so, temperatures around about 16—21 for northern ireland and scotland, still about 28 in the far southeast — but then, eventually, things do turn a little bit fresher and more unsettled as we head into the weekend. bye for now.

this is bbc news. now, hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. has india's prime minister, narendra modi, lost his midas touch? he expected to win a thumping majority in the country's recent election. instead, his bjp lost seats and is now dependent on coalition partners to stay in power. so, where does that leave a highly contentious hindu nationalist policy agenda, condemned by opponents as divisive and dangerous? well, my guest is bjp spokesman syed zafar islam, a political rarity, a muslim

within the ranks of the bjp. has this electoral setback trimmed modi's sails? syed zafar islam in delhi, welcome to hardtalk. thank you very much. mr islam, you've had a few weeks to reflect now, so why do you think your party, the bjp, did perform so badly, unexpectedly badly in the recent parliamentary election? i think those words are lies. the outcome of the general

election, they would make this kind of comment purely because, on the basis of the number of seats we have won, because we are the largest political party in terms of the number of seats we have won, and also, in terms of the percentage of votes, we are still exactly at par of what we had in 2019. so, it is unfair to make this kind of statement that we have badly lost the election. we are the single largest party in the country with 240 seats. no, i didn't say you lost the election, but i'm judging your performance on the basis that mr modi invited usjudge it on. he said that he hoped to win 400 seats. he won 240 and the bjp quite clearly lost its governing majority, and you now rely on the support, the uncertain support of two partners to prop up the government. no, it's perfectly fine. i mean, the coalition government is something which is not new to india, and it is a testimony to inclusive approach the government

has, and these coalition partners, when theyjoin, the government, it only benefits everyone. away from that, the question you had posed earlier, i said that we are the single largest party with 240 seats. what does that signify? that we have not lost an election or we have not done badly in the election, especially when in terms especially when in terms of expectation, we perhaps may have better outcome, expectation of better outcome, but we are very happy with the outcome, whatever we have, 240 seats. and this only suggests that in the independent india, there's the only second time when a sitting prime minister has been mandated by the people of this great country for the third time to serve them, and this particular occasion, the honourable prime minister, mr modi, has been given is mandate by the people of this great country to serve them for five years.

crosstalk. you're trying to spin me a sort of positive take on this election. let's look at one specific place, one specific symbol — that is ayodhya, in faizabad constituency. ayodhya, of course, the home to this grand temple, which mr modi says symbolises his achievements and of course symbolises perhaps the triumph of hindutva ideology inside your country. he campaigned on what he'd achieved by building the temple, which of course, it should be said, is built on the site of an historic, now destroyed mosque, and he actually lost — lost that constituency in the election. what does that tell us about indian voters turning away from that sort of hindutva ideological politics? do you think that building a temple was a political agenda? was it done for the purpose of winning wars or election? it is absolutely not.

why did mr modi make such a point throughout the campaign of saying, "look — look at my achievement." why did the chief minister of uttar pradesh say that the choice was between "devotees of ram," which of course is indicative of the religious element, and "anti—ram forces"? those are his words. well, see, you cannot pinpoint one specific statement of any particular leader because it's election mode and people do say things which they feel at that point in time what needs to be spoken. but as far as building a temple is concerned, it was never a political agenda. it is the aspiration of the people of this great country population is hindu, they have a faith in hindu religion and they needed a temple.

that is something which symbolises that and it is being done with the support...support of the muslim community. everybody, when the court pronounced the judgement, was in favour of the temple, everybody, including the muslim community, wholeheartedly supported it. crosstalk. well, that's very interesting. there was no political agenda... let me stop you there. you've just raised a very interesting point. you're claiming that mr modi has and had the support of muslims in india. i just wonder whether you, as a very prominent muslim inside the bjp, and goodness knows there aren't many of them, whether you were worried when, on the campaign trail, mr modi said that the congress party, the main opposition party, would, if they won power, funnel wealth to muslims, those, he said, who have more children, the "infiltrators" was the word he used. how did you respond to that?

see, this has been taken out of context. you must understand when he was referring about infiltrators, they were — primarily, he was referring — and this is not the first time, even we speak, every muslim will speak about it — people who come from the different part of the country, the world, like, for instance, there are many from bangladesh, they come to india, and who has the rights on those resources? it is the nationals of this country, it is the citizens of this great country who has the first right or the only right of the resources of the country. you cannot entertain and you should not entertain. we are absolutely clear in our mind that no party coming from outside of our country should have any access to oui’ resources. with the greatest of respect, that wasn't what mr modi was saying. crosstalk. he wasn't being that specific. no, this is what we have always spoken, this is what we will always speak. crosstalk. the bjp... because we have always differentiated between infiltrators and local citizens. ..election commission,

which asked the bjp to remove a video saying that it violated indian law. your opponents said that you were routinely demonising muslims, but even one of your own party colleagues, who happens to be muslim, usman ghani, when he actually spoke out against the modi campaign, he didn't like the discriminatory language as he saw it that mr modi was using. when he expressed that opinion, he was expelled from the party. let me — for the benefit of the global audience, let me tell you, if you talk about discrimination, i think first of all, you should not give a lecture, no—one should give a lecture on us on discrimination because i see across the globe — particularly i'm talking about the western world — how they are discriminating their own citizens. at least here, i can say in india there is no such discrimination. let me also explain to you all the welfare scheme which is run by the government of india. we do not see their name, we only see the list of the beneficiary who needs to be benefited out of this welfare scheme. and we are — the government

just happily gives those welfare scheme and to the benefit, to the beneficiary as per the list, which has been prepared by the government and the government missionary, and without exception, that whether you come from a particular community or whether you come from a particular area. every citizen is at part and equal and that is the way welfare scheme is submitted, and the biggest beneficiary, you must know — and i think the global audience must know — the biggest beneficiary out of the welfare scheme of the government of india is the muslim community. we are i4%... crosstalk. let me stop you. if i may, if i may, this is supposed to be question—and—answer, so let me ask you some questions. you were very candid some time ago in an interview when you said that as a muslim in india, when you told your own family that you were going into politics with the bjp, and that you regarded mr modi, in your own words, as a "magic politician", your own family, you said, was appalled with you and regarded you as a traitor. ijust wonder, right now, today,

is your family completely at ease with your decision? no, you are referring to my article, which i had written in a newspaper, and you are misrepresenting... all i said, when i decided to join, because the environment which has been created by the opposition parties, particular the congress, they always mislead the muslim community. muslim community has been always misled by the political parties who use them as a vote bank, they do not do anything for them but only want them to vote for them. and that is what they have done and this is what the impression people had, a muslim community had in the past. but, mr islam, if i may interrupted, what muslims see is a reality that, for example, in the cabinet appointments made since the election,

the bjp does not have one muslim minister. there is not one nationally elected bjp muslim politician. you used to be in the upper house of the indian parliament, your selection only lasted for a couple of years. you're now back to being party spokesman. are you not, in any way, ashamed that your own party — your own party simply does not invite muslims into senior positions? who said that? in fact, it was not only me, there were many other colleagues of mine who come from the muslim community and they were either cabinet minister or a minister of state or the member of parliament. no, forgive me, you name me — you name me one muslim cabinet minister representing the bjp today. 0ne — name me anybody. there isn't one. today is not there. it doesn't mean that they were never there, that they will never be there. today, i admit that there is no representation of muslim community in the cabinet, but was not there the past? but was it not there the past?

yes, of course, in the last government, prior to that government... crosstalk. that's a very point i'm trying to get to. it seems things, in terms of this discriminatory policy, things are getting worse. crosstalk. there is no discrimination. let's talk specifically about the citizenship amendment act, which has been described by amnesty international is a bigoted law, the us government and the un have both expressed deep concern about it being "discriminatory in nature". i put it to you, you have a choice now, you're back in government albeit with coalition partners. are you going to continue to implement this "discriminatory law"? amnesty international is a fraud organisation. their only purpose to somehow create friction between the communities, between the societies. their objective, whatever objective is, only to create some problem, unrest in the country. they are a fraud organisation, they have a different agenda. we do not — indian people are not guided by those agenda. they have — this agenda is being run by the western world. but let me tell you, have you gone through the caa? i am asking you.

is there anything against muslim community? even one? think what you can, tell me. crosstalk. the fundamental principle of the citizenship amendment act... not at all. ..is that it links citizenship with religion. crosstalk. you have to understand the perspective. crosstalk. it basically tells people from afghanistan, bangladesh and pakistan that they will get a pathway to citizenship only if they are not muslim. he laughs. so, that's why i am saying that amnesty, saying that, like amnesty international, you have also not understood the subject and you are being critical about it. i would request you, first go through it, understand the context and the perspective, why caa has been introduced in the country, and it is for whose benefit? and are particular communities being targeted? no—one is targeted.

indian citizen has nothing to do with it, whether you come from a muslim community or, for that matter, any other community. this caa does not apply to citizens of this country. only those who. .. crosstalk. as i say, the us government and the un disagree profoundly with you. but let's just talk about a different set of choices you have to make now that you're back in government, in coalition. the latest report from human rights watch for 2024 talks about indian police complicity in discriminatory acts of violence, which target minorities, the bjp, it says, the bjp, it says, has persisted with policies that discriminate and stigmatise minorities, communal violence continues in many parts of the country, most recently of course, we saw terrible communal violence in manipur. so, my question to you is — now that you're back in government, but you have heard the message of the indian people, you have received your electoral setback, is the bjp going to change course?

see, first of all, there is no setback, whichever way you want to analyse it, and you look at the mandate. is the mandate for the honourable prime minister, pm modi? well, we've discussed whether it's a setback or not, but my question is simple... crosstalk. ..are you going to change course? are you going to now, for example, tell the police to actually enforce the laws? no, let me tell you...let me tell you, see, there is a continue of our policy. there is a continuity of our policy. there is absolutely — there will be no change. but as far as the discrimination part is concerned, there is no discrimination in the country. it is all in the western world misrepresented. whatever being said there is actually untrue. it is all a fabricated story which is being run by western media. i'm just interested... let me remind you one thing... crosstalk.

i'm just interested, mr islam, do you actually believe — do you actually believe what you are telling me right now? do you really believe that? let me ask you, let me pose you a question — if you're talking about human rights violations, what happened in manchester yesterday? was it not a human rights violation? what are you...who are you... crosstalk. i'd love to love to you about manchester, but the audience wants you to talk about india. no, we talk... no, why india? we... cos you are a spokesperson for the bjp! we are a multicultural society. we coexist peacefully. india is a peace—loving country! there is no discrimination of any sort. every citizen has power in the eyes of the government. it is only in the foreign media, western world, this kind of a statement, which is being — or allegation is being made, only to demonise india, which is factually incorrect. the fact that — let me give you first an example — even on bbc — bbc — greg dyke or somebody was there, or your director, what did he say? he had said once — i am sure you will be able to recollect — that "bbc is a landscape of white. "we need to add more colours." what does that mean?

you discriminate. let me give you one specific example. in the home minister report of the united kingdom, they did not consider that, yes, our society or the government has institutionalised discrimination and a violation of human rights. who are you trying to lecture? we, as a country, believe in diversity. i do want to examine what has happened in india today and what is going to happen for the next five years. we do not want to get a lecture from anyone because we know that we... yeah, well i have no wish to lecture you, mr islam. yeah, well, i have no wish to lecture you, mr islam. i would like to ask you some questions if you would let me get one in. yes, please. we do not want lecture from anyone. let's talk about the wider trend towards repression and authoritarianism in india. freedom house 2024 report talks about the harassment ofjournalists,

of ngos and government critics including opposition politicians. ijust wonder — again, now that there is a new electoral landscape and a new parliamentary landscape where you're in coalition, is there going to be less harassment of opposition politicians and media groups inside india over the next few years? i think there are a few things which everyone needs to understand. you run a story because you have a agenda to demonise india. i understand that. you run a story with a very specific agenda. there are many tv channels in india. there is a diversity in culture. there is a diversity in language. there are many tv channels, manyjournals. they all right many things about our government, sometimes positive, sometimes negative. do we take action on those

who are writing negative things about our government? no. of course you do. no, pm modi... you have a record of locking up journalists. an internationaljournalist representation group says that your record is worse than neighbouring pakistan's. yes, you do. an internationaljournalist representation group says that your record is worse than neighbouring pakistan's. absolutely not. there is absolutely no rule of law in pakistan. you are talking about india. rule of law in pakistan. india has been, and even today, is a very diverse country where people have a different language, where people have different cultures, but they all respect each other. we coexist despite being multicultural. we coexist peacefully. it is only the foreign media who misrepresent us as if there is discrimination or friction between societies. as far as the journalists are concerned, i think you must understand... your record on freedom of expression stands for itself. the people can judge for themselves. if i may — this interview has

to be conducted with questions as well as answers. if i may, i want to move onto the economy. mr modi boasts about unprecedented growth mr modi rightfully boasts about unprecedented growth in the indian economy and it's obvious there have been real beneficiaries. you have 200 billionaires now. you have a thriving stock market. you have a corporate sector which has enjoyed significant tax breaks. we see all of that, but we also see that endemic poverty has not been tackled by your government successfully. we see that inequality has risen to levels beyond the united states, brazil, south africa — countries which are known for their inequality. india now outstrips them. i guess the indian voters again decided that they were not happy with this so—called economic miracle of mr modi.

i think you are badly mistaken. every citizen understands that the fragile economy in 2014 which we inherited, or the macroeconomic parameters were looking terrible. the bank was in a terrible state. everywhere you see it, it was in terrible shape everywhere you see the economy, it was in terrible shape. and from there, at that point in time, we were at the 11th rank — our ranking was 11th globally in terms of the large economies. today, we are in the fifth position. all the macros are looking very, very good with the economy. i'm not denying... there's not denying, but let me tell you — growth in india has led to prosperity, but i'm interested to know if you are satisfied where the top i% of the indian population have ownership of 40% of national wealth? see, the policy of the prime minister, pm modi, has actually helped 250 million people to come out of the poverty line. they are part of

the middle class now. so, a lot of efforts in last ten years because the population in india during the congress regime, they have been used by as a political tool by the world bank population have ownership of 40% of national wealth? see, the policy of the prime minister, pm modi, has actually helped 250 million people to come out of the poverty line. they are part of the middle class now. so, a lot of efforts in last ten years because the population in india during the congress regime, they have been used by as a political tool by the world bank and they were readily worried about their people. today, we see how the benefits are reaching to them. 500 million people have been given a free healthcare system. they can go to specialist and all of the expenses will be borne by the government of india, because we, as a responsible government, we provide free ration to the people.

india is still building a huge number of coal—generated power stations. as i understand it, going forward for the next decade, three quarters of india's power is still going to come from coal. you are failing to meet the international community's expectations about india doing its bit to control global warming. does india care or not? it is only india which cares, and we are following all the guidelines of ensuring that global warming, the initiatives taken by various countries in the forum. no, you are not. it is india which is migrating from coal to otherfuel like some other means where you don't have to use the coal as a fuel. so, it is india which is actively

pursuing that to ensure that whatever the carbon emission and the other requirement which is there, it is been strictly followed. unfortunately, we're out of time, but i thank you very much indeed forjoining me on hardtalk. unfortunately, we're out of time, but i thank you very much indeed forjoining me on hardtalk. thank you. thank you very much. hello. tuesday brought us the warmest day of the year so far. several parts of london saw temperatures up to 32 celsius,

including heathrow, kew gardens, saintjames�* park, as well. and it's notjust been the warmest day of the year — we've also officially seen a heat wave already in some regions, especially kent, east malling, and bramham, in west yorkshire. these areas have seen temperatures exceed their heatwave threshold for sunday, monday, and tuesday. so already, three consecutive days — and we may well see another day so, already, three consecutive days — and we may well see another day or so of heatwave conditions in some areas. so, it's still warm and humid again, but a thunderstorm risk as we head through wednesday in the southeast of england. to start the day, then, we've got the heat and humidity in the south from the word go. it's fresher further north. long spells of sunshine, lots of dry weather, light winds, really pleasant late—july day — but it is humid towards the south and, as we head through the afternoon, you can see those showers and thunderstorms starting to crop up, particularly so across parts of kent into sussex, as well. they'll be hit—and—miss, so you might not see one, but if you do catch one, could be some localised flooding. top temperatures still 28—29 for central and southern areas. low—20s or high teens though further north. now, heading on into wednesday evening and overnight into thursday, some of those heavy showers and thunderstorms become a little bit more extensive, especially across parts of england and wales. could be a bit of rain

across the west of scotland heading on into thursday, as well. it's going to be another really muggy, sticky night in the south — mid—to—high—teens here — a little bit warmer further north than it has been overnight, too. now, through thursday, we've got this first mass of heavy showers and thunderstorms that clears away, and then, through the day cloud and showers bubble up. so, again, some thunderstorms potentially breaking out, especially for england and wales, i think during the afternoon. drier for scotland and northern ireland. temperatures 22—28 — so still above average for most of us. we've still got that warm air with us as we head through friday. but later on friday and into saturday, a frontal system pushes its way eastwards — and that's going to allow fresher air to start to move in from the west. so, a change in weather—type as we head through friday into saturday. still quite warm and sunny in the south and east, i think, through friday, but the winds pick up in the north and the west with the arrival of some showers, as low pressure starts to move in. so, temperatures around about 16—21

for northern ireland and scotland, still about 28 in the far southeast — but then, eventually, things do turn a little bit fresher and more unsettled as we head into the weekend. bye for now.

welcome to newsday. reporting live from singapore, i'm arunoday mukharji. lets get you the headlines... israeli launches an air strike on beirut and claims to have killed a senior hezbollah commander. increasing concerns about violence in venezuela, as anger over the election result continues. police release images of the victims of a stabbing attack in north—west england on monday. the girls were aged six, seven, and nine. clashes break out between protesters and police in southport shortly after thousands gathered at a vigil to remember the victims.

and gymnastics icon simone biles wins gold again, on day four of the paris 0lympics. you're watching bbc news broadcasting to viewers in the uk and around the world. we begin with israel's strike in beirut on the hezbollah commander it says was responsible for an attack that killed 12 young people in the israeli—occupied golan heights on saturday. at least one person was killed and a number of others wounded in the blast that hit the southern suburbs of the lebanese capital, where hezbollah has its main stronghold. israeli sources said the strike was in response to the attack this past weekend, on the town of majdal shams, in the israeli—occupied golan heights. the fate of the targeted

commander, who's been named as fuad shukr, is not yet clear — although