Left, Right & Centre

On Left, Right and Centre, we speak to author Chetan Bhagat on his new book and his views on the political crisis in Punjab.

A 19-year-old Pakistani terrorist is caught in Uri as the anniversary of the Uri terror attack approaches. Is the ceasefire along the Line of Control just a facade for Pakistan to push in terrorists into India?

Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi's new government ought to have been more careful in taking decisions and not precipitated the crisis in the Punjab Congress, according to an advisor to Navjot Singh Sidhu, the state party unit chief who resigned today. Dubbing Congress leader Amarinder Singh's allegation that Mr Sidhu may move to another party speculation, the cricketer-turned-politician's advisor Surinder Dalla today told NDTV that the former Chief Minister "must have been confused" while making the comment.

In a huge loss for the Congress, Luizinfo Faleiro, a Congress leader of 40 years, has quit the party. He has written to Sonia Gandhi, saying that "the Congress is not the same party for which we fought" and that he sees "no hope or will to prevent the collapse of the Congress."

RSS-linked weekly Panchjanya has hit out at e-commerce major Amazon, calling it "East India Company 2.0". It also alleged that the firm has paid crores of rupees in bribes for favourable government policies. This isn't the first time that Panchjanya has hit out at firms. Infosys was also recently targeted. The arguments in the piece have been echoed by trader groups, who insist that Amazon follows unfair practices.

In an important address, the Chief Justice of India NV Ramana while addressing women advocates said there should be 50 per cent representation of women advocates in the judiciary, which would correct a historic anomaly based on thousands of years of suppression. Chief Justice Ramana made it clear that there needs to be a gender correction in the judiciary - and it's the right of women advocates to demand this.

The Uttar Pradesh government expanded its cabinet with an eye on the assembly elections that are due soon. It shows an attempt to reflect caste and community priorities ahead of the polls. The opposition Samajwadi Party calls the exercise a "hoax". What's the math behind the inductions into the cabinet?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with US President Joe Biden at the White House today. This is the first in-person meeting between the two leaders after Mr Biden became President in January. "This decade will be shaped by talent and people-to-people linkages. I am glad the Indian diaspora is making an active contribution towards USA's progress," PM Modi told Mr Biden. "Today's bilateral summit is important. We are meeting at the start of the third decade of this century. Your leadership will certainly play an important role in how this decade is shaped. The seeds have been sown for an even stronger friendship between India and USA," the Prime Minister said.

Of all the countries India is going to speak to in the US, we are the ones who are neighbours to an Afghanistan in the grip of Taliban rule, a terror promoting Pakistan and a China the world wants to counter with. At the UNGA, will the PM push for UN reforms? On LRC Tonight, what do we hope to achieve and why this matters so much?

In an interview to NDTV, Randeep Surjewala, General Secretary of the Congress, says "these drugs are now in the Indian market, there is no consigner, there is no consignee. They endanger our national security for this money is going to go back to Taliban and we don't know who else. They endanger the youth of this country. 25,000 kg of drugs can play havoc in the country. There is a bigger cartel operating in this country. Who are tarnishing the future of the youth? Can so much drugs come into the country without political patronage?"