Frontline Conversations

In this wide-ranging and insightful interview, renowned political analyst and activist Yogendra Yadav offers a penetrating look at the current state of Indian politics and society. Speaking to Frontline, Yadav draws on his unique perspective as both a commentator and participant in the political process to analyse some of the most pressing issues facing India today.

In the 2024 general election, he was a phenomenal predictor of electoral outcome. “Indian society is a pyramid. The top of the pyramid has been captured by the BJP in terms of caste, class, and gender. The bottom of the pyramid is the biggest social force to defend the Constitution, republic, and democracy in the country. So future politics has to be politics of the bottom of the pyramid. BJP’s political strategy has been to capture the top of the pyramid and walk away with a few slices from the bottom,” he tells Frontline.

A former Union Minister of Minority Affairs, K. Rahman Khan’s political career spans more than five decades, starting in Karnataka before moving to the national arena. He became a member of the Rajya Sabha in the 1990s, serving four consecutive terms. During this time, he headed two joint parliamentary committees, leading to the amendment of the Waqf Act of 1995. He also served as the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.

In this interview with Frontline, Khan launches a scathing critique of proposed amendments to the Waqf Act, accusing the Modi government of attempting to undermine Muslim control over vast Waqf properties across India. The veteran politician argues that the new Bill, far from improving transparency and accountability as claimed, is a thinly veiled attempt to wrest control of Muslim religious endowments.

Bangladesh is presently in a state of nationwide upheaval after a students' protest demanding reform in the country’s reservation system for government jobs turned violent and forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina out of power. India’s ties with Bangladesh are essential and the continuance of violence and unrest can adversely affect the bordering States and other parts of the country. Hasina was one of India’s close strategic partners in a neighbourhood that is fraught with anti-Indian sentiment. So what does the latest spate of violence mean for Bangladesh's future?

In the latest episode of Frontline Conversations, senior journalist Saba Naqvi speaks with academic and author, Swati Narayan, over Zoom, about her book, 'Unequal: Why India Lags Behind Its Neighbours', which focusses on Bangladesh's social and economic growth over decades, its political instabilities, and citizens' secular practices. Professor Narayan also discusses Hasina's contentious tenure as PM and the state of upheaval the nation is currently in following her ouster and the swearing-in of the caretaker government led by Dr. Muhammad Yunus.

In a wide-ranging and candid conversation with senior journalist Saba Naqvi, Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, Member of Parliament from Srinagar, offers a stark assessment of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir nearly five years after the abrogation of Article 370. Speaking as one of the few elected representatives from the region in the Parliament, Mehdi describes a climate of disempowerment, economic distress, and alienation among Kashmiris. He argues that the removal of J&K's special status was unconstitutional and has eroded the region's relationship with India, while failing to address security concerns.

Mehdi paints a troubling picture of demographic changes, loss of local economic opportunities, and a growing drug problem that he suggests may be deliberately overlooked. While acknowledging some positive developments like increased tourism, he contends these are temporary and mask deeper issues. Throughout, Mehdi stresses his commitment to democracy and non-violence, even as he advocates for the restoration of J&K's previous constitutional status. His perspective offers rare insight into the complex realities and sentiments in Kashmir today from an elected leader navigating between local aspirations and national politics.

Snakebites claim more lives in India than all other animal-related deaths combined, yet this crisis remains largely invisible. Frontline's Deputy Editor Vikhar Ahmed Sayeed sits down with Sumanth Bindumadhav, a leading herpetologist and Director of Wildlife at Humane Society International, India, to uncoil the complexities of this overlooked epidemic. Bindumadhav reveals startling figures: 10 lakh snakebite cases annually, resulting in 58,000 deaths - that's six lives lost every hour. The burden falls heavily on farmers and rural labourers, with far-reaching socioeconomic impacts. From venom variations across regions to antivenom shortages and deeply rooted cultural beliefs, the challenges snake through India's healthcare system.

As Karnataka becomes the first state to make snakebites a notifiable disease, Bindumadhav discusses the potential for data-driven solutions. He also shares simple yet effective prevention strategies and emphasizes the need for a multi-departmental approach to tackle this venomous problem.

New criminal laws [Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA)] took effect in India on July 1, 2024, raising concerns that they could push the country towards becoming a police state. But what are these laws really about? In Frontline Conversations, senior journalist Saba Naqvi interviews Rebecca John, one of India's top criminal defence lawyers and a senior advocate specialising in criminal law.

According to Rebecca John, the major changes in the criminal laws include incorporating UAPA's and Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act's Section and Offence provisions into the penal code, altering arrest and remand rules, and allowing police inquiries before filing First Information Reports (FIRs). Police can now remand suspects to custody in staggered periods over 40-60 days, instead of the initial 15-day limit. Rebecca believes the Home Minister's clarification about the 15-day custody limit should still apply, despite ambiguous wording in the new laws. She criticises the incorporation of draconian laws into the penal code and the contradiction of Supreme Court rulings with new inquiry rules. Other changes cover laws regarding mob lynching, sexual offences, and judicial procedures.

Sasikanth Senthil has been a key figure in the Congress' resurgent performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, where they won 99 seats—up from 52 in 2019. Though he prefers to keep a low profile, Senthil (45) won his Lok Sabha election from Tiruvallur, a reserved (Scheduled Caste) constituency in Tamil Nadu, by a margin of over five and a half lakh votes, the highest in the State. Senthil has also been actively involved with the Congress "war room" for the general election, which he also helped set up in Karnataka ahead of the 2023 Assembly election.

Senthil, who comes from a Dalit family, studied engineering at NIT Trichy before cracking the civil services exam to become an IAS officer. But he gave it up in 2019 to take up political activism, subsequently joining the Congress. During his swearing-in ceremony as MP, he stood out for highlighting injustice towards minorities, Dalits, and Adivasis, in line with his party's social justice plank.

In this exclusive interview with senior journalist Saba Naqvi, Sasikanth Senthil speaks about his journey to Parliament, his stint with the civil services and why he quit, the state of Dalit politics in India, and more.

Saikat Majumdar is one of the most talked about writers in India today. The author of critically acclaimed novels such as 'Silver Fish', 'The Firebird', 'The Scent of God', and 'The Middle Finger' as well as important non-fiction works like 'College: Pathways of Possibility' and 'Prose of the World', Majumdar has emerged as one of the most fearless and original voices in Indian literature in recent years.

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, Saikat Majumdar speaks to Suhrid Sankar Chattopadhyay about his new novel 'The Remains of the Body', reflects on his entire body of work down the years, and more.

Naturalist Yuvan Aves and Pankaj Sekhsaria, an associate professor at the Centre for Technology Alternatives for Rural Areas, IIT Bombay, environmentalist, and author discuss 'The Great Nicobar Betrayal', a book published by Frontline Magazine, The Hindu Group and put together by Mr. Sekhsaria. It is a compilation of articles by different authors published in Frontline and other news publications.

The massive project envisioned by NITI Aayog, includes construction of a transhipment port at Galathea Bay—a significant hotspot for leatherback turtle nesting—an international airport, a power plant, and a greenfield township on more than 160 square kilometres of land, of which 130 sq.km. is primary forests.

The French political scientist and indologist speaks to Aditya Mani Jha about his recent book titled, 'Gujarat Under Modi: Laboratory of Today's India' which focuses on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tenure as Chief Minister of Gujarat, his policies, recruitment practices, and more.