HTLS 2025: PM Modi sets 10-year deadline to ‘get rid of colonial mindset’ | Highlights

Speaking to Shashi Shekhar, editor-in-chief of Hindustan, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed his gratitude to the BJP for giving him the opportunity to become the CM of India's largest state - Uttar Pradesh.

“UP is the largest state in the country and that is why our party has given me the opportunity to serve it for more than eight years. The dynamics of UP have changed a lot in the last 8 years and I feel happy that we have also participated in that change... We are a part of the campaign to make UP recognized,” said Yogi at HTLS 2025.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is now on stage as HTLS resumes for its final day

HTLS 2025: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will be next on the stage for the 23rd edition of the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit.

This year, the theme of the summit is “Transforming Tomorrow”, during which leaders and changemakers from across the fields, like politics, business, sports, health, science and entertainment gather to capture the spirit of innovation, resilience and growth that defines our era.

HTLS 2025: Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah stressed that an entire community should not be painted with the same brush after terror attacks.

“Kashmiris are as disturbed by the attack in Delhi as they were about Pahalgam,” he said, speaking at the Hindustan Leadership Summit 2025 in New Delhi.

“Not all Kashmiri Muslims are terrorists; not all of them support terrorism. In fact, they are a miniscule minority that do,” he said, in conversation with HT’s Political Editor Sunetra Choudhury.

HTLS 2025: EAM Dr S Jaishankar also took to the stage and shared why Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to India was significant, especially in today's geopolitical context. The senior BJP leader further shared that a key aspect of this visit was to "reimagine" economic ties between New Delhi and Moscow.

He further stated that in the current state of geopolitics, it is integral for India to maintain good relationships, especially with close allies like Russia. Read More

HTLS 2025: Amol Muzumdar signs off the conversation by saying the World Cup win in November was a watershed moment for women's cricket in India. He likens the win to what the men's team achieved in 1983 under the captaincy of Kapil Dev.

“Harman’s catch stands out. It was a surreal moment. No one will forget it. 1983 World Cup was a watershed moment for men’s cricket in India. And November, 2025 at the stroke of midnight, was a watershed moment for women’s cricket in India,” says Muzumdar.

HTLS 2025: Deepti Sharma has a message for all the parents, as she asks them to keep “supporting daughters”. She says a support will go a long way in everyone achieving their dream.

“Keep dreaming big, because if you do, you will eventually realise it. My message to all parents is, ‘please support your daughters’. That’s more important than hard work. If you support them, they will be seen with the same view as the Indian women’s World Cup winning team,” says Deepti.

HTLS 2025: Amol Muzumdar speaks about his journey of being the head coach of the women's team and how the experience has been for him. He says that the sport has taught him a lot.

“I was with RR for 3 years, then Mumbai Ranji team and now the women’s team. Coaching has taught me a lot. You just pick nuggets from every piece and build your own castle. This is what sports has taught me. If you have an impact on others, it remains forever. I have strived to achieve that over the last two years,” says Muzumdar.

HTLS 2025: A major controversy had erupted in 2022 after Deepti Sharma ran-out the batter at the non-striker's end at the Lord's Cricket Ground against England, which also happened to be Jhulan Goswami's final match for India. When asked about the confidence of running the non-striker out, Deepti says she will do whatever there is in the rule book.

“We have to do what the rule says. We had decided on the ground – we gave the batter a warning too – so when they did not listen, I was told we had to run her out,” says Deepti.

HTLS 2025: The Indian women's team head coach Amol Muzumdar has no hesitation in declaring the current side as the “best in the world across genders”. He says that his team absorbs things and follows their instincts.

"I think this Indian women’s cricket team is the best in the world, across genders. They absorb things and they follow their instincts,” says Muzumdar.

HTLS 2025: The India women's head coach hails Deepti Sharma's discipline as he gives an insight into the all-rounder's preparations before any competitive game.

"The way Deepti responds in a match, she does exactly that in her practice sessions. Sometimes you have to pull her back, that’s the energy with which she operates. And that’s why, the match is just a reflection of what she does on the outside, says Muzumdar.

HTLS 2025: Deepti Sharma opens up on how she handles pressure situations in the game and how she likes to stay calm in order to bring the best in her. She also reveals that her brother is her biggest support.

“When I played my first match for India, I had realised that I need to face it and step up during pressure situations. If you remain calm and composed, you can handle any situation. Irrespective of the magnitude of the match, I know I have to give my 100 per cent. There’s no other option. My brother is my support. He keeps at my ears all the time. I love challenges,” says Deepti.

HTLS 2025: India might have defeated South Africa in the final, but the entire World Cup campaign will be remembered for the victory over seven-time champions Australia in the summit clash. Muzumdar says that he didn't have much to say after Australia posted 338 runs on the board and he just wrote one line on the board inside the dressing room.

“Against Australia, when we were chasing 338, I knew nothing could be said in the interval. What could you say? They were in the field for 50 overs. I just wrote one line on the board: ‘We need just one more run than Australia to win,” says Muzumdar.

HTLS 2025: Amol Muzumdar, the World Cup-winning coach further says that his mind was filled with a lot of thoughts before the final against South Africa at the Dr DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. However, he adds that he had full faith in his team as he knew that if the side played to their potential, the victory will be theirs.

“Two years into this job, I realised that this team, these young minds, don’t just listen to what you say. They absorb every word. So I had to choose them very carefully. During the job, I realised the power of words. The speech ahead of the final – I had narrated a couple of inspiring incidents. In the final, the pressure was insane. A lot of things happened on the morning of the final. There was rain around, too, which meant that some of our plans had to be put on hold. My mind was crowded with a lot of thoughts, so I could only imagine what the players must be going through,” says Muzumdar.

“The most important thing was to stay in present. There were 50K people inside the stadium and 50 crore people watching. I knew that if they played to their potential, we would be able to crack this one," he adds.

HTLS 2025: India's road to the World Cup win was tricky as the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side faced three consecutive defeats in the group stage against South Africa, Australia and England. Muzumdar now reveals what he said in the dressing room and how his pep talk helped in rallying the team around.

“We were just not able to cross the line against England, and all the three games we couldn’t we had them in the bag. All 15 players were hurting. As coach, you realise that this is the time that you need to put your finger on the scar,” says Muzumdar.

“Harman, Smriti, Deepti reacted very positively to that talk in the dressing room. They had a secret meeting about which I got to know later,” he adds.

HTLS 2025: Deepti Sharma has all things positive to say about the women's team coach Amol Muzumdar, saying he is always motivating. She also says the relationship between a coach and a player is of utmost importance in any sport.

“When I met sir for the first time, it never felt like a first meeting. He’s always been very motivating; shows faith and trust. It’s very important. That releases half the pressure. I find it very significant. The trust between coach and player is extremely crucial," says Deepti.

HTLS 2025: India women's team coach Amol Muzumdar reveals that he refers to Deepti as “Stokesy”, saying Deepti is a lot like England Test captain Ben Stokes. He also speaks about the similarities between the two players and how they can change the game from any situation.

“Really honoured to be here. I call her Stokesy because there are many similarities. The similarities are there as she and Stokes both bat left handed, bowl right-handed. Both bat at 6, both never miss a match, and they’re both amazing throwers of the ball,” says Muzumdar.

HTLS 2025: All-rounder Deepti Sharma says she didn't have any idea about a road being named after her following India's maiden World Cup triumph. She said the feeling of winning the tournament is still sinking in.

“Finally, it feels like we’ve done something. We’re caught up in events, running a little busy, but it feels great to have made our dream come true. Never thought it would happen (a road named after her), but since it makes your family proud, no better feeling,” says Deepti.

HTLS 2025: Deepti Sharma, the World Cup-winning all-rounder and India women's team coach Amol Muzumdar, are all set to take the centre stage, and they will be involved in an engrossing conversation with Sharda Ugra. Just last mon, the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side scripted history by winning the Women's World Cup for the very first time.

Speaking on the recent vote-chori claims made by Congress MP and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah stated that while he thinks the EVM machines cannot be rigged, there has been manipulation ahead of elections.

"I have never been a supporter of those who say that the machines are rigged," said Abdullah, however, “elections can be manipulated in other ways.”

Referring to the delimitation exercise in Jammu and Kashmir ahead of the assembly elections in 2024, Abdullah stated that the creation of seven new constituencies in the union territory raised concerns.

"The easiest way to do this is to manipulate the voter list or redrawing of the constituencies," he added, defending Rahul Gandhi's recent claims.

Commenting on the recent sweeps made by the Bharatiya Janata Party and NDA alliance, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah issued rare praise for the ruling party.

Comparing NDA to the INDIA bloc, Abdullah stated that the BJP and NDA have fought elections “like their lives depend on them.”

The BJP have fought and contested elections like their lives depend on them, whereas, we (INDIA bloc) fight as if we don't care. We are not as committed to the 24x7 cycle of elections and campaigning as compared to the NDA," said Abdullah.

Speaking at HTLS 2025, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, while reiterating his loyalty to the opposition INDIA alliance, he stated that the bloc currently is on “life support,” especially after the NDA sweep in the Bihar assembly elections.

HTLS 2025: Earlier during the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2025, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman praised Omar Abdullah and the efforts made by the elected government to revive Jammu and Kashmir's economy.

“I must appreciate the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir who of course has met me twice in wanting and being focused to restore the economy back after the tourism, severe hit on tourism and it came to a standstill, tourism came to a standstill,” said Sitharaman.

In response to this praise, Abdullah stated it was “kind” of the union minister to praise him, but called for a better budget for the union territory.

"That's very kind of her, the next part of that would be Ma'am please show me the money, because that it in short supply," said Abdullah, adding that the Centre has been very helpful to the UT.

Speaking on the security concerns regarding home-grown terrorism and its influence in Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah yet again stated that governments in India and states cannot work in silos.

“You cannot have an elected government that is completely removed from security-related decisions,” said Abdullah, adding that the union territory model for J&K does not work

When asked about the return of home-grown terrorism in India, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister told HT that this aspect never really went away.

Abdullah's remarks come in the wake of recent terror attacks across India, starting with the Pahalgam attack in April 2025 to the more recent blast at the Red Fort in November 2025.

“When did it go away? The ones who are surprisedare the ones who thought it has gone away... you can't wish this away... the changes made in Constitution are not miraculously going to end the connection with Jammu and Kashmir and terror,” said Abdullah