor has been abused, which means that this case needs to be investigated.
10:04That leading to opening the entire Pandora's box over here.
10:08And there's three people, including Viramani, being arrested and one particular residence being used for this particular issue in Tainampere.
10:14That is the heart of the city.
10:16That part being used.
10:17And now investigation team completely coming up and clearing.
10:20I mean, you know, getting all these information.
10:21Definitely there will be an investigation as to why this was not done as well.
10:24At least the court will ask these questions in the future as well, Akshay Shah.
10:28And rightly so.
10:29I hope, you know, beyond the investigation right now into Viramani, which was the need of the hour, for so
10:34long he's managed to hush up all that's been happening.
10:36Now finally the truth emerging.
10:38There will be questions also asked of the Chennai police of why they didn't crack down in 2025 October when
10:44that complaint came their way.
10:46Thanks very much, Pramod, for joining us with those details.
10:48Let's also talk about the big political story from Tamil Nadu, where you've got two regional parties fighting it out
10:56over their allegiances.
10:58I'm referring to the VCK and the DMDK.
11:01Tol Thirma Vallavan versus Premalata Vijaykant.
11:04What is this all about?
11:05Well, essentially the VCK had in fact started off by commenting about why the DMDK is not part of, in
11:13fact, the DMK-led alliance and then questioned the DMDK on this.
11:19That particular issue has in fact blown up into a big controversy.
11:25The DMDK has now hit out of the VCK chief, saying those who moved to another alliance had done so
11:30after securing ministerial positions that for power, they dumped the DMK and switched over to the TVK.
11:36So that's in fact led to a showdown between the DMDK as well as the VCK.
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