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This News Today covers key political, corporate, and global developments. It reports on the Legislative Council election results across four states, detailing the National Democratic Alliance sweep in Karnataka, regional victories by the Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, and the Congress party's performance. The bulletin examines Supreme Court observations regarding voter list revisions under the Special Intensive Revision process. The coverage addresses the corporate dispute over Tata Sons following Tata Trusts Chairman Noel Tata's challenge to N. Chandrasekaran's reappointment, alongside political reactions from Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman concerning alleged government interference and corporate governance. Internationally, the programme details election trends in Israel indicating a hung parliament with Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc falling short of a majority. Financial reporting highlights Jio Platforms listing on the stock exchange at 1,358 rupees per share, shifting combined market capitalisation rankings on Dalal Street.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Good evening, hello and welcome. You're with the news today. This is your prime time destination.
00:04News, newsmakers, talking points Wednesday night. Our big talking point tonight.
00:09Poll results across four major states for MLC, member of the Legislative Council.
00:14What's the big message? The Congress has drawn a zero, but is the BJP really a hero?
00:20We'll tell you the answer to that. Also the latest political face-off.
00:24It's Nirmala Sitaraman versus Rahul Gandhi over the Tata power battle.
00:30And Israel's hung verdict. What next for Bibi Netanyahu?
00:36As always, back show here. News without the noise. Let's get cracking with the nine headlines of time.
00:45Supreme Court clarifies it has not yet delivered a final ruling on the Election Commission's use of the logical discrepancy
00:53category
00:53to remove voters during SIR. Claims it was only an interim measure in Bengal.
01:01The category had claimed to identify inconsistencies in voter record.
01:07Opposition questions the Supreme Court's observations.
01:13Congress draws a blank in the MLC polls in four states, prompting a jibe from the BJP.
01:21PM mocks Congress's blank despite ballot papers.
01:24But the BJP too suffers reverses in UP, Bihar and Maharashtra as regional parties put up a strong show.
01:35The Cockroach Janata Party to back India bloc's Ramlila rally on November 1 against the Chief Election Commissioner.
01:43CJP vows to support all organizations that are fighting for free and fair elections in India.
01:48But it's unlikely that their representatives will be present on stage with the Congress.
01:55Politics heats up over the major Tata boardroom tussle.
02:00Rahul Gandhi claims Tata Group is being systematically destroyed by the government.
02:04Finance Minister Sitaraman hits back, says Congress trying to incite businesses and businessmen.
02:13Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri to be fielded for the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh after Union Minister El Murugan
02:20vacated his seat.
02:22Move signals Puri to retain his cabinet birth.
02:25The opposition had targeted him over his alleged role and connections with Jeffrey Epstein.
02:34Andhra Pradesh grapples with cyclone Arnab aftermath.
02:37At least five dead. Multiple financial assistance schemes announced.
02:41Andhra Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu speaks to the centre seeking help and financial aid.
02:49Benjamin Netanyahu projected a hung assembly projected in Israel.
02:56Benjamin Netanyahu's single largest.
02:58But the challenger Isencourt leads on 47 seats.
03:02Arab parties could hold the key as to who will form the next government.
03:09At least 64 people killed after two high-speed trains collide in Spain's Toledo.
03:14Over 500 people were on board the train's probe launch to ascertain the cause rescue operations underway.
03:23And Jio Platforms becomes the second most valuable Indian company by market valuation.
03:28Following an impressive debut on Dalal Street,
03:30Jio began trading at Rs. 1,358, up 21.36% from the issue price.
03:47But the latest that's coming in.
03:49The Kokruj Janata Party has now extended its support to the opposition India bloc's November 1 rally to be held
03:55at the Ram Leela Maidan in Delhi.
03:57The CJP says Gyanesh Kumar has lost the trust required to oversee free and fair elections.
04:02His resignation is therefore necessary, they say, to restore the credibility and independence of the Election Commission.
04:10The Kokruj Janata Party, therefore, they say, will support all organizations fighting for free and fair elections in our country.
04:20Joining me now is Ashutosh Mishra, who is tracking that story.
04:24Ashutosh, are we to understand that the Kokruj Janata Party will extend support,
04:28but will they be actually present, the likes of Abhijit, Dipke, Saurabh Das, Ashutosh Ranka,
04:33will they be present on the stage with the Congress,
04:35or are they going to stay away from actual physical presence?
04:43Remember, Rajdeep, these Kokruj Janata Party, these are like pressure groups,
04:47and so far they have maintained, you know, a distance from some political parties.
04:52Rather, they did invite during their registration at Jantar Mantar,
04:55and even recently launched the SIR registration, they, in political parties, supported.
05:01And this looks to be in a reciprocative manner,
05:04the way Rahul Gandhi and Congress Party also supported the cause of these pressure groups against SIR.
05:09However, they did not name CJP.
05:11But this time, when we see the India bloc and all the like-minded parties have been,
05:14remember, Congress and Rahul Gandhi also said that all the like-minded parties and the groups are invited for this
05:19November 1st rally.
05:20So, so far, the only confirmation we have is that they have extended support.
05:24However, we are yet to a certain end confirmation from these groups,
05:27whether Dipke or their core members are going to be present on the task.
05:30But remember, in politics and these kind of scenarios, when you have already people supporting the cause,
05:35you never know if they will be part of the stage.
05:36Someone might go and represent the CJP that looks, since you extended our cause,
05:40and the cause remains uniform between both of us, you know, probably they will have.
05:44But for now, it is extended the support.
05:47Likewise, the Rahul Gandhi and Congress Party, when they extended support for the SIR.
05:50Because I spoke to Saurabh Das Ashutosh a short while ago before this show,
05:54and he said that we haven't received a formal invite yet from the Congress,
05:57so how can we say that we will attend the rally?
06:00Is it possible that a formal invite could go to them, a quick answer?
06:08Very unlikely.
06:09You know, it's a general appeal.
06:11Since all the India Bloc umbrella parties are going to attend,
06:14and largely it was an appeal that like-minded parties, pressure groups, social groups,
06:19all the activists, whoever are common and united in this cause against the SIR,
06:24against the Election Commission, they should come together.
06:26So, unless, I mean, very unlikely that there will be some formal invitation or a call being made,
06:30come and join our state.
06:32So, usually it's an appeal and we'll see if the CJP follows that appeal.
06:35Okay.
06:36Ashutosh Mishra, joining us with those details.
06:38Thanks very much.
06:39That big rally coming up on November 1st.
06:41Well, the Congress may be planning a major rally in Delhi
06:45against the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar.
06:47But the fact is, the Congress has suffered an election reverse yet again.
06:52This time in the MLC, the Member of Legislative Council election
06:56that were held in the big states of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh.
07:01The Congress has drawn a blank so far,
07:03although it's giving a tough fight in the Nagpur seat at the moment in Maharashtra.
07:08The big reverse for the Congress came in Karnataka,
07:10where the BJP-JDS combined won all the four seats on offer.
07:15That was four out of four.
07:17In Uttar Pradesh, on the other hand, there was a tough fight.
07:20The BJP won six seats.
07:22The Samajwadi Party has gone up from three to five, making two gains.
07:26One in Agra, one in Lucknow, both taken from the BJP camp significantly.
07:31They won both the seats in Varanasi,
07:33which, remember, is the constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
07:37In Maharashtra, it's been a tough fight again.
07:40And the Mahayuti or NDA is leading in three seats.
07:42The opposition MVA has won two seats, including Pune,
07:46where Sharad Pawar's NCP has won the seat.
07:49And in Nagpur, as I said, there's a tough fight going on,
07:52a ding-dong battle between the BJP and the Congress.
07:55In Bihar, the BJP won three seats.
07:57The JDU won one seat.
08:00But it's the RJD which breached a BJP bastion to take one seat of Patna.
08:05And the Jan Suraj Party of Prashant Kishore also won one seat.
08:10The common factor, the Congress has scored a duck so far in all states.
08:15And nowhere worse than in Karnataka, where, remember, it has a ruling government.
08:20Take a look at just why this defeat for the Congress in Karnataka has repercussions.
08:32The Congress is shouting vote-chory from the streets to the political stage.
08:37But in Karnataka, the ballot box has delivered a different message.
08:48A 4-0 sweep for the NDA in the MLC polls, a zero-seat haul for the ruling Congress.
08:56The BJP clinched three seats and ally JDS won, reinforcing their unity in Karnataka.
09:02The BJP retained the Northeast Teachers, West Graduates and Southeast Graduates seat,
09:08while the JDS snatched the Bengaluru Teachers' seat from five-time Congress MLC Putana.
09:14The BJP wasted no time taking a dig at Chief Minister D. Keshavikumar, posting,
09:20DK, it's done, bro.
09:22But here's the twist.
09:24These elections were conducted using ballot papers and not EVMs.
09:28The BJP and JDS used the result to target Rahul Gandhi's vote-chory campaign,
09:33arguing that Congress has failed to win even when ballot papers were used.
09:38The BJP also projected the sweep as a trailer for the 2028 Assembly elections.
09:45MLC Chunao has been cleaned very well,
09:48that from the ballot papers and ballot boxes,
09:52Congress has also been shown on zero.
10:15The Congress has acknowledged the setback,
10:19saying it must learn lessons from the defeat.
10:22Of course, of course, we need a ballot paper.
10:25A lot of issues are there.
10:26That my party, after this first,
10:28will come back with a new plan of action.
10:31So as Congress prepares to take its vote-chory charge to Delhi on November 1st,
10:36the NDA has handed it a political setback in Karnataka
10:39in an election conducted not on EVMs, but on ballot papers.
10:45Bureau Report, India Today.
10:49So what's the big message?
10:50These MLC elections across four major states,
10:54is the Congress ground game still missing?
10:57Is the BJP facing headwinds in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh?
11:01Are the MLCs a fair barometer of the voter boot,
11:05particularly that of the urban middle class?
11:07Those are questions I want to raise.
11:09Dr. Nishant Anand, National Spokesperson Congress,
11:12and Tuhin Sinha, BJP's National Spokesperson, on our face-off today.
11:15Dr. Anand, to you first.
11:17The Congress, as of now, has drawn a blank across these four states,
11:22particularly in Karnataka, where you're the ruling party,
11:25you've lost a sitting seat in Bengaluru.
11:27Isn't this a cause of worry,
11:29when in one of your major states where you are in power,
11:32you lose all four seats?
11:34Three were held by the BJP, but you've lost a fourth seat as well.
11:39Sir, good evening to you all.
11:41Sir, what was the BJP in Wara Nasi?
11:43Listen, BJP has lost.
11:45PM Modi has acknowledged that elections conducted by ballot
11:49are credible than EVM today on his Twitter.
11:52Second point I want to make is,
11:54why did the BJP lose in Wara Nasi?
11:56If a Lok Sabha election were to be held using ballots,
11:59you could end up losing Wara Nasi entirely.
12:02By acknowledging that ballots are more credible,
12:05Prime Minister Modi is effectively admitting that there is an issue with EVMs.
12:09No, no, no.
12:10One minute.
12:11I am asking you a question, Dr. Anand, on Karnataka,
12:15where you've lost all four seats.
12:17You're telling me about Wara Nasi.
12:19And the fact there is the Samajwadi Party has won both the seats.
12:22It's the Samajwadi Party that has won the graduates and teachers seats in Wara Nasi.
12:27I'll ask you, Karnataka, you tell me about Wara Nasi.
12:30I'll ask the BJP about Wara Nasi.
12:31Don't worry.
12:32Karan, sir, Karnataka is the one result that cuts against us
12:36and we are not hiding from it.
12:37Our CM, DK, Shif Kumar called it a message from voters
12:41and we take that exactly as seriously as he does.
12:44We accept, we contested in 12 seats
12:47and the CM has already answered.
12:50Lakin, for the first time, candidates backed by the ruling party
12:53are losing even with the full weight of government behind them.
12:56That's not noise.
12:57That's the government losing it.
12:59It's great.
12:59One point.
13:03In Wara Nasi, where Modi has been the member of parliament for 12 years,
13:08the BJP lost the legislative council elections.
13:12After a few months, there are UP polls.
13:14BJP losing in PMO on constituency.
13:16That to educated voters, teachers and graduate communities.
13:20In Bihar, they lost their 30-year-old stronghold in the Patna teacher constituency.
13:27BJP lost in stronghold in Pune.
13:29They lost in Patna.
13:31The point is, the mandate is against Modi.
13:35We accept the voters' mandate.
13:38Sir, you're saying mandated against Modi.
13:41I will ask you one more time.
13:43Do you accept that in Karnataka, you are facing now a major challenge?
13:4716 months to go to the polls, you are facing.
13:50You've got a new chief minister in DK Shivkumar.
13:52This was in Bengaluru.
13:53He's in charge of Bengaluru.
13:55Do you accept you're facing a major challenge in your southern citadel?
13:59Yes or no?
14:00Rajeev, sir.
14:01Sir, we were not able to retain one seat.
14:03We accept the voters' mandate.
14:06But the point is, if Narendra Modi is so confident that aliens have no bearing on election result,
14:12let him prove his confidence in the BJP electoral process through action, not rhetoric.
14:18I want to make one point.
14:19Commit to conducting all Lok Sabha and upcoming Vidhan Sabha elections by ballot paper going forward.
14:25Suspend the SIR and restore 13 crore voters illegally.
14:29Detain from the electoral rolls.
14:31Terminate Gyanesh Gaddar.
14:33Repeal the law that gives lifetime immunity to Gyanesh.
14:37Sir, I am talking of the message from the elections.
14:40I have heard you now clearly.
14:42Tuhin Sina, you respond.
14:43Because the BJP, as we can see there, is celebrating Karnataka where you won four out of four.
14:48But there are troubling signs.
14:50You've lost both seats in Varanasi.
14:52You've lost in Lucknow.
14:53You've lost in Agra.
14:54You've lost in Pune.
14:55And when I last saw in Nagpur, the chief minister, Devendra Fadnavish's constituency,
15:01your candidate is leading now just by 1200 votes amidst rumors of dissension.
15:07Now, the fact is, therefore, and you've lost Patna, which you held for 30 years.
15:11So, we can focus on Karnataka.
15:13But the BJP also needs a reality check of sorts in these MLC polls.
15:17Do you agree or not?
15:19Well, good evening, Rajdeep.
15:20Good evening, everybody.
15:21You know, the overall tally is still overwhelmingly in favor of BJP.
15:26So, 14 out of 21 seats that BJP contested, 0 out of 14 for Congress Party.
15:31Now, when it comes to Varanasi, you know, that particular seat you're mentioning was, in fact,
15:35held by the Samajwadi Party, which Samajwadi Party has managed to retain.
15:39But having said that, you know, I mean, we are an alert party.
15:43Any setback, remotest setback, we respond to it immediately.
15:46We don't, you know, go on a 20-day vacation to an unknown location to de-stress.
15:51We don't, you know, cry foul that, you know, the elections were rigged.
15:55So, this is an alert party.
15:57By evening, by late evening, I'm sure the, you know, stock-taking would begin.
16:01And we would bounce back in the next two months.
16:03No, no, but the fact is, you see, you're saying you won 14 out of the 21 seats.
16:06The truth is, you are not, except for that one seat in Bangalore, you've not gained.
16:11You've lost Pune.
16:12You've lost Patna.
16:13You've lost a seat in Lucknow.
16:15No, the Samajwadi Party has gone from 3 to 5 and the next major election is Uttar Pradesh.
16:21Now, if you are, while we, the Congress has drawn a blank and the Congress has much to
16:26answer for its failures on its ground game, the BJP no longer can take the urban voter
16:31for granted in Uttar Pradesh, in Uttar Pradesh, in Bihar, in Maharashtra.
16:37No, no, Rajdeep, if we have lost seats, which we had held previously, and yet the tally is
16:4114 out of 21, which obviously means we have gained new seats.
16:44So, how does it make a difference?
16:47Every seat is important for us, and the Patna seat you're mentioning was also held for the
16:53last four times.
16:54The defeat is by a very narrow margin.
16:56Please understand that in the last 21 years, starting 2005, we have been in power for nearly
17:0118 out of 21 years.
17:03So, yes, there will be some anti-incumbency factor.
17:05We have been in power in Uttar Pradesh for the last 10 years.
17:09The last time Congress Party was in power in these states was three decades ago.
17:14So, it is for the Congress Party to even think of a comeback.
17:17But, you know, I mean, the fact is they are still obsessed with vote-chory allegations.
17:21Now, coming specifically to the demand for ballot paper, you know, in 1987, they rigged the
17:27Jammu and Kashmir election through ballot paper and substantiated by Shashi Tharoor in a 2017
17:32interview.
17:32When they lost 1989 election, it was Rajiv Gandhi who said that enough of ballot papers,
17:38we want EVM.
17:39So, what guarantee is there that if Congress continues to lose in this manner, it will not,
17:43you know, want us to go back to EVM, even if we, for a change, go back to two ballots
17:49for one election.
17:49You know, the fact is it's a very small sample when you have graduates and teachers
17:53constituency.
17:55But those are the educated people.
17:56Yeah, so to both of you, can you get, you see, Prime Minister Modi has got into the ballot
18:00paper battle.
18:02Your Congress leaders, Dr. Ananda, are getting into the ballot paper battle.
18:06You can't decide on ballot paper versus EVMs based on MLC.
18:10Exactly.
18:10So, the issues are more important.
18:12Yeah, agreed.
18:13So, no, no, one minute, one minute, sir.
18:15One minute, one minute.
18:17I've taken your point to...
18:18The toxicity of Congress, but it's spreading in the country, is now being punished by the
18:20people.
18:21No, no, I will ask both of you a simple direct question at the end to you, Dr. Anand.
18:25Is this about ballot paper versus EVM or about the Congress still not having the ground game?
18:30Y'all are, you know, y'all are go to stage major rallies in Delhi, but you also need to
18:34get your organization on the ground.
18:35You need to get your regional power dynamics right.
18:38Do you concede or not?
18:39Even Jansuraj has won one seat over the Congress in Bihar.
18:44Rajdeep, lakhs of people are headed to Delhi on November 1st to ask one question.
18:48Who stole their vote?
18:50That's a referendum.
18:51This government should actually be losing sleep over, not votes by graduate constituency.
18:57We have to make a few points.
18:59CGI removed from selection panel.
19:00We don't have the answer.
19:02ECI get the lifetime immunity.
19:03We do not have the answer.
19:05Anil Masi get caught in Chandigarh election.
19:07We do not have the answer.
19:084,000 EVMs are burned.
19:10We don't know how.
19:11EVMs checked in court in Haryana Panchayat election.
19:14The results were overturned.
19:1626 September 2026.
19:18Claiming SC approved Form 6.
19:20Change it by Election Commission.
19:22Later they change in their affidavit.
19:24The point is, we are okay if they want to do ballot elections for all Lok Sabha and the
19:28next Assembly elections.
19:29We have said it.
19:30We have replied to Paddan Mantri Modi.
19:32We have also said in the last three years that the elections won by the BJP, including the
19:37Varanasi, Aharyana, Maharashtra, West Bengal, PR, they have been given by Gyanesh Ghatar to
19:43Prime Minister Modi.
19:44They have not won by their credibility.
19:46I have heard you, Dr. Anand, I have heard you now.
19:49You know, you are saying that, you know, you can't make the argument of vote chori, surely
19:54at least in these MLC elections.
19:56That's all.
19:57That's about all that I can say at this moment.
19:59But to you, Tuween Sina, you are admitting that the BJP also needs to introspect because
20:05you see, your social media cell is making Congress zero, Congress zero, but BJP is not
20:10a hero in this moment.
20:11Congress zero is.
20:12But in this election, you are not the hero anymore.
20:15You are not the hero.
20:17You have also suffered reverses.
20:19You have followed BJP for the last three decades.
20:22We are always in the introspective mood.
20:24When have you seen us, you know, going, you know, celebrating with 99 seats?
20:28When have you seen us, you know, going into a despondent mode?
20:31We are always in that introspective mode.
20:33You know, we are always in that mode where we try to be better compared to the previous
20:38performance.
20:39But, you know, since the Congress Party continues to raise the issue of vote chori, let me tell
20:43them that it's only and only the Supreme Court which can decide whether vote chori has happened
20:48and whether who has done it.
20:50The kangaroo court mentality of the Congress Party is what the people of this country are
20:54now infuriated at.
20:56And if the Congress does not improve its attitude, this is how they will continue to punish it.
21:00Okay, I'm going to leave it there.
21:01Tuing Sina, Dr. Anand, for joining me on my face-off on the big message of the MLC elections.
21:06Appreciate both of you joining.
21:13Okay, let's turn to the breaking news that's coming in at the moment.
21:17The Supreme Court today has given scathing observations on SIR while hearing the Delhi SIR pleas.
21:23The Supreme Court now is saying that the logical discrepancy category under which lakhs of
21:29voters in Bengal were deleted is only an interim measure.
21:34The Supreme Court says we haven't adjudicated on legality of logical discrepancy.
21:39Remember, as many as 27 lakh voters were off the rolls in Bengal because allegedly, according
21:46to the Election Commission, there were logical discrepancies, surnames mismatch and other such
21:52issues.
21:52Those have been challenged in the Delhi SIR and now the Supreme Court is saying it's an
21:57interim measure.
21:58We haven't decided on the legality of logical discrepancies.
22:02Anisha Mathur who tracks the court, joins us prima facie, Anisha, that seems a rather
22:07illogical thing for the court to say.
22:09To say it's an interim measure of right to vote after having allowed the Election Commission
22:15to engage in mass deletions.
22:16Now, the Supreme Court, while SIR is on is saying, no, no, logical discrepancies we haven't
22:22pronounced on the legality.
22:24What else are the observations of the court on this or what has the court specifically said
22:29on it?
22:30Well, see Raj, the Supreme Court has made one thing very clear that whatever is happening
22:36in the SIR, whether it is Bengal, Delhi or any other state, is something that is still
22:40looking into.
22:42Even in Bengal, as you pointed out, lakhs of people were deleted.
22:45But remember, the Supreme Court, as an interim measure, also introduced the appellate tribunals
22:51that are still working.
22:53And those 27 lakh persons who lost out on their names being in the roles for this particular
23:00election, their applications, their appeals are still being heard.
23:04And of course, it's being heard very, very slowly.
23:06And that is a matter and that is also before the Supreme Court and various petitions that
23:10people have lost the right to vote in this election.
23:13But when it comes to Delhi, let's look at what has happened today.
23:17Three very serious observations.
23:18One, of course, what you've pointed out that the court has said that logical discrepancy
23:22is something, the legality of which we are still going to look into because the Bihar
23:26verdict that came last year has not said that logical discrepancy or the process itself
23:32has been given a stamp.
23:33The Bihar verdict is only saying that the election commission had the power to conduct an SIR.
23:39Second, big observation and big issue raised by the court is that why are people being asked
23:46to fill form six if their names are being put off the draft rolls?
23:51Because remember, in Delhi, it's only the draft rolls right now.
23:53And even those are open till the 30th.
23:56People have the time to file their claims and objections till the 30th of October, which
24:01is why this matter was taken on an urgent basis because the petitioners had said, well, if you
24:05don't hear it now, then people will lose out when the rolls are sealed on the 30th.
24:10The court has said very clearly that the time should be extended.
24:14Thirdly, this entire debate we've seen over the last few months over form six versus form
24:19eight, the court has made it very clear that if somebody has shifted their residence or
24:23was not found at their residence when the enumeration form was sent, those people should be given
24:29the right to file form eight, which is change of address and not form six, which is a new
24:36voter.
24:37And the court has made that distinction also very clear that states where, and particularly
24:42in Delhi, because the voter rolls have not been finalized yet, they have not been frozen
24:46yet.
24:47Then form six has no business.
24:49If the final list had come and somebody's name had been deleted, then the legal situation
24:54would be different.
24:54So a lot of questions today being raised, Rajdeep.
24:57Yeah, but this is Delhi SIR.
24:59The question is, of course, that there are SIRs that have gone through the same process
25:03in Karnataka.
25:03So it almost seems listening to the court's observations that the left hand doesn't know
25:07what the right hand is doing.
25:09Karnataka has got a final role.
25:10Their form six has been used.
25:12Logical discrepancies have been used in other states.
25:15The Supreme Court needs to give us clarity.
25:17You can't say something is an interim measure, which has already resulted in lakhs of people
25:22losing their right to vote.
25:24So Justice Bakshi, Justice Surya Khan will have lots of questions to answer.
25:30Anisha Mathur, joining me on the show tonight.
25:32Thank you very much.
25:33Okay.
25:34Let me turn from there to another of our talking points.
25:37The battle for the control of the Tata group today spilt into the political arena and
25:42how.
25:43Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has now accused the Modi government of trying to destroy
25:47Tata by trying to help people take over it.
25:51Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman hit back, saying the Congress was against entrepreneurship.
25:58Remember, Sharad Pawar has already backed Noel Tata.
26:01The boardroom battle over N. Chandrasekharan's reappointment likely now to be fought in the courts.
26:08But what began as a corporate power struggle is now turning into a political face-off.
26:13Take a look.
26:18The battle for control of Tata group is now a political flashpoint.
26:22Leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday waded into the controversy with a social media
26:28post.
26:29He said, Tata is being criminally destroyed and no business leader dares say a word.
26:35How long will you stay silent until they own you?
26:38Indian business is not Modi and Shah's plaything.
26:42You lack courage.
26:43We don't.
26:44We will ensure justice for these crimes.
26:48Rahul Gandhi is the second opposition leader to comment on the corporate war that has left
26:53India in Shekhar.
26:56Earlier, Sharad Pawar had come out in support of Noel Tata and called for protection of charitable
27:02ownership of Tata group.
27:18Finance Minister Nirmala Sita Raman has hit back at Rahul Gandhi.
27:22In a response posted on social media, the finance minister asked the leader of opposition to
27:28refrain from politicising every issue.
27:30Sita Raman added that casually labelling commercial and legal matters as criminal is unacceptable.
27:37She wondered if Rahul Gandhi was trying to incite business leaders to join him in spreading
27:43distrust and toxicity.
27:45Sita Raman claimed the Congress governments smothered Indian entrepreneurs for decades under
27:51License Kota Raj and inflicted poverty on crores of Indians.
27:56She said Modi government values the Indian industry as job creators and drivers of economic growth.
28:03In his counter, Rahul Gandhi posed two questions to the finance minister.
28:08Which legal and commercial matter required Tata Trust and Tata Sons to be hosted at Amit Shah's
28:14residence?
28:15When is crony number one going to appear in the game and which pieces of Tata is he going
28:21to get?
28:22The political face-off comes a day after Tata Trust's chairman, Noel Tata, challenged the
28:28resolution to reappoint N. Chandrasekharan as Tata Sons chairman for five years.
28:33He questioned the validity of the decision taken at the company's September 17 board meeting.
28:39In a letter to Tata Sons company secretary on Monday, Noel Tata cited procedural irregularities
28:45in how the resolution was brought before the board.
28:49Noel claimed that Chandrasekharan's reappointment was not in the original agenda for the board
28:54meeting.
28:55And the reappointment proposal was taken up out of turn.
28:59Noel Tata, who heads Tata Trusts, which owns around two-thirds of Tata Sons, had opposed
29:05Chandrasekharan's reappointment during the board meeting.
29:08The fight between Tata Sons chairman N. Chandrasekharan and Tata Trust trustee Venu Srinivasan on
29:16one side and Noel Tata on the other is nowhere near an end.
29:19The battle for control of India's second-largest business group looks set to move from the
29:25boardroom to courts now.
29:28Bureau Report, India Today.
29:32Let's raise big questions on our talking point.
29:34Is there really a political angle now to Tata's power battle?
29:38Is industry being drawn into a political war?
29:41Should Tata's battle be left to courts to decide?
29:44Joining me now is Hitesh Jain, senior advocate, Supreme Court of India.
29:48He's also worked closely with the Bharatiya Janta Party.
29:51Sanjay Jha, political analyst, who's also been a Congress spokesperson in the past.
29:55And Dr. Shankar Iyer, political economy analyst and author columnist.
29:59Appreciate all of you joining us.
30:01I want to come to you, Sanjay Jha first, because you have been tweeting away, claiming that
30:05this is some kind of a, that Noel Tata is being pushed out under political pressure.
30:11Now you've got Rahul Gandhi saying Tata's is being criminally destroyed and no business
30:16leader dares say a word.
30:17I mean, these are corporate disputes.
30:20All these allegations are unsubstantiated.
30:23You can say what you want on Twitter.
30:25Rahul Gandhi can say what he wants on Twitter.
30:27But at the end of the day, the law goes by evidence, not by shoot and scoot.
30:32No shoot and scoot at all, Razdeep.
30:35No, give me one piece of evidence to show that Tata's is being criminally destroyed.
30:40Give me one piece of evidence, hard evidence.
30:44I'm just going to answer you.
30:45And let me set the context in place.
30:49If any country today is a manifestation of crony capitalism, it is India.
30:55The big business and the political nexus is out there.
30:58Now let me explain to you what is the reason and the logic behind Rahul Gandhi's tweet.
31:04Let's take it seriously.
31:05There's a lot of gravitas in the tweet.
31:07He's the leader of the opposition, a shadow prime minister.
31:10He said what he said with a lot of responsibility.
31:13You ask me four points.
31:14I'll give you three straight off the bat.
31:17I'm not going to repeat stuff that my friend Abhishek Manu Singhvi has already spoken both
31:22to you and publicly in many forums.
31:24Point number one is, tell me one thing, Razdeep, if a company called Shangvi Finance could deleverage
31:34and RBI was willing to remove it from the upper layer of NBFCs, why not the Tata's?
31:41Because even Tata's became debt-free.
31:43To me, logically, it made no sense at all.
31:46Point number two, let's look at the example of this charity commissioner issue that we are
31:53talking about at the moment in Maharashtra.
31:56Okay?
31:57Think about it.
31:58In the first instance, if we are talking about the Shangvi finance issue, it is the RBI which
32:04took the call.
32:05And RBI, as we all know, is effectively the government of India.
32:10Now the second is the Maharashtra government.
32:12There is a complaint filed about the Tata Trust by one of the trustees.
32:16In May of 2026, can you tell me how complex and what a conundrum that is, that five months
32:24later, the trusts are not allowed to hold their meetings and take their fresh decisions
32:28on who the trustees should be?
32:30Why?
32:31Why?
32:32What is so difficult that it takes five months for the charity commissioner to take a call?
32:37And my third, because these are things that people haven't been talking about, and I can
32:41have 20 other points I can talk about, but the third is critical.
32:45And it is the political issue that we can't ignore.
32:49Before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, just a few weeks before, the Tata group got a 44,000
32:57crore subsidy for the semiconductor businesses.
33:00It's all in the public domain.
33:02I'm not saying anything new at all.
33:03But for many viewers, it may be news.
33:05A big group gets a massive subsidy from the central government for its semiconductor business,
33:12which the government of India needs, and I think we all recognize that.
33:16But hang on.
33:17This is the interesting twist.
33:19Just a couple of weeks later, 83% of the Tata donation goes to the BJP, which is a staggering
33:28number between 750 to 800 crores, 83%.
33:32You think these are not things that need to be looked at?
33:35Not investigated?
33:38You've raised three very serious points.
33:42And I want Hitej Jain to respond.
33:44You see, Hitej Jain, the finance minister has hit back at Rahul Gandhi and said that Rahul
33:50Gandhi is deliberately dragging the Tata's matter into politics, casually laboring commercial
33:59and legal matters as criminal.
34:01But it isn't so simple.
34:03I mean, Sanjay Jha is right.
34:05Five months, the charity commissioner has sat on the entire issue of Tata Trust.
34:09The fact is that Tata's was given sweetheart deals when it came to semiconductors.
34:14And there are questions as to why Mr. Chandrasekharan, who a few months ago has said he was retiring, suddenly
34:21in the board meeting is reappointed.
34:23I mean, questions will be asked.
34:25They are valid questions.
34:25Why should corporate India not be scrutinized?
34:28First, we scrutinize political India, we should scrutinize corporate India as well.
34:35You're on mute.
34:37You're on mute.
34:40Rajdeep, there is no problem in scrutinizing corporate India.
34:44Absolutely no issues.
34:46Second, the statements made by Rahul Gandhi is clearly political rhetoric.
34:50Because if you want to understand political interference, and I will answer the questions
34:54of Sanjay Jha also, but if you want to understand political interference, political interference
34:59is when you shut down the nanoplant in Singur, that is a political interference.
35:03When you nationalize the airline that was owned by Tata's, that is a political interference.
35:09When you nationalize the bank, that are the cases of political interference.
35:13So, let us not get into this dispute about political interference.
35:16Hite, Jha, you're getting into what about three minutes, 2026 ka poochah, you've gone
35:19back to Air India being nationalized.
35:21Come on, let's talk about today.
35:23Rajdeep, let's move away from the rhetoric.
35:24Therefore, I'm saying let's move away.
35:25No, he's giving specific, he's given three specific points.
35:29And those are being talked about in corporate circles.
35:32Corporates are not willing to come on record because they are fearful.
35:36You tell me, respond to his direct charges.
35:38Let us understand who are the two sides at the dispute.
35:39Let us understand who are at the two sides of the dispute.
35:42Mr. Noel Tata and Mr. Chandrasekharan.
35:44Let us understand what is the dispute about.
35:47The dispute is about the board procedure.
35:49The dispute is about the reappointment of the chairman.
35:52The dispute is about the interpretation of the articles of the association.
35:56The same disputes played out when Mr. Ratan Tata, there was a dispute between Mr. Ratan
36:01Tata and Cyrus Mistry also.
36:03The dispute went right up to the Supreme Court.
36:05It went from NCLT, NCLAT, Supreme Court, all the three forums, the interpretations of were
36:12being discussed.
36:13So I don't think merely because there is a dispute in the management of the Tata sons and
36:18try to give up political color.
36:20I think it is being stretched too far.
36:24There has to be, when you make such, as you rightly said in the beginning, you cannot
36:28shoot and scoot.
36:29You have to give these specific allegations and merely saying that because there is a
36:33political donations and therefore you are trying to conflict.
36:37I don't think that's a correct, that's a very wrong thing.
36:41Tata's is the most respectable group.
36:43We all know the value that TCS has brought on the cover.
36:46We also know the value they will bring in the semiconductor industry.
36:49So nobody disputed on the merits as to why the subsidy was given.
36:53Why is the charity commissioner sitting on the Tata trust matter?
36:57Why is the charity commissioner sitting on a Tata trust matter for five months?
37:00Judicial procedure is a quasi-judicial authority.
37:03For five months?
37:04Nobody has a, there is a, there is a district judge who's sitting as a charity commissioner.
37:09He comes under the supervision of the high court.
37:11It's a quasi-judicial authority.
37:14It's not the job of the government to interfere.
37:16And as I mentioned, who are the two sides to the dispute?
37:19It is Mr. Chandra Shekharan on one side is, there is a dispute in the Tata sons management.
37:25The government has got nothing to do.
37:27Only thing what Rahul Gandhi is trying to do.
37:28If the government has nothing to do, why were Tata sons and Tata trust leaders going to Amit Shah's house?
37:34Well, that is again the allegation.
37:36So do you think the corporates have met the political leaders for the first time?
37:40Have the corporate leaders not met the political leaders of different parties?
37:44When Mr. Sharad Pawar interfered on behalf of the Noel Tata,
37:47then do you want to say that your Mr. Tata, Noel Tata is using a political interference
37:52to settle and score the dispute?
37:54One can look at either ways, Rajinder.
37:56Point taken.
37:56Point taken.
37:57Sharad Pawar came out, you are right.
37:59Openly, I take your point.
38:00Sharad Pawar came out openly in support of Noel Tata.
38:02Shankar Aiyar.
38:03That is what is called the political interference.
38:05Yeah, that's also political in a way, political lobbying.
38:09But Shankar Aiyar, is there a political angle to this?
38:14Or do you believe that Rahul Gandhi is simply shooting and scooting?
38:19Well, Rajiv, there are two sides to this story.
38:22One is trust, the other is apathy.
38:25Let's not get into what the government has done or what politics has happened.
38:29Let's look at what has not happened.
38:32What the government has not done.
38:35This is a group which employs over a million people.
38:38It runs the second largest airline in the country.
38:41It runs a semiconductor business.
38:43It runs the largest software company.
38:47It runs defense projects.
38:49It runs banks.
38:51Okay.
38:52A finance company.
38:53Now, this company or this group has been sort of headless and there is a dispute over who should be
39:01running it or who is running it for over five months or six months.
39:05What is the causability in this?
39:07What is the real reason?
39:08The real reason is changes in the law.
39:11September 2025, I think the charity commissioner's law was changed.
39:18RBI changed in the law.
39:20Okay.
39:21I am not saying the charity commissioner since it is so-called judicial or judicial authority.
39:27I am sure Mr. Jain knows a little more than that.
39:29But let's stick to the point that has not been addressed.
39:35How long does it take the government of India and the government of Maharashtra and the RBI to clarify whether
39:44the trust law is retrospective or prospective?
39:48Whether the trust can appoint a person perpetually or not perpetually?
39:53Can the trust be allowed to function?
39:57Whether the casting vote of the chairman is valid or not valid?
40:02Is the TATAs, are they required to become, to list because they own assets or because the functioning, the processes
40:11of the flow and stock are different?
40:13All of these are questions that are in the domain of the legislator.
40:18It is in the domain of the Department of Company Affairs.
40:22It is in the domain of the Department of Financial Services.
40:26It is in the domain of the Revenue Ministry of the government of Maharashtra.
40:30So let's not say that this is a costly judicial post or whatever.
40:34This is something that if, I mean, can you believe the largest group in India is going through the throes
40:42of what is a leadership crisis?
40:45Yes, there was a crisis before when Ratan Tata and Cyrus Ministry fought.
40:50But remember, Cyrus had been removed and Ratan took charge and there was an in the interim, Cyrus challenged the
40:58decision to remove him that is vastly different from there not being a head or there is being a question
41:05mark between the owner of the group and the professional management of the group.
41:10What is the signal we are sending to the professional managers?
41:14What is the signal you are sending to entrepreneurs?
41:16What do family-owned companies think about this?
41:21These are questions that should concern the government regardless of the optics whether they are meeting or not.
41:28When the Reliance fight was going on, did Manmohan Singh not meet the two brothers?
41:34Yeah, but you see, here the question then…
41:37Let's ask the question here.
41:39No, is it…
41:39Here is it a pure…
41:41And there is apathy.
41:42No, no, here you are comparing it to Reliance but there it was very clear, it was a clear battle.
41:46Is this therefore a very different, that was a battle between the family, that was an intra-family battle between
41:52the two brothers.
41:53Here you've got, as you've said, professional management on one side, you've got someone who controls Tata Trust, you've got
42:00question marks over the role the RBI and the charity commissioners are playing.
42:03But Sanjay Jha, there will be those who will say, allow the courts to decide this or allow the process
42:09to go through.
42:10The moment Rahul Gandhi intervenes and doesn't… and intervenes without providing specific detailed evidence of what he's saying.
42:19It's not enough to say that the… why did Tata Sun's representatives go to meet Amit Shah?
42:24That can't be a reason to say that there's politics involved or there's a criminal takeover.
42:30Well, Rajdeep, I give you three points and I'll give you three more very quickly to tell you why Rahul
42:36Gandhi has actually pressed the right buttons.
42:39Point number one, the elephant in the room that we cannot ignore.
42:43Let me borrow a term that you and I debate on on the election commission, the logical discrepancy.
42:49Look at it here. An owner who has 66% of the Tata Trust, which owns Tata Suns, is being
42:57told your affirmative vote or your majority votes don't matter.
43:02I mean, it is the most, I would say, logically absurd thing that anyone with any corporate understanding will tell
43:09you is ridiculous.
43:10Point number two, point number two, can you imagine the Tata Suns board is telling its own owner that we'll
43:16do what we like,
43:17you can keep the ownership and you will be silent. To me, that's an absolute travesty of corporate governance.
43:23Point number two, and pay attention to this. Here is the Tata Suns that agreed, actually took steps to say
43:30that we will deregister because we don't want to list.
43:33Suddenly, there's a dramatic U-turn by the same Tata Suns board. To me…
43:39But there are many who say listing is a good idea. You know, look, there are many who say that
43:44Tata Suns should list.
43:45Point. Rajiv, let me list my point. Let me make my point. Everyone assumes that listing is necessarily going to
43:52be better governance because you're forced to make disclosures by statutory law.
43:56But the biggest scams have happened with listed companies too, right? Whether it's PSU Banks, Enron, Satyam, WorldCom, you have
44:04them all.
44:04I mean, it is no guarantee of it. In fact, a lot of companies which are listed, delist like Twitter,
44:10like Dell, like Capgemini, they have all delisted.
44:13So here is a group that has become debt-free, doesn't want to raise capital, has no interest in an
44:19IPO, but it is being nudged to create an IPO. Why?
44:23My last point. There is this conflict of interest issue that, frankly, to me, when I read about it, was
44:29a shocker, that you have two directors of the Tata Suns board having a business running by the side,
44:36the TVS and the other company run by Mr. Chandrasekharan's family, which are in a real serious business deal and
44:44no disclosures were made.
44:45And if the Noel Dutta is saying it, that cannot be ignored with some frivolous, flippant, red herring stick.
44:52I take your point. There are questions that the likes of Venu Srinivasan and others also have to answer.
44:57But Hitesh Jain, a final point. All of this is not, again, doing the government any credit.
45:02You see, at a time when you want the best of investors to come into India, you don't want India's
45:07flagship company caught in a political tug-of-war of this kind.
45:10And the government of the day also needs to come clean.
45:13It's not enough for Nirmala Sitaraman also to only engage in rhetoric.
45:17She will also have to provide answers to specific charges that the likes of Sanjay Jaha are making.
45:22Radheep, leave aside the rhetoric. Sanjay Jaha himself has answered.
45:26There is a question of interpretation of article of association, which has got nothing to do with the government.
45:32Rahul Gandhi makes a serious charge for takeover, criminal takeover of Tata Group at the behest of some other corporation.
45:40I think when you make such serious allegations and that also, when you are at the place of leader of
45:45opposition, you have to give enough evidence.
45:47You cannot just shoot and scoot.
45:49And last point, the government always has a legitimate public interest in the stability of a major industrial group like
45:57Tata's,
45:58who are having investment in strategic sectors like defense and semiconductors.
46:03So, that interference does not by itself establish any political interference.
46:10It is important that the government also watches from the sideline and also tries to see, understand as to what
46:16the disputes is all about.
46:17And you cannot call that a political interference.
46:19Tata's is a very important group.
46:21We are doing a strategic business.
46:23And you cannot just shoot and scoot and get away only by making political allegations.
46:28I've heard all three sides.
46:29I appreciate you joining us.
46:31Remember, this is an iconic group that suddenly finds itself in a political tangle.
46:36But there are questions that will have to be answered both by Tata's and indeed the government's specific charges.
46:42Forget the rhetoric.
46:43You have to come clean on specific issues that are being raised.
46:47Let's take a break at this point.
46:48When we return, we're going to turn to that big international story.
46:53B.B. Netanyahu.
46:54Is he in or out?
46:56Now, Israel throws up a hung parliament verdict.
46:59Who will form the next government?
47:01Who will be Israel's next prime minister?
47:03That's on the other side.
47:05You're watching the news today.
47:06News without the noise.
47:12Welcome back to the big international story.
47:15There's a hung verdict now in Israel.
47:17No alliance has won a majority in the parliament polls there after 85% polls counted.
47:22The Benjamin Netanyahu-led alliance is leading in 53 of the 120 seats, but is well short of the 61
47:28needed for a majority.
47:30The Gadi Eisenkot-led alliance is leading in 48 seats, but it's the strong showing by two Arab parties who
47:36won 19 seats and now could even play a role in government formation.
47:40So, either you have a stalemate, a possible minority government or the Arab parties in coalition.
47:47What will happen next in Israel?
47:49Is it the end of Benjamin Netanyahu or could he pull off another surprise?
47:53Yeshay Rosenman, senior researcher, joins me from Jerusalem.
47:57Good to have you, Mr. Rosenman, on the show.
47:59So, what's your big takeaway from this verdict?
48:03What's your biggest takeaway?
48:05Good evening.
48:06Good to be here.
48:07So, first of all, I'd like to make a small correction to what you said.
48:11Only one of the two Arab parties could possibly join the government.
48:14That would be the Ram, the Islamist party, the militant of Jamaat-e-Islami.
48:18The other party is an extreme Palestinian nationalist party that does not recognize the state of Israel.
48:23And therefore, no Eisenhower to orbit Netanyahu, neither would allow them to join the government.
48:29The main verdict is that neither bloc can make a coalition on its own.
48:36The coalition that we had now of Netanyahu, a solid right-wing coalition, will not suffice.
48:43It does not add up to 61, the number that we need, 61 out of the 120 seats in the
48:48Knesset.
48:48And the most likely outcome will be that Netanyahu will remain prime minister with a unity government from across the
48:57aisle,
48:57either with Eisenhower or some of the other parties as well.
49:02In that instance, I think Netanyahu's legacy, that he will preserve at all costs, will be regime change in Iran.
49:10He's talking about that again and again in recent weeks.
49:13We know America has already been begun, has began moving aircraft carriers towards the Gulf.
49:20And it's only a question of when the war breaks down.
49:22Are you saying the most likely thing is a Netanyahu-Eisenkot alliance?
49:27Is that what you're saying on a minority government with outside support?
49:31Because Eisenkot himself is also claiming that he will form the next government.
49:37Netanyahu is a veteran politician and Eisenkot is not.
49:41A minority government is highly unlikely.
49:43What the government itself will look like remains to be seen and what its guidelines will be.
49:48Other than the foreign affairs and defense, the war with Iran, finishing with Hamas and Hezbollah in Lebanon,
49:55other than that it's unclear.
49:56One thing, for example, I can say for sure is that if the left-wing parties will be in parliament,
50:01Netanyahu will have to forfeit any chance of judicial reforms that are so dear to him.
50:09But what's the most likely, you know, that's for the future of the agenda.
50:13I just want to focus today on what's the most likely government form that you think will be formed.
50:19How does Benjamin Netanyahu reach 61?
50:23Yeah, so I think it simply means going across the aisle to left-wing parties.
50:28I think the Arab parties, ever since the election results, before the results and after the results,
50:34time and again he speaks out against the Arab parties.
50:36For example, even Raam, the party that ostensibly could be in the government,
50:41the head of the party, Mansour Abbas, refuses to call Hamas a terrorist organization, okay,
50:45let alone the other Arab party, the joint list, where one of the heads of the party after the election
50:52results
50:53dedicated the victory to Gaza and occupied Jerusalem,
50:56like someone, like an Indian politician would dedicate the victory to Mahmoud Azhar,
51:02Masoud Azhar, and Indian occupied Kashmir, something like that.
51:07So the Arab parties are not, I don't think they're, from Netanyahu's vantage point,
51:11they're not a genuine option.
51:13And the question remains, if he brings in Eisenkot, what does that mean as far as his right-wing partners?
51:19Does that mean that he will forfeit the services of Smotrich or Ben Kavir or possibly the ultra-Orthodox,
51:24given that Eisenkot wants to make reforms to these stipends to the ultra-Orthodox communities?
51:29So how does that work?
51:30But you're not ruling, first of all, of course, Indian occupied Kashmir is what the Pakistanis say,
51:34what Masoud Azhar would say.
51:35Yes, I know.
51:36I know you're bringing in the context of what the Arab parties would say in the context of Gaza,
51:40but very quickly, you're not ruling out, therefore, the possibility of a government with Netanyahu and Eisenkot
51:46in some kind of an alliance.
51:48Am I correct?
51:49Yes, I think that's the most likely outcome, yes.
51:51Okay.
51:52Mr. Roseman, we'll wait and see whether the great survivor Netanyahu survives this hung verdict
51:57or we have a twist in the tale.
51:59It's a very complicated process of coalition formation in Israel.
52:03Good to have you on the show.
52:05Thank you very much for joining me there from Jerusalem.
52:08I want to leave you, though, with a story which is a bit of a blockbuster of Jio platforms.
52:14It's blockbuster debut on Dalal Street, listing at 1,358 rupees a share,
52:20delivering 21% returns to IPO alloties in just five days.
52:24For the Ambani's, it's a moment of a bit of a milestone in Jio's journey,
52:28with Mukesh Ambani visibly moved as the next generation took charge.
52:32Anand Tambani, interestingly, thanked Prime Minister Modi
52:34and said that the group was committed to its Viksit Bharat mission.
52:39Take a look.
52:52Jio platforms stormed into the stock market, listing at 1,358 rupees a share,
52:59giving its IPO alloties a return of 21% on their investment in just five days.
53:06But the bigger story goes well beyond listing day gains.
53:11As India's biggest ever IPO gives the country a new corporate giant
53:16and pushes the Reliance Group past the Tata Group
53:19to become India's most valuable conglomerate by combined market capitalization.
53:26For Jio, the listing is only the starting point for a much bigger ambition.
53:33But behind the numbers, the valuations and ambitious promises,
53:37there was another story unfolding at the NSE,
53:40one that was deeply personal.
54:04Jio, the first name of Jio is the first place of the world.
54:10Our deepest gratitude to our Adarnia Pradhan Mantri Shri Narendra Damodardaas Modi Ji
54:18for the vision of Digital India that gave Jio its purpose
54:24and for its continuous guidance and support.
54:28Adarnia Modi Ji, Aapko Hamaara Koti Koti Pranam.
54:50It was a moment that captured the extraordinary journey of the Ambani family.
54:57For Indian investors, the next chapter of Reliance could be even more interesting.
55:01Beyond Jio, attention now also turns to Reliance's retail empire
55:06where the group's enormous store network, digital commerce operations
55:11and growing consumer brands could provide the foundation for another major phase of expansion
55:17and potentially another market listing.
55:22Bureau Report, Business Today TV.
55:28Well, that's about all that we could pack in on the show tonight.
55:31Jio or Jine Do, thanks for watching.
55:34Stay well, stay safe.
55:35Good night, Shubratri.
55:36Jai Hind.
55:37Namaskar.