a covered se salon pick bubble in beijing, and jen jack, who so organizes, have been trying to spread the love by handing out roses to people. but if you are heart broken or cynical, you can celebrate valentine's day. it's no problem in exchange for a donation. helmsley conservation center in the u. k. will very kindly name a cockroach after your ex. is it such an insult though? and another conservationists actually point out cockroaches are a vital part of the global ecosystem. ah, well, this is out as they are and these are the top stories. germany's chancellor has met ukraine's president brought him his zalinski in kiff or shelter says any russian attack on ukraine will be met with a strong response. he'll go to moscow to meet president putin on tuesday. on this hold on was done off the bush. we encourage russia to use these offers of

discussions. we emphasize again, in any case of military escalation, we have agreed with our allies and we are ready to undertake and implement very serious sanctions. the territorial integrity of ukraine should not be violated. and if it does happen, we know exactly what to do by ukraine's president. those will continue to pursue nato membership. he said it was a vital issue for his country's security and territorial integrity. my would, you know, i, li, us, so nice for our future alliances. our ambitions, you know very well that this is our wishy, but apart from that, there is a war in the east and we believe that nato membership will ensure our security. and in a meeting with president putin, russia's foreign minister said the still room for diplomacy. moscow wants limits of calls to night have expansion and military operations in eastern europe. the other headlines and a palestinian teenager who was shot dead by his ready forces in the occupied west bank has been laid to rest. 11 others were injured when troops opened fire on

people protesting against the demolition of a home in the city of jeanine. it belonged to a palestinian prisoner, accused a king and his ready settler in december. the ma attention remains high in the flesh point suburb of shack, jetta in occupied east. jerusalem is ready. police cleared, protest is on sunday, injuring dozens of people. demonstrations broke out when a far right is ready and pay tried to reopen a political office. and in sudan, one person has died during another day of protests to denounce military rule security forces 5 t, aghast to disperse demonstrators, marching towards the presidential palace anyhow. tune thousands of people have been staging weekly rallies since the military takeover in october. and nearly 80 people have been killed. all right, we're back with a news are for you in about 25 minutes time. that's 1800 hours jammed 8. next came vanelle with the lightest inside story ah

regional boast, but also a test for india's 5 minister and his governing b. j. p. party, the writer mode. he stands accused of being divisive. so how will these state elections shape his political future? and what will that mean for democracy in india? this is inside story. ah. blow welcome to the program. i'm kim vanelle. millions of people in india will be voting in state elections this week and until march, the 7th ballots will be cast across 5 states. among them,

the most populous who tell pradesh results there are seen as a referendum on prime minister read ramadi and his governing b. j. p. party indicating how people may vote during the next national elections. opposition policies are trying to capitalize on the b. j piece. decline in popularity caused by 3 farming laws that triggered protests for more than a year had never tell sent us this report from top british we're outside of pulling station in a row high noted with israel. people are lining up to cost their vote $1000000000.00 . biggest states election. now the issue is home to more than 200000000 people and change the highest number of members to in just parliament and therefore has an outside importance in just political landscape. this election is widely seen as a chest, a prime minister in the reigns, remove these popularity. now this isn't a gradient state which back to b, j. b, overwhelmingly. in 2017. but since spend support among farmers has dwindled. for

one, many of them participated in that year long agitation against the 3 farm laws they had failed big corporations. now those laws were eventually revoked by the prime minister because of these upcoming elections. but many farmers have continued to protest over unmet demand or the financial issues like price, right? and unemployment are also playing out in these polls. and not just that, that with dish for other states in india also holding elections this month. results for all will be out on march. 10. analysts say that the bgp just continue to be a favorite and will watch out for the victory margin in the stage of with the really i'm partnering with the inside story. okay, we'll begin our discussion in a moment. but 1st, let's bring you up to date with india's journey so far on the new render murray and the hindu nationalist. b. j. p. modi became prime minister with an historic landslide victory and national general elections in 2014. he was soon accused of

trying to silence opposition of the activist journalists, critical of the government began being arrested in 2019 moody was reelected. he then imposed a wide spread crack down and a log on the disputed region of kashmir and revoked its semi autonomous stages. that same year protest erupt nationwide after murray and it a controversial citizenship law. a provided citizenship for religious minorities, but excluded muslims. in 2020 farming reform law was passed. it prompted months long, peaceful protests and strikes which sometimes turned violent in recent months. the b j. p has been accused of allowing hate speech against muslims and it's rallies and polarizing the country. as january b, j. p controlled states began imposing a ban on religious head, scarves one by muslims in schools. by let's bring in our guests in new delhi, we have sedans who metal,

a politician and senior leader in the bahati, tier, gen not a party of the j. p. and kaci pull c k rodge a lawyer at the spring court of india and caroline high course and in luck. now at fatima con, a journalist at the quint, thank you very much for joining us for marketing program. and i'd start with you. sit on, shoot and tell if these elections are a referendum on your end or mowdy who's half way through his term and on the rolling b j. p. of which you are a part. how do you feel it's going to go? yeah, i don't think it sort of friend him on mr. not in the will be. he's ruling the country . he's the prime minister. this is a different bermonte rule off mr. or the pill. yogi, a bit enough. yogi, who's a chief minister of that state who was a good girl who has been at the helm of her 1st for the last 5 years. so to cali, better friend on mom's to bodies side b is, is, is an exaggeration. you'll be, is

a very, very critical state. the population of he'll be, is more than a to $25000000.00 people. just should it actually gone to one 6th or b, none number of parliament seat. so yes, explain critical. but the critically sure the strain before people and the rig choices is the earlier the link led by a t lee shadow of a party called some ivy party, appear to waste. ah, what would other the, which is, which is the a, the db more stir jungle right? it, it, it, it, it is the are manifestation of the commonality perpetrated by a sexual of people. that official patronage. that is what people saw for the last 5 years. and that is when they chose and decided to or forbid it. the reason was that one particular kind religious community and one particular cast had dominant. so

the law and order was usually there. so every police station had a majority of these people. you would not fight cases against them. they're, they're written dram large. they would abduct people, they were your dirt ticker, just enter the fields and her to go with the lender, clipping their ownership that the women were not saved. anybody could be abducted on people could be beaten up at the mercy. so that fearful environment necessitated the people to opt for a government mitchell biesen tranquillity and which will eliminate the mafia. raj, our kathy, the rule of the mafia did all of the criminals. i have a way accomplishment of the summer i was saying, and i just wanna clarify for our international audi until we talk about youth. we talk about we're talking about a per dash and i to cross over to you just for your response and fatima kind of, it's a, you're a journalist, your covering run up to these elections. do you think that these are, are a litmus test for the prime minister?

i think it is a mistake for the b g, b as a whole. you know, these elections, they come right on the heels of the number of historic events that have been in place in country in the last couple of years alone. the families brought us that you mention 13 month long, almost 4 days where several formulas from different parts of no india. this stat at the base of the national gap requesting against the b j. b, they member, the farmers, had it in a huge chunk, a huge majority of on it or the be to be in the previous 2 elections as well as the 2019 also for the pharmaceutical state and mobilize them says against the b was a huge method of cause we cannot forget that with 2nd gave, which it averaged to multiple states to produce alone. so might to put it at multiple casualties because of the complete infrastructure in collapse under the b b. and add that dame of course it was being said that if nothing this will be the downfall of the b. of course, i have been covering these elections for the last 2 months now i've been on the

field and i can tell you the beach does continue to the mean to actually who didn't populate, or not withstanding, of course, the fact that there are people who continue to have their grievances ultimately this, if i have to put it simplistically, i'd say that it is a matter of choice that the world does have to be between, you know, the beatles handled by the band with the feminist or more the and the b popularized across the country was, is momentarily shows that they might have faced whether be a, be a, with the fun lows all over the wave or does generally price stays infrastructure issues and anything that you would consider any other scenario would be in off season bring down the government how much cost over the cartoon, and i do see you there as well. mr. michelle, we will come back to you shortly. but 1st i'd like to go to a garage in kaci. we spoke there about some of the issues at play. you've written about hate speech and there is rising hindu nationalist sentiment across

the, across the country. right. there been protests in one state about the decision to ban the wearing of the muslim headscarf in educational settings. so you believe the role of the courts is more important than ever talk us through that and what your assessment is to thank you so much for the question. and congratulations, hampton's speaking and organizing a debate on a very important issue which are which in fact the world is watching. i were infecting this them of a beer that is launched by the right wing government, which has led by more thing has been widespread. it's been also incremental. if we look at how the needs of this lemma from your and munched, we will see that in the beginning, that the attempt was to consider or treat muslims a 2nd class citizen. so that's what we have seen with the citizenship amendment act in 2019 by which they said that to censure will be extended to all communities outside india except for muslims, muslims were ineligible to apply for citizenship in the country. there would be

fine incremental process of birth, converting them in where the actual citizens a were to 2nd class citizenship. and from that we have, we have come to a situation where there is an open call for genocide against muslims. and that is precisely what happened in had a daughter in city in december that had that a group of so called scenes assembled. and they said that in the i should be in the state. and they said that what they were should be done in the, in, in, in their capacity to transform india into a hindu state. and they were, in fact, there were references made to the genocide that occurred in myanmar against the finger of the cheese. the food. this is the political context in which we're talking about and the sisters of body as carrion and very intimidating. at more social political context for us in a lot of how does the law deal with that kind of rhetoric? is it, it's been quite interesting to see that the lined arda situation in the and in the

district has been, has been dealing with it quite poorly. for example, the, the genocide call which was made in december, there was no to straighten of if i up, which is called which as, as, which is the 1st information report which is, which means the registering of a crane that has the initial registering of a crime with the police that has not happened until recent calls were, were done, and there was an anonymous public pressure on the police to actually registered a crime. and even while registering the crime important provisions of the indian people court were left out of this of this registration. and only very few provisions were actually charged against the things who in fact made an open, canceled on site. and coming back to your quest for how the, our constitutional courts were dealing with with it, i would think that that the idea of the constitution code is to essentially be counter majority to listen to these kind of majority in atrocities against the minorities. and i do not think that the in supreme court or the high court in the country has been dealing quite actively with it. they have been adopting very

broadly, of course is a very broad generalizing statement. they've been dealing with it with it quite passively inquired indifferently. and many occasions we've seen courts taking blankly at the side of the executive. i had said, alto, metallic and say you wanting to jump in there. go ahead. is the most vicious and untruthful state we buy, but we'll hook like we start to be 1st the citizen amendment act shed. he says it denies the muslims citizenship of this country. you are completely wrong and untrue. for the simple reason, this act was enacted for protecting the minorities off your critic states, which have been persecuted and compared to leave the countries now which are with your critic states, pakistan that your critic statist got up bushland majority the persecution of religious minorities of pakistan when they come to india, we said we will protect, i've gone is time when they come to india,

we said will protect it. so it is all states which had your critique states lured by of the majority, which happens to be muslims. and then the religious minorities when persecuted when they come to india, including bunger this, that is when they're given the citizenship. now, for if a majority, or if a member of a majority of birth, your critic, state guns, and seeks for citizenship easy religiously persecuted, no. so this is giving citizenship to religiously persecuted, minorities. ok, bye at your critics. i know that i want it. i want to do is jump military and retrospective of, of that issue of the time. because what we're talking about is how this was received by me in the installation in this and how that is going to translate into the elections. that is what we want to talk with her. so let's, let's talk about the elections below dory, which you heard from the previous to her speakers has been to sol,

hatred among religious communities, saying muslims are angry with the hindu dominated state. you will relate is that the state has not discriminated against the hindus or the muslims show me. one example where the government of the day has said, this is what is available to a religious, the majority of this of not what is available to at least by the audit. i think i think it all, i think everybody harry 13 was head of home. everybody here chris seems to agree with polarization, but i can see over in black. now fatima can i do see you're wanting to have one more thing going from hill central. it's that we, that we ensure everybody has the right of reply and that we, we keep this even please go ahead. fatima con in luck. now. yes, yes. a number of things. one, i could you like to adjust that when you talk about a misdemeanor is going on and on about the numbers, it's really just the prosecutor minorities, again, out into that like last came, what about getting young man,

i was also in the what we're doing in the allowed citizenship in the country. secondly, the fact that you can even, i don't think it's even if even made it the big at this point of time. whether or not you'll get an image or a date in government. i think it is a given. i think it is better. why speak to on the basis of what is it in so many words just to give you one example, he was asking for example, and i'll give you one, you'll get it in the chief minister in his, in his election that he's ordering all it again. he's used it that did it explicitly say that he will bring him to russia meeting the hindu nation. he's explicitly said that is a fight between 80 percent was this 20 percent adult whistle against minorities is explicitly said, it's so fun you'll be has only had a government that is focused on compass and call this time is do the graveyard. he's it, if be use, go with them, go with all would and what would again, in so many words,

even organized. so i haven't like more to understand when it's done with a standard night and denies it. ok, can the whole, i think just going but going back on the elections, i think it is important to understand that communism and it has been normalized in this it. and if you get to that comes back to power in days of use possibility that he will, i will not deny the fact that he continues to be hugely popular among them is good . and if he does come back, but it will be a signal sent out to several other states in the country. this kind of politics is acceptable. normalize and will be celebrated. so, so far as i want to come over to you, if you has the opposition for those and opposition to the page that they have capitalized on, you know, some of the frustrations that might be there it's, it's a important question of that. now i think the opposition, unfortunately, has not been able to consolidate, effectively against the in the right wing, a hindu rhetoric that, that, that, that has been pushed forward. and i think there is considerable potential for the

opposition parties in the country to come together and form coalitions in all the fight states when which upcoming elections and in fact, our polls have begun in some of them. and that there is a tremendous potential for that, but unfortunately, i would think that the, the put it in the button she has not been fully made use of including by the congress by the which in fact is the largest oppositional a party in the, in the national scenario, and that is in fact one of the reasons why the b, p and, and the elias, including the irises, are able to come forward and added will to push the rhetoric of hate in the country . it is partly, it is the failure of the, of the opposition and partly it is the failure of the populace. i think a country where, where that has been quite, quite a large amount of social, economic, backwardness, quite a large amount of illiteracy is unable to. i think, or to a great extent see that the dangers of hindu majority, a party which of it and, and the kind of principles they're trying to. so and that they're,

they're somewhat being blinded by the promise of development by the promise of a betterment and, and, and by the promise of rejecting india to be one of the world leading countries are all of the economy, the promises of a, of a trillion economy when india is still remains according to oxfam and other findings to means as one of the most unequal countries in the world were aware that a so much inequality that, that thrives, that the, the attempt is to sort of hide, that the attempt is to not address the socio economic inequalities of the attempt as rather to a project in the as, as a leading walter economic which at which it clearly is not okay. i want to come back over to sit on to me, hal n e e e e l a. i could see you wanted to get in there. i would like your response to what we said earlier. and i'd also like to ask you about the, the issue of the agricultural reforms, which as we have with we've talked about before spot year long process. i mean,

it's a pretty, has a large rural population, right. so how is that going to play the thing for the p j p. first be hit the atomic casting aspersions on the people of the sir state saying they're not educated enough to differentiate. i think it is rather better. okay, treat to people off with that. with this, please don't do it. if there is a narrative which any political party ah, less unleashes the people of the state, have wisdom to understand what is good for them and what is not good. see people of this country vote for the future. they vote for what they believe is beneficial to them, and if no one who did wrong, they voted against beach appeared. places did, we'd be lost of an election and they felt that the alternatives are better attended . sonata said that if be jumpy, winds than the people of that state are uneducated and saw they cannot

differentiate. this is the said absolutely wrong and acceptable and please do not denigrate the problem. and so if you to said your leader, you dissent, you just said the same thing. all right, no, i didn't, i will not let me come, not, it might not let me come down to the so let me come down to the shoe of agriculture reforms. it is a very ambitious program of this, sir. god lived to do agriculture reforms which would be beneficial to the farmers of this country because this country has a huge population of vaguely coaches in fact that the primary occupation of this country. now, bit of miscommunication that data communications which lead people to believe that these are inadequate laws which may not be good for them. so after trying to persuade the people when it was seen that they're not getting persuaded as the misgivings continue with the crew. that's it, and now what up there, she has a lot, a lot of a huge agricultural population. so as it will be part of the surgery,

because as i said, that's it. but i am the occupational people of, of, of, of india who did the dish education was largely confined to people in the vested. and there was a particular community which was particularly in so used because of this because it had its bedding in the politics of harry announce, no, this community has also seen the subsequent events after the broad and when the deserts will be out is i'm at least happy that, but the panelist here are conceding that in democracy. the people won't fit on the job indexed by b tip is likely to win. ok, thank you for that. and any bell, if we are going to win, we're not going to win because the v delivered it reaches the other one because people thought future is more secured with as you say it has. but for the future, as you say, people well give their opinions that the power and that is the point of elections. i'd like to cross back are the 2 i to lot. now, as the con,

i could see you wanted to get in there was something you wanted to add. i want to make it very clear that individuals make that. so he said that they didn't it in on you had with question those choices. i in dozens of that, that are not they would need because an educated on it, but everyone has one right to analyze why those choices will eat in dumbs or what was the impetus or them i just now only i've been on the still reporting. i met people who lost their immediate family members that has been there on that end in stock or taking it and i had meant them all yet at the peak of this taking the 2. and in so many was said that there's langley this love, that even now they mean in that, that hugely was, it is going to with the government. but they, some of them see that we still continue to work for the b, g was slang. so reasons for many reasons being ok and what is a hinder government? this is a good in the meantime and coming back and just by asking them is, are getting people and we identify with that vendor quantities. and so we work for

them. and that is the toys both individual as i'm making. so i think no one's here been judgmental about english. what is what? because in order in on and i hope no one has a problem with that. all right, i'd like to come with discovered can, this is something about the covert very clearly because we are running out of time very quickly. colbert is a phenomenon which is a global phenomena. and this global phenomena played how looking to be life. so people all across the board, not just hooked up a dish, not only bigger system collapse than who took the shit collapse every red, but hats off to the governments of the country has of to the people of this country . that default back to the, in the quasi, when it came to recognition, then showed that we have such a huge regulation program that will dismiss him this time, look at the collateral damage, but to just dismiss eligible. so it is not how you were caught by surprise because the board was caught by surprise. but once you got aware of what is happening,

how you, what burke you thought back with such the mission that are sitting with the people at the study. super bowlens become it's include not be to be governmental. so don't, don't things which do not make a logical to look at as you say. this is a pandemic that has affected the entire world and nations. populations around the world are voting on their leaders responses, which i'm sure will be in people's minds at these state elections. we will have to leave it there for time. thank you. all of our guest guests at hunt shoe metal to c k dash and fatima. com and thank you for watching. you can see the program again any time by visiting our website al jazeera dot com, and the further discussion go to our facebook page says facebook dot com forward slash ha inside story. you can also join the conversation on twitter handle is at inside story for me, kim vanelle and the whole team here in doha for bye, for now. and

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